Because we live in a world that causes us to hunch over- sitting at a desk all day, texting, riding in a car, or sitting on a couch – many of us live our lives mostly with a rounded back and when that transfers over into weight lifting it can get very dangerous.  Swinging a kettlebell with a rounded back is unfortunately very common and also very dangerous.

Over the years, I have found three drills or cues that help make you or your student feel what it’s like to have proper position even when they don’t realize they are rounding their backs. I suggest trying them yourself so you know what they feel like and then testing them out on your students.

The Dowel Drill

Place a dowel (or broomstick if you don’t have a dowel) on your back so you have a point of contact between your shoulder blades and a point of contact on your tailbone. Then hinge back mimicking the bottom of you swing while maintaining the two points of contact. Stand up and still keep those two points of contact – all while looking toward the horizon (or where the wall in front of you and floor meet if you are inside.) Repeat that hinge pattern a few more times to get the feel of it and then immediately try a few swings maintaining that straight back position.

Behind the Back Hinge

Stand up with bell in hand and place it behind your back so you are grabbing the handle with both hands.  Holding the bell behind you should open up your chest so your shoulder blades are pinched together.  Hinge back pushing your butt into the bell, giving you a target behind you, not under you. Stand and repeat.  Sometimes people who sit all day can’t even tell what a rounded back  feels like and this will force them to open their chest and stand up tall.  Again, immediately after the drill test the skill.

Broad Jump Cue

Without a bell, imagine you are setting up to jump in front of you as far as you can.  This position is the same as the bottom of a swing if you simply move your hands to where your forearms are touching your inner thigh.  Keep in mind, you are setting up for a broad jump, not a vertical jump.  A vertical jump prep will set you up to be squatty.  Once you are in the set up for a broad jump, stand up aggressively keeping the weight towards your heels.  This is the same set up for the swing.

There are many drills to fix the common issue of rounding the back in a kettlebell swing.  These are the three I have gotten the most results from over the years.  If you have other cues that work for you or suggested topics for future articles, I would love to hear from you in the comments section below. And please share if you like the content!