Class #765
Artemis BJJ (MYGYM Bristol), Can Sönmez, Bristol, UK - 23/08/2016
Today I just ran through some closed guard stuff with Lloyd, as he was the only one who popped down. Not a problem for me, as I wanted to continue resting my wrist injury anyway. It was a little trickier as he wasn't wearing a gi, but I could still run through the main stuff I do from closed guard, which is the shoulder clamp material. We did a bit on sweeps too, combining those with triangles and a few other options. With the scissor sweep, there is a bunch of other material with the gi, such as from the Jamie Hughes seminar a few months ago: he had that nifty choke off the scissor sweep position.
I also did my usual kettlebells, which has now been taken over by Chris. He packs more work into the session, so I got in loads of swings, plus some Turkish get up. On the one handed swing, I need to tense my side abs more (can't remember what they're called), plus overcorrecting with the shoulder to make sure I'm not twisting. Also, keeping my chest up is very important, to prevent my back losing form. If I start bending my back, that can hurt the lower back, like when I messed it up attempting an overly heavy swing a while back.
All the swings blistered up my finger a little, so I'll need to be careful on that too. I'm guessing it was due to a technical mistake on my part. It seems ok writing this up the next day, but we'll see how it likes the weights I'm doing later with David. ;)
Showing posts with label Kettlebells. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Kettlebells. Show all posts
23 August 2016
28 June 2016
28/06/2016 - Open Mat | Knee Shield Pass & Kettlebells
Class #748
Artemis BJJ (MYGYM Bristol), Can Sönmez, Bristol, UK - 28/06/2016
Milka's defence is looking really good, she's very tight on mount. In terms of a question she had about escaping a tight mount, I suggested the Verhoeven escape again. When attacking, I ended up prying arms out, trying to get her to turn for the back. Excellent progression! Sparring was fun, working on mount attacks, moving to the armbar.
I also went through the knee shield pass from Monday, as well as higher up hip switch version. The reverse de la Riva stuff Simon did with Christian at the camp looks cool too. Kettlebells was handy today as well. Lots of important tips, like sitting back when putting the weight down after a swing. I also need to focus on keeping a straight back when high passing the kettlebell to start. Engage glutes. I can immediately feel that tension in the lower back if I'm doing it wrong, so I'll be sticking with 24kg as my upper limit at the mo.
Artemis BJJ (MYGYM Bristol), Can Sönmez, Bristol, UK - 28/06/2016
Milka's defence is looking really good, she's very tight on mount. In terms of a question she had about escaping a tight mount, I suggested the Verhoeven escape again. When attacking, I ended up prying arms out, trying to get her to turn for the back. Excellent progression! Sparring was fun, working on mount attacks, moving to the armbar.
I also went through the knee shield pass from Monday, as well as higher up hip switch version. The reverse de la Riva stuff Simon did with Christian at the camp looks cool too. Kettlebells was handy today as well. Lots of important tips, like sitting back when putting the weight down after a swing. I also need to focus on keeping a straight back when high passing the kettlebell to start. Engage glutes. I can immediately feel that tension in the lower back if I'm doing it wrong, so I'll be sticking with 24kg as my upper limit at the mo.
03 May 2016
03/05/2016 - Open Mat | Open Guard for Back Injuries
Class #718
Artemis BJJ (MYGYM Bristol), Can Sönmez, Bristol, UK - 03/05/2016
Today I ran through a game plan with a student. We focused on options from open guard, while also avoiding impact on the back (due to a long term injury). That ruled out sweeps: the goal was to be either under guard. Sitting guard was perhaps a little too complex, in terms of getting the body alignment right to prevent being pushed down and passed. I therefore instead talked about the simple 'feet on hips' open guard. By keeping the feet on the hips, coupled with a grip on either their sleeve or collar, you can generate a strong push/pull force that is handy for distance management.
It also means that you can pick your moment to pull them into closed guard, assuming you can prevent them moving into a pass (e.g., leg drag). This is something I've been trying to add to my own open guard, though I prefer sitting guard. While I've been looking at loop chokes and collar drags, simply returning to closed guard is more appealing, as then I can work on the shoulder clamp and attacks from there.
My wrist still isn't letting me spar properly, but I can do kettlebells. I worked on my two handed swing, keeping a narrower stance and getting my arms in to the elbows on the backswing. That latter part isn't there yet (I tend to just go to the wrists), but I'll keep working on it.
Artemis BJJ (MYGYM Bristol), Can Sönmez, Bristol, UK - 03/05/2016
Today I ran through a game plan with a student. We focused on options from open guard, while also avoiding impact on the back (due to a long term injury). That ruled out sweeps: the goal was to be either under guard. Sitting guard was perhaps a little too complex, in terms of getting the body alignment right to prevent being pushed down and passed. I therefore instead talked about the simple 'feet on hips' open guard. By keeping the feet on the hips, coupled with a grip on either their sleeve or collar, you can generate a strong push/pull force that is handy for distance management.
It also means that you can pick your moment to pull them into closed guard, assuming you can prevent them moving into a pass (e.g., leg drag). This is something I've been trying to add to my own open guard, though I prefer sitting guard. While I've been looking at loop chokes and collar drags, simply returning to closed guard is more appealing, as then I can work on the shoulder clamp and attacks from there.
My wrist still isn't letting me spar properly, but I can do kettlebells. I worked on my two handed swing, keeping a narrower stance and getting my arms in to the elbows on the backswing. That latter part isn't there yet (I tend to just go to the wrists), but I'll keep working on it.
26 April 2016
26/04/2016 - Open Mat | Kettlebells
Class #715
Artemis BJJ (MYGYM Bristol), Can Sönmez, Bristol, UK - 26/04/2016
It was yet another open mat where I couldn't do any sparring or even progressive resistance, frustratingly, due to the wrist. I was able to do a little bit of kettlebells with my right hand earlier in the Move Strong class, albeit just on a 8kg, but not the snatch. Still, I can at least swing, clean and press, squats etc. Not to mention my left arm is fine, so that gives me something to play with at open mat. The 'high pull' was interesting, where you swing, get it to 'float', then pull your elbow back, shooting it forward again before gravity pulls you down too much.
I could at least drill, so did some de la Riva into x-guard that Simon wanted to practice. I couldn't help a whole lot on the transition, as I never use either of those guards, but I could try and break it. If I could get head control and drop my hips, it was hard for Simon to move me. However, if he could get those legs into play and lift, keeping me off balance, worked well. He was also trying to shift into lockdown when drilling with Mike, works well for his long legs.
Artemis BJJ (MYGYM Bristol), Can Sönmez, Bristol, UK - 26/04/2016
It was yet another open mat where I couldn't do any sparring or even progressive resistance, frustratingly, due to the wrist. I was able to do a little bit of kettlebells with my right hand earlier in the Move Strong class, albeit just on a 8kg, but not the snatch. Still, I can at least swing, clean and press, squats etc. Not to mention my left arm is fine, so that gives me something to play with at open mat. The 'high pull' was interesting, where you swing, get it to 'float', then pull your elbow back, shooting it forward again before gravity pulls you down too much.
I could at least drill, so did some de la Riva into x-guard that Simon wanted to practice. I couldn't help a whole lot on the transition, as I never use either of those guards, but I could try and break it. If I could get head control and drop my hips, it was hard for Simon to move me. However, if he could get those legs into play and lift, keeping me off balance, worked well. He was also trying to shift into lockdown when drilling with Mike, works well for his long legs.
08 March 2016
08/03/2016 - Open Mat | International Women's Day
Class #701
Artemis BJJ (MYGYM Bristol), Open Mat, Bristol, UK - 08/03/2016
Small class today after kettlebells, but that did include Tracey, appropriately for International Women's Day. I practiced some knee on belly, got in a bit of rolling, along with answering a few questions Tracey had about training. This time last year, it was the Equality Now GrappleThon: for 2016, we're going to be rolling for One25, a small local charity that helps vulnerable women rebuild their lives. Fundraising is going well, having passed the £2,000 mark a little while ago: if you'd like to help us reach £3,000, head here! :D
Artemis BJJ (MYGYM Bristol), Open Mat, Bristol, UK - 08/03/2016
Small class today after kettlebells, but that did include Tracey, appropriately for International Women's Day. I practiced some knee on belly, got in a bit of rolling, along with answering a few questions Tracey had about training. This time last year, it was the Equality Now GrappleThon: for 2016, we're going to be rolling for One25, a small local charity that helps vulnerable women rebuild their lives. Fundraising is going well, having passed the £2,000 mark a little while ago: if you'd like to help us reach £3,000, head here! :D
01 March 2016
01/03/2016 - Open Mat | Kettlebells
Class #699
Artemis BJJ (MYGYM Bristol), Open Mat, Bristol, UK - 01/03/2016
I seem to have scraped off a large chunk of skin from my elbow, so decided to give sparring a rest today: hopefully grows back enough by tomorrow, or Friday. :)
That meant I wandered around helping people with technique, with tips on things like the leg drag, going over those lapel attacks from the last couple of weeks and randomly that mawashi grip I learned from Kev. In terms of my own training, the most useful part was kettlebells. Chris has been covering for David while he's away. He talks a lot less than David, focusing in on the lifting. Hence a tougher workout! Good to vary it up though. I learned the military press for the first time, as well as my first time swinging two bells simultaneously. I must remember to open my hand, in case the handles clash. Potentially very painful on the fingers!
I'm not locking my arms out properly and my left arm failed on 20kg (though it wasn't far off, I should be able to make it next time), but I felt my cleans have been getting better too. I went with 12kg on the double swing, with a 16kg double swing as well. That will probably do for now, though I'm tempted to give 20kg a try.
Artemis BJJ (MYGYM Bristol), Open Mat, Bristol, UK - 01/03/2016
I seem to have scraped off a large chunk of skin from my elbow, so decided to give sparring a rest today: hopefully grows back enough by tomorrow, or Friday. :)
That meant I wandered around helping people with technique, with tips on things like the leg drag, going over those lapel attacks from the last couple of weeks and randomly that mawashi grip I learned from Kev. In terms of my own training, the most useful part was kettlebells. Chris has been covering for David while he's away. He talks a lot less than David, focusing in on the lifting. Hence a tougher workout! Good to vary it up though. I learned the military press for the first time, as well as my first time swinging two bells simultaneously. I must remember to open my hand, in case the handles clash. Potentially very painful on the fingers!
I'm not locking my arms out properly and my left arm failed on 20kg (though it wasn't far off, I should be able to make it next time), but I felt my cleans have been getting better too. I went with 12kg on the double swing, with a 16kg double swing as well. That will probably do for now, though I'm tempted to give 20kg a try.
17 January 2016
17/01/2016 - Open Mat | Baseball Bat Choke Under Side Control & Turkish Get Up (Kettlebells)
Class #691
Artemis BJJ (MYGYM Bristol), Open Mat, Bristol, UK - 17/01/2016
Kettlebells has been especially good this week, with loads of great stuff on the Turkish get up, my new favourite fitness exercise ever. David and the Move Strong team did a great workshop yesterday too, which focused heavily on the Turkish get up. My Turkish get up needs a lot of work, as I'm not packing my shoulder enough, puffing out my chest or going sufficiently far up on the high bridge. I also need to make sure the arm is straight, get my kettlebell knee in closer to my bum (good tip from Natalia) and be sure to look at the kettlebell, but it's a start. I feel it's my duty to get good at this, given my Turkish heritage. ;)
Today at open mat, Steve wanted to look at the Baseball bat choke from underneath. This is something Magid Hage has made famous, as he hits it on everybody. It's the same thing you do on top, except this has the added bonus of them being distracted because they think they're completing a pass. I was trying to think of a good way to flow into it, and I reckon pushing on their shoulder with your inside arm could be the way. It's not as effective a block as the outside arm, but it works. Main reason is that is transitions nicely into a same side grip on the collar, getting your thumb in.
The tricky part is getting the second hand into the collar on the other side, palm up. As with any baseball bat choke, you are trying to touch the bottom of your second hand to the thumb of your first hand (like you were holding a baseball bat, or my preferred analogy, an awesome great sword ;P). Grab, cut your second elbow across, pulling them in tight as you spin. You'll know the right way to go, because the wrong way will be blocked by their legs. Make sure you pull them down tight. If they have the space to get a knee into your stomach, then gain strong posture and can generally drive their way up and loosen the choke.
I finished up with some good sparring against one of the blue belts, who is always a lot of fun to roll with. As I often find with him, the kimura grip worked well for me. I think it's because his elbows have a tendency to come away from his body, something I noticed when he was competing too. We can fix that before the next comp. I wasn't able to get the waki gatame, or the extra strong Jacare variation on the kimura (off Ryan Hall's DVD), where you walk over to the other shoulder. Persevering with the grip paid off, managing to latch it on at the end. I need to watch my back though, he almost had that at one point IIRC, I don't always keep that in mind enough.
Artemis BJJ (MYGYM Bristol), Open Mat, Bristol, UK - 17/01/2016
Kettlebells has been especially good this week, with loads of great stuff on the Turkish get up, my new favourite fitness exercise ever. David and the Move Strong team did a great workshop yesterday too, which focused heavily on the Turkish get up. My Turkish get up needs a lot of work, as I'm not packing my shoulder enough, puffing out my chest or going sufficiently far up on the high bridge. I also need to make sure the arm is straight, get my kettlebell knee in closer to my bum (good tip from Natalia) and be sure to look at the kettlebell, but it's a start. I feel it's my duty to get good at this, given my Turkish heritage. ;)
Today at open mat, Steve wanted to look at the Baseball bat choke from underneath. This is something Magid Hage has made famous, as he hits it on everybody. It's the same thing you do on top, except this has the added bonus of them being distracted because they think they're completing a pass. I was trying to think of a good way to flow into it, and I reckon pushing on their shoulder with your inside arm could be the way. It's not as effective a block as the outside arm, but it works. Main reason is that is transitions nicely into a same side grip on the collar, getting your thumb in.
The tricky part is getting the second hand into the collar on the other side, palm up. As with any baseball bat choke, you are trying to touch the bottom of your second hand to the thumb of your first hand (like you were holding a baseball bat, or my preferred analogy, an awesome great sword ;P). Grab, cut your second elbow across, pulling them in tight as you spin. You'll know the right way to go, because the wrong way will be blocked by their legs. Make sure you pull them down tight. If they have the space to get a knee into your stomach, then gain strong posture and can generally drive their way up and loosen the choke.
I finished up with some good sparring against one of the blue belts, who is always a lot of fun to roll with. As I often find with him, the kimura grip worked well for me. I think it's because his elbows have a tendency to come away from his body, something I noticed when he was competing too. We can fix that before the next comp. I wasn't able to get the waki gatame, or the extra strong Jacare variation on the kimura (off Ryan Hall's DVD), where you walk over to the other shoulder. Persevering with the grip paid off, managing to latch it on at the end. I need to watch my back though, he almost had that at one point IIRC, I don't always keep that in mind enough.
03 November 2015
03/11/2015 - Open Mat | Turtle & Back
Class #677
Artemis BJJ (MYGYM Bristol), Open Mat, Bristol, UK - 03/11/2015
I went to another kettlebells class first, as there is now a daytime session. For my third bit of kettlebelling at Move Strong, David added in the one handed swing. Felt ok, though I reckon my arm was going a bit off-centre with the left-handed swing on the 16kg. I'm cautious, so always gravitate towards lighter weights if possible, though like David said, on the double handed swing, the extra weight on the 16kg seems to help get the form right. He got me to have a go with the 32kg in my second class last week, which was interesting: managed the swing and I didn't strain anything, but I don't think that's going to be my default for a very long time! ;)
At open mat, everybody wanted to practice back position, presumably because it is back month. I've got two back escapes in mind that I want to run through this month (the bridge and that arm over one), possibly something on turtle too. A couple of people were asking about turtle, so I reckon I need at least a couple of classes on that to introduce it, maybe a drill too. I could do a class on the basic tilt, then incorporate that as a drill, maybe with an escape too?
Specific sparring against the turtle, I was looking for the crucifix again, but I need to remember I can just do a basic tilt to the back too. I'm over-focusing on that crucifix. On escaping the back I've tried to add the arm over into my repertoire (seeing as my back escape repertoire is basically just one, that bridge). It worked a couple of times, though I was leaving too much space as I wriggled into position and my neck was too exposed.
I was tending to dig my hands underneath to then get into a lifting posture, which feels like I am leaving an elbow out, ripe for being grabbed. I'll have to test this on the more experienced grapplers too, as it feels like I'm leaving dangerous gaps. Plenty of opportunity to practice it this month. Also I need to watch out for the collar grips: I'm pretty sure Kirsty would have landed her bow and arrow choke on me yesterday if I hadn't been bigger.
It's also another good reminder to be careful that with escapes I'm not relying on a size advantage when sparring smaller people. Something I always have in mind, but hard to be sure. Getting put in submissions is probably a good test, as that shows you if you simply resist with brute force to avoid getting tapped or not.
Artemis BJJ (MYGYM Bristol), Open Mat, Bristol, UK - 03/11/2015
I went to another kettlebells class first, as there is now a daytime session. For my third bit of kettlebelling at Move Strong, David added in the one handed swing. Felt ok, though I reckon my arm was going a bit off-centre with the left-handed swing on the 16kg. I'm cautious, so always gravitate towards lighter weights if possible, though like David said, on the double handed swing, the extra weight on the 16kg seems to help get the form right. He got me to have a go with the 32kg in my second class last week, which was interesting: managed the swing and I didn't strain anything, but I don't think that's going to be my default for a very long time! ;)
At open mat, everybody wanted to practice back position, presumably because it is back month. I've got two back escapes in mind that I want to run through this month (the bridge and that arm over one), possibly something on turtle too. A couple of people were asking about turtle, so I reckon I need at least a couple of classes on that to introduce it, maybe a drill too. I could do a class on the basic tilt, then incorporate that as a drill, maybe with an escape too?
Specific sparring against the turtle, I was looking for the crucifix again, but I need to remember I can just do a basic tilt to the back too. I'm over-focusing on that crucifix. On escaping the back I've tried to add the arm over into my repertoire (seeing as my back escape repertoire is basically just one, that bridge). It worked a couple of times, though I was leaving too much space as I wriggled into position and my neck was too exposed.
I was tending to dig my hands underneath to then get into a lifting posture, which feels like I am leaving an elbow out, ripe for being grabbed. I'll have to test this on the more experienced grapplers too, as it feels like I'm leaving dangerous gaps. Plenty of opportunity to practice it this month. Also I need to watch out for the collar grips: I'm pretty sure Kirsty would have landed her bow and arrow choke on me yesterday if I hadn't been bigger.
It's also another good reminder to be careful that with escapes I'm not relying on a size advantage when sparring smaller people. Something I always have in mind, but hard to be sure. Getting put in submissions is probably a good test, as that shows you if you simply resist with brute force to avoid getting tapped or not.
20 October 2015
20/10/2015 - MoveStrong | Kettlebells | Swing & Squat
MoveStrong (MYGYM Bristol), Natalia Pazar, Bristol, UK - 20/10/2015
I have never been big on strength on conditioning, mainly because I'm too lazy to stick with the majority of activities that come under that umbrella. I've managed stints of going to the gym or doing press ups and the like at home, but I always end up getting either bored, distracted or both and it fizzles out. That's what has been so great about Brazilian jiu jitsu over my last decade of training: it's too much fun to get bored, as there's so much depth you're always learning something new.
Still, given I now teach BJJ for a living (at least partly), it makes sense to work on my strength and conditioning. I don't care about getting super buff or anything like that, but I would like to 'injury proof' my body with some extra muscle. Fortunately for me, I knew exactly where to go, after two fantastic kettlebell instructors tried out Artemis BJJ back in March 2014.
David and Natalia are the teachers at MoveStrong, a kettlebells and personal training group that is based at MYGYM Bristol, just like Artemis BJJ. One of my BJJ students, Chris, has been raving about how good the classes are for quite a while now, as well as showing me a few basics. That interest was further bolstered by the cool taster David did at the helpfulpeeps event a while ago.
This month I finally had the time to commit to a regular class, as I work from home on Tuesdays which opens up my week a bit more. There used to be a daytime class for MoveStrong, which is hopefully going to start back up again: that would be a perfect fit if they set it to run on Tuesdays from 12:00-13:00, as the Artemis BJJ open mat runs from 13:00-14:00 in the same room. No travel time! ;)
For the moment, there is also a MoveStrong kettlebell class on Tuesday evenings from 19:00-20:00, which also fits ok with my schedule. My girlfriend goes to choir around then, although next week will be half term, so she's free. She's interested in popping down to the kettlebell session with me next week, but I'm not sure they do drop-ins or have some kind of one-off rate or not: I'll check. I'm signed up to the £35 monthly rate, which gives you access once a week. I suspect that will be more than enough for me, as I'm busy teaching BJJ most other weekdays.
It was Natalia teaching today, who proved to be an excellent instructor. Welcoming, relaxed and with lots of helpful tips, carefully correcting my posture and walking me through each detail of the technique. The class in general had a great atmosphere: it felt like a similar vibe to the women only Artemis BJJ class on Wednesdays, especially as it was all women tonight (apart from me). I haven't had much of a chance to speak to the other students yet (who were probably thinking "Who is the weird guy in multicoloured tights?", as naturally I wore my Artemis BJJ spats), but they all seemed friendly.
Natalia also did a good job of splitting her time between running through the basics with me, but also providing the experienced students with direction too. It's not a huge class, as there were four of us, which for me is a plus point. That means more hands-on attention from the instructor: again, much the same as the women-only BJJ class. They both take place in the same room (the upstairs Studio at MYGYM), no doubt further highlighting the similarities in my head.
I learned two techniques today, starting with the basic swing. The kettlebell (Natalia decided on a 16kg for me, then also suggested I do a small number of reps on a 24kg later when I had some more understanding of the technique) sits on the floor in front of you. Put your feet shoulder width apart. Grab the handle of the kettlebell with both hands, twisting inwards as if you were trying to snap the handle. Keep your shoulders back, also thrusting your bum out, tensing your abs. Your back stays in a concave arch, like a dog (so, reminiscent of the 'dog/cat' distinction in closed guard posture).
Bring the kettlebell back towards your legs, bringing your upper body down (don't bend: remain straight, like your upper body is a plank on a hinge). As it swings back, thrust forcefully with you hips. The kettlebell will swing up, then as it returns, once you feel your elbow touch your ribs, hinge back down again. As you swing the kettlebell backwards, breathe in through your nose, then when you thrust your hips forward, exhale percussively through your mouth. The lift of the kettlebell comes from that hip thrust: your arms are essentially ropes with a weight tied on the end.
It's tricky to get the posture right, which is where good teachers like Natalia come in, correcting those minor imbalances where you're going out of alignment. I also wasn't too good at tensing up my abs and glutes with the swing, but that will come with time. I was wondering if all the swinging would make my sore fingers worse, but they felt fine afterwards. So hopefully kettlebells will act as a counter to all the over-gripping I've been doing in BJJ: Chris has said it definitely helped his fingers.
Next was a squat, which was easier. Grab the sides of the handle, lifting the kettlebell to your chest. From your low squat position, stand up, leading with your head. Keep the kettlebell where it is, slowly descending back down into the squat, resting your elbows on your thighs/knees. Again, I don't think my posture is quite there yet, but Natalia had loads of useful advice while I was doing it, as well as showing me how to combine it with a swing.
I'm looking forward to the next session (especially if I can bring my girlfriend along). Should be very interesting to see how it affects my BJJ! :)
I have never been big on strength on conditioning, mainly because I'm too lazy to stick with the majority of activities that come under that umbrella. I've managed stints of going to the gym or doing press ups and the like at home, but I always end up getting either bored, distracted or both and it fizzles out. That's what has been so great about Brazilian jiu jitsu over my last decade of training: it's too much fun to get bored, as there's so much depth you're always learning something new.
Still, given I now teach BJJ for a living (at least partly), it makes sense to work on my strength and conditioning. I don't care about getting super buff or anything like that, but I would like to 'injury proof' my body with some extra muscle. Fortunately for me, I knew exactly where to go, after two fantastic kettlebell instructors tried out Artemis BJJ back in March 2014.
David and Natalia are the teachers at MoveStrong, a kettlebells and personal training group that is based at MYGYM Bristol, just like Artemis BJJ. One of my BJJ students, Chris, has been raving about how good the classes are for quite a while now, as well as showing me a few basics. That interest was further bolstered by the cool taster David did at the helpfulpeeps event a while ago.
This month I finally had the time to commit to a regular class, as I work from home on Tuesdays which opens up my week a bit more. There used to be a daytime class for MoveStrong, which is hopefully going to start back up again: that would be a perfect fit if they set it to run on Tuesdays from 12:00-13:00, as the Artemis BJJ open mat runs from 13:00-14:00 in the same room. No travel time! ;)For the moment, there is also a MoveStrong kettlebell class on Tuesday evenings from 19:00-20:00, which also fits ok with my schedule. My girlfriend goes to choir around then, although next week will be half term, so she's free. She's interested in popping down to the kettlebell session with me next week, but I'm not sure they do drop-ins or have some kind of one-off rate or not: I'll check. I'm signed up to the £35 monthly rate, which gives you access once a week. I suspect that will be more than enough for me, as I'm busy teaching BJJ most other weekdays.
It was Natalia teaching today, who proved to be an excellent instructor. Welcoming, relaxed and with lots of helpful tips, carefully correcting my posture and walking me through each detail of the technique. The class in general had a great atmosphere: it felt like a similar vibe to the women only Artemis BJJ class on Wednesdays, especially as it was all women tonight (apart from me). I haven't had much of a chance to speak to the other students yet (who were probably thinking "Who is the weird guy in multicoloured tights?", as naturally I wore my Artemis BJJ spats), but they all seemed friendly.
Natalia also did a good job of splitting her time between running through the basics with me, but also providing the experienced students with direction too. It's not a huge class, as there were four of us, which for me is a plus point. That means more hands-on attention from the instructor: again, much the same as the women-only BJJ class. They both take place in the same room (the upstairs Studio at MYGYM), no doubt further highlighting the similarities in my head.
I learned two techniques today, starting with the basic swing. The kettlebell (Natalia decided on a 16kg for me, then also suggested I do a small number of reps on a 24kg later when I had some more understanding of the technique) sits on the floor in front of you. Put your feet shoulder width apart. Grab the handle of the kettlebell with both hands, twisting inwards as if you were trying to snap the handle. Keep your shoulders back, also thrusting your bum out, tensing your abs. Your back stays in a concave arch, like a dog (so, reminiscent of the 'dog/cat' distinction in closed guard posture).
Bring the kettlebell back towards your legs, bringing your upper body down (don't bend: remain straight, like your upper body is a plank on a hinge). As it swings back, thrust forcefully with you hips. The kettlebell will swing up, then as it returns, once you feel your elbow touch your ribs, hinge back down again. As you swing the kettlebell backwards, breathe in through your nose, then when you thrust your hips forward, exhale percussively through your mouth. The lift of the kettlebell comes from that hip thrust: your arms are essentially ropes with a weight tied on the end.
It's tricky to get the posture right, which is where good teachers like Natalia come in, correcting those minor imbalances where you're going out of alignment. I also wasn't too good at tensing up my abs and glutes with the swing, but that will come with time. I was wondering if all the swinging would make my sore fingers worse, but they felt fine afterwards. So hopefully kettlebells will act as a counter to all the over-gripping I've been doing in BJJ: Chris has said it definitely helped his fingers.
Next was a squat, which was easier. Grab the sides of the handle, lifting the kettlebell to your chest. From your low squat position, stand up, leading with your head. Keep the kettlebell where it is, slowly descending back down into the squat, resting your elbows on your thighs/knees. Again, I don't think my posture is quite there yet, but Natalia had loads of useful advice while I was doing it, as well as showing me how to combine it with a swing.
I'm looking forward to the next session (especially if I can bring my girlfriend along). Should be very interesting to see how it affects my BJJ! :)
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