One of my favorite ways to use a kettlebell is just to throw it around. A series of flips, catches, spins and whatnot will have you huffing and puffing in no time. Not to mention it hits just about every muscle and at odd angles. Don’t be surprised if you wake up the next day sore in places you didn’t know existed.
I don’t practice this all the time. Just whenever I am at the park or beach and have a kettlebell on hand. If you want to break the monotony of your routine and add some extra fun I can hardly think of a better way. This video was taking a while back and, even in my limited training, I have gotten better.
I’ve gotten better even with a little practice here and there. But you can get even greater results if you decide to practice it regularly.
That is just what I did after I met Jeff Martone. His display of throwing around a 53 lb. kettlebell while talking and not losing a step inspired me to learn these skills. Perhaps you will be motivated as well? Watching his videos is what got me started and if you are serious about learning how to do this then you need to get your hands on them.
But if you wanted to get started right away I have a couple tips for you.
All the moves are really based off of the swing. If your swing is in good shape then you are ready to get started. The arms are merely used to guide and control the kettlebell. All the power comes from your legs and back.
This is one of the reasons these drills are so amazing to other people. They usually try to do some sort of arm lift with the kettlebell and the weight will feel heavy. Your legs are much stronger than your arms so use them.
Don’t forget to practice outside or in an area where the kettlebell can drop if it needs to. Start swinging and let your hand go at the top. You may notice the kettlebell naturally wants to spin. By giving it some help in that direction you can do a flip. Pushing the kettlebell the other way will cause it to do a reverse flip.
You need to time it right so that you can grab the handle once again. Kettlebell juggling improves your hand-eye coordination in a big way. With practice you can get to the point of throwing the bell over your shoulder and catching it without even looking.
If there ever was truth in the words “play instead of workout” this is it.
After developing my own skills to a high degree I decided to make my own DVD’s to teach others. In fact I now run KettlebellJuggling.com so check that out if you want more info and grab The Definitive Guide to Kettlebell Juggling.