If you're a swinger :-) then you'll love this one. The Kettlebell
swing is most likely the best KB exercise around, and that's probably
why there are several variations of it, and that's definitely why
I like it so much. Sometimes I like something so much, that it makes
my head spin, and it makes me want to go overboard; and that's how
the pirouette swing came to life: during the last Seattle Kettlebell
Club meeting in Greenlake, I wanted to try an extreme version of
the swing; I wanted to swing as hard as possible, but Tyler wouldn't
let me throw his KBs around [Editor: buy your own!], so I swung
the KB as hard as I could, over my head, without letting it go.
Enter the pirouette swing.
What does the pirouette swing look like?
Check out this video of
Tyler Hass, RKC performing the pirouette swing.
Why do the pirouette swing?
Because it allows you to swing the bell so hard that it literally
Swings above and beyond your head. It is FUN!
How to perform the pirouette swing?
Well, I guess that everyone can develop hir(1) own style and method,
but here's how I recommend building up to it:
Pick the lightest KB you have, perform a classic 2 handed swing
with it, and when you're ready perform a strong swing and throw
the KB above your head backwards. Make sure your mother in law
is there to catch it. If you're comfortable with throwing the
KB backwards above your head, you're ready for the pirouette.
Perform the same actions as in throwing the KB backwards, only
now you will not need your MIL to catch it, because when the KB
will reach its highest point, just above your head, you will perform
a quick 180 degrees turn (that's pi radians) WHILE HOLDING ONTO
THE KB WITH BOTH HANDS, and simply swing the KB down between your
legs. That's only half a rep though, because you still have to
pirouette back, this time turning through your other side (that
is, if your 1st turn was to your right, the next turn will be
to your
left).
Some things to be careful about:
1. Start with a light weight, one which you can control easily,
thus
can correct technique mistakes simply by applying force on the
KB. Make sure your technique is flawless, because you might not
be able to change the KB's trajectory with the heavier weights.
2. The 1st critical point of the technique is when the KB is at
or
near its peak height, since it just might fall on you. So:
-make sure that your arms are locked with your triceps flexed.
-if you feel that the KB does not have enough momentum to go
over to the other side, just keep your arms straight and push
the KB forward and let it drop on the floor away from you. I
recommend dropping the KB instead of trying another swing because
you are likely to be distracted from the failure to complete
the pirouette, thus might use bad technique on the down swing,
and might possibly hurt your back (among other things). You
might have also already changed your leg position (getting ready
to pirouette), thus a down swing might bang your legs. just
drop it away from you.
-when the KB goes above the horizon, it is *ok* to pull the
KB with the shoulders in order to slightly help it swing over
your head, but you must stop the shoulder pull just before turning
around (otherwise you might be applying force in the wrong direction).
3. The 2nd critical point of the technique is the down swing
after the turn: you might hit your legs with the KB. So:
-make sure to get into a relatively wide stance just after
completing the turn.
-as the KB starts to descend, make sure that the down swing
path goes just between your legs. If not, just push the KB away
from you and drop it. Don't try to force the KB into the correct
path, because the risk of breaking your leg is not worth it
-when the KB starts to drop, it is *ok* to try and slow the
KB's descent a bit with the shoulders so that the descent is
not too forceful, but you should stop the shoulder involvement
just before the KB reaches the horizon. Do not bend your arms
or lean forward; the down swing should be identical to a classic
down swing.
Variations of the pirouette swing:
1. perform the pirouette swing with one arm.
2. perform the pirouette swing with one arm going up, turn with
2 arms holding the KB, and down with the other arm.
Note that in the above variations there are 4 possible movements
(with each arm you can turn both ways).
Things to focus on:
1. be careful
2. ENJOY!
Next time: the twist swing.
(1) hir - his/her
Micky Snir is a calorie-restricted recreational strength enthusiast
that likes moving barbells, dumbbells, kettlebells, selfbells
(gymnastics) and kidbells (I have a 2 pood daughter, 1.8 pood
son, 1.4 pood son, and 0.7 pood daughter).
