Kettlebells for Policemen

Coach Jeff Martone, owner of Tactical Athlete

Brought to the United States by Pavel Tsatsouline (Pavel), Kettlebells were originally used to train the Russian Special Forces.  Yet Kettlebells are for everyone…. soldiers, policemen, athletes and even soccer moms.   Executing Kettlebell technique correctly will not only burn body fat, but will also increase strength, stamina and agility, all of which are common goals for anyone hoping to “look good naked” or increase athletic and professional performance.   This post is inspired by the young police officer who took my advice and did some Kettlebell reading on his own.  I was surprised to actually see him doing Kettlebell swings yesterday – I’m frequently approached with questions, but rarely see any follow through.

As a certified Kettlebell Instructor, it’s easy to spot poor form.  Even worse, more often than not I see folks using Kettlebells inappropriately by ignoring basic safety rules, such as:

• not maintaining lumbar support while under load
• moving weight away from the heel to the front of the foot
• hyperextension of the wrist (the gold standard for recognizing someone is using their arms instead of an explosive hip drive to move the weight)

Proper form and technique are critical to reaping the benefits of Kettlebell training; poor execution overtime will lead to injury.

If you’re going to start using Kettlebells, it’s always best to receive one-on-one instruction from a certified instructor.  Pavel offers several different types of Russian Kettlebell Certifications (RKC) Workshops, as well as instructional books and videos via Dragon Door.

I personally recommend Jeff Martone’s  CrossFit Kettlebell Certification and Tactical Training Courses.   Coach Martone was one of Pavel’s original Master RKC Instructors, later leaving to develop his own company, Tactical Athlete. With Coach Martone you’ll learn how to safely incorporate Kettlebells into your workouts, practice joint mobility movements to ready your body for exercise, and be drilled restlessly until your form is perfected.   He personally tests each participant at the end of his course to ensure all course material and skills have been completely mastered. Coach Martone and his wife also offer instructional books and videos via Tactical Athlete.

Jeff Martone Introducing  “H2H2: Harder. Faster. Stronger” Video

Without one-on-one instruction you’ll need to do some extensive research on your own.  As promised, I’m posting additional online resources for the young police officer so that he may continue to improve his Kettlebell technique.

Jeff Martone’s free online Kettlebell Articles:

• Kettlebell Basics: Improving Your Swing Part 2 (Part 1 can be read by joining the CrossFit Journal)
• Kettlebells: One-Arm Swings and Beyond
• Turkish Get-Up:  Part 1
• Turkish Get-Up:  Part 2
• The Kettlebell Press
• The Kettlebell Clean
• The Kettlebell Clean Combinations

Jeff Martone’s free online Kettlebell Videos:

• Basic Kettlebell Swing Part 1
• Basic Kettlebell Swing Part 2
• Basic Kettlebell Swing Part 3
• Basic Kettlebell Swing Part 4
• Basic Kettlebell Swing Part 5
• Basic Kettlebell Swing Part 6
• Basic Kettlebell Swing Part 7
• Basic Kettlebell Swing Part 8

Additional Jeff Martone Instructional Videos can be found on his Tactical Athlete YouTube site.