I have recently been online watching some pretty dubious instructional videos on kettlebells, and the common factor is an uber-confident S&C coach who has grabbed a couple of bells, not pursued the path of learning from an experienced lifter,  but devised and promoted his own kettlebell programme. Each of these coaches is keen to sell his training DVDs, and would argue that his background in S&C equips him to teach the kettlebell swing. The videos I have seen prove them wrong.

Some of these “coaches” feel they have created a USP, by re-inventing the kettlebell into some new shape, ergonomically unsound and hardly appropriate for a snatch. Others set themselves up as a seat of learning and offer courses and systems. Others promote some pricey “Master Trainer” hoodie, with a half-baked course on the back of the offer. And all these paths could on the surface set you up as a Class Instructor, but none of them promote true learning of sound lifting techniques.

So, where can a lifter go to get expert knowledge? I would say not to be swayed by the promise of fat-burning workouts, kettlebell bootcamp franchises or dvds which promise will transform you into a kettlebell trainer demi-god. This is all peripheral, and not the best way to learn. Ask yourself why you want this knowledge, and what you plan to do with it. If you are serious about learning to lift, and lift efficiently, you need to go to experts in the field, the  guys whose entire business (and lives!) are centred around kettlebells.

Start off by watching Valery Fedorenko’s Introduction to Kettlebells video – www.worldkettlebellclub.com – you will learn more there than you’d credit, and it will give you a taste of serious commitment to kettlebell lifting. Fedorenko gives so much essential information, all in one free 70 minute clip. By contrast, the amateur lifters on YouTube wanting to sell you a dvd, or a “system” are groping in the dark, skirting around the most important points in order to stretch their rudimentary knowledge across several dvds or videos. Those guys should put the bell down, and go and get a more feasible hobby!