The Kettlebell Swing is NOT a hinge, it's a squat!

You've likely heard the cue "the kettlebell swing is a hinge, not a squat." While there are most certainly times when cuing someone to hinge the swings is appropriate, if you want to really sharpen up your swing, you're going to need to drop the hinge and start squatting into the hole. ˚ When a coach cues an athlete to "stop squatting", the athlete is most often squatting in a way where their knees move excessively forward, like a front squat. This is overtly bad, and certainly one of the situations where cuing the athlete to hinge is appropriate. But that cue is not always appropriate and may even increase the athlete's risk of injury to the low back, particularly if they are performing heavy swings. ˚ A proper kettlebell swing involves a squat motion into the hole. The squat, however, needs to be that of a box squat, where the butt moves down and back with minimal knee translation. The knees move forward a little, but not much more than to the level of the mid-foot or the end of the shoelaces. ˚ There are 2 crucial reasons why squatting in the hole is paramount in the kettlebell swing. ˚ First: squatting in the hole maintains a powerful and safe orientation/relationship between the torso and the bell. In a good, powerful, safe, swing, the arms stay tight against your torso during the bottom portion of the swing. This keeps the weight close to your spine, maintaining the best possible mechanical advantage over the weight. Often, when someone is hinging in the hole, the bell will drift away from the torso, increasing the bending torque on the spine, pulling it into flexion. This puts the spine is a bad position, one which exposes the spine to potential injury -- not a good thing when you are swinging heavy bells. ˚ Second: Squatting into the hole better loads the legs (hips and knees) which results in a more ballistic and powerful drive out of the hole, which is one of the hallmark characteristics of a quality swing. The better the drive out of the hole, the longer the float phase. The longer the float phase, the more time you have to relax between reps. This reduces the metabolic and respiratory demand, making your swing much more efficient. ˚ The next time you are working on your swings, try squatting into the hole instead of hinging. You will likely find it to be incredibly powerful. ˚ --- Follow me on Instagram at @AthleteEnhancement. Want to attend a live Athlete Enhancement course? Visit: www.Athlete-Enhancement.com/store