20 Kettlebell Common Mistakes To Avoid

On this page, you’ll find over 10 videos, 2 kettlebell infographics, and more than 20 common kettlebell errors to avoid.

Well-renowned International Kettlebell Coach Taco Fleur covers more than 20 kettlebell common mistakes to avoid no what level of kettlebell training you’re at. As a kettlebell coach with over 2 decades of kettlebell experience, Taco Fleur said that these mistakes are the most common ones, and most people never even know they’re making them.

Not only will we list the mistakes for you, but we’ll also include some short and easy-to-understand videos that demonstrate the common mistake, and at the end of each one-minute video, Taco Fleur demonstrates how to correct these common kettlebell errors. All these kettlebell mistakes plus more are covered in the book Preventing Kettlebell Training Injuries.

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List Of Kettlebell Mistakes To Avoid

Learn how to use kettlebells properly by avoiding these common kettlebell errors. In no particular order, here are common kettlebell mistakes to avoid with videos or links to further details:

1. Wearing incorrect kettlebell training footwear
2. Getting too fancy with the kettlebell exercises
3. Doing too much kettlebell work too soon
4. The chin to the chest at the top of the kettlebell swing
5. Buying and using the wrong type of kettlebell
6. Raising the kettlebell with the back
7. Abrupt stopping of the kettlebell resulting in the kettlebell bobbing
8. Cleaning the kettlebell with a tight farmers grip
9. Muscling the clean; not enough power
10. Frontal kettlebell raise instead of swinging
11. Elbow(s) disconnected in the racking position
12. No scapula activation
13. Following the kb on the drop (swing/clean/snatch)
14. No hand insertion (extremely common)
15. Cleaning out to the side
16. Casting the weight from racking or overhead
17. Not connecting with the arm(s) to the body on the swing/clean/snatch
18. Looking at the horizon at the bottom of the swing
19. Swinging/cleaning/snatching too light
20. Kettlebell placed too far away on the ground

Jump straight to the details for the common kettlebell errors below, or go to:

• Kettlebell Swing Common Mistakes
• Common Mistakes With Kettlebells
• Other Bad Kettlebell Posture Or Techniques Mistakes
• What Are The Most Common Kettlebell Injuries?
• Advanced Kettlebell Work

Kettlebell Swing Common Mistakes

Out of the above 6 are specific to kettlebell swing common mistakes.

• Frontal raise also known as shoulder raise
• The chin to the chest at the top of the kettlebell swing
• Raising the kettlebell with the back
• Abrupt stopping of the kettlebell resulting in the kettlebell bobbing
• No scapula activation
• Looking at the horizon at the bottom of the swing
• Following the kb on the drop (swing/clean/snatch)

Common Mistakes With Kettlebells

Cleaning too high and banging the forearms

Bonus
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This is by far one of the most common kettlebell mistakes made by beginners and even people that have been training for a long time but are using wristbands to dampen the impact. The solution is to come to the kettlebell rather than letting the kettlebell come to you. Taco Fleur demonstrates how to perform a high insert in the video below and you can watch a more detailed video on this technique here.

The banging can also be caused by a tight grip which is covered in mistake 8, it can also be because the kettlebell is out too far and then pulled in, this is covered in our kettlebell books and courses.

What follows are more details on the list of common kettlebell mistakes listed above:

Wearing incorrect footwear

Common mistake 1/20

Wearing the right footwear for kettlebell training is super important. The best footwear is none, and the next best thing if you have to wear something in the gym is flat soled thin flexible wide toebox footwear.

Getting too fancy with the exercises

Common mistake 2/20

A common mistake with any type of training but especially kettlebell training as there is so much fun that can be had with the huge variety of kettlebell exercises is getting too fancy with the exercises and not focussing on the fundamentals. Once the fundamentals are mastered then it’s time to explore the next level.

Doing too much too soon

Common mistake 3/20

It’s very common to see people getting injured from being too enthusiastic and not wanting to stop. This is especially the case when the form and technique are also lacking and even more so if also paired with too heavy and too many. This can lead to problems around the elbows, shoulders, lower back, knees, etc.

The chin to the chest at the top of the kettlebell swing

Common mistake 4/20
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A common mistake that puts a lot of pressure on the cervical and upper traps is pushing the chin into the chest at the top of the swing. The neck is flexed and there is a lot of pressure that could be safely distributed with a neutral cervical.

Buying and using the wrong type of kettlebell

Common mistake 5/20

There are a lot of different types of kettlebells out there and one can save quite a bit of money when buying low-end kettlebells. But in the long run, this choice ends up costing more money and might even result in giving up on kettlebells altogether or never being able to progress with form and technique.

Raising the kettlebell with the back

Common mistake 6/20
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This is a common mistake often seen with beginners who don’t generate enough force with the legs to drive the weight up or it’s because the weight used is too heavy. All the force that moves the kettlebell should be generated by the lower body. This applies to almost all ballistic exercises like swings, cleans, and snatches.

Abrupt stopping of the kettlebell resulting in the kettlebell bobbing

Common mistake 7/20

This is a common mistake seen when the kettlebell is abruptly stopped by the body and the kettlebell will want to travel further. This action creates a short jerky movement called bobbing and that creates friction in the hand which can result in excessive calluses or blisters.

Cleaning the kettlebell with a tight farmers grip

Common mistake 8/20

This is a common mistake made by people who never learn the fundamentals of grip, racking, etc. This mistake can lead to wrist problems, blisters, banging on the forearms, and more. Learning the grip transition is one of the most important things to spend a lot of focus on when in the beginner phase of the kettlebell journey.

This Pin here is also related to this common kettlebell mistake.

Muscling the clean; not enough power

Common mistake 9/20

A muscle clean is almost the same movement as a clean but in this case, the upper body is doing all the work and muscling the weight up. Almost any type of clean should be lower-body powered, i.e. the force from the legs should move the weight. This common mistake can be a result of not understanding the exercise, going too heavy, or doing too many.

Frontal raise

Common mistake 10/20

The frontal raise with the kettlebell swing is a common mistake made by rookies who think that the swing is shoulder work when it is in fact all lower body just like the clean. The hip hinge swing is a pull that’s powered by the legs.

Elbow(s) disconnected in the racking position

Common mistake 11/20

A common mistake in racking is seeing the elbow(s) disconnected from the midsection and all the weight rests on the shoulders plus they need to work to stabilize. If the elbows are pulled into the midsection or better yet, they rest on the ilium, then the legs take the weight.

No scapula activation

Common mistake 12/20

A common mistake is not activating the scapulae and not putting them to work. It takes effort to adduct and depress the scapulae, therefore, most beginners do not mentally or physically invest the effort to keep a straight upper back and or keep the shoulders back. When the muscles around the scapulae are used, the chest is pushed out, this straightens the back more and puts it in a better position to handle the resistance plus more.

Following the kb on the drop (swing/clean/snatch)

Common mistake 13/20

This is one of the most common kettlebell swing mistakes that result in lower back pain which is kind of funny as the kettlebell swing is known to fix back problems. The swing will definitely strengthen the back and help improve posture, as long as the exercise is done correctly. In this case, timing is of the essence.

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What happens if you do kettlebell swings wrong? If you do them incorrectly they will produce the opposite of what we want from them which is to make our back stronger and healthier.

No hand insertion (extremely common)

Common mistake 14/20

A broken wrist grip is one of the most common mistakes with the racking position or the kettlebell clean exercise. This one falls into the category of grip transition as well, and the lack of grip transition, i.e. just holding on to the handle while trying to maneuver the kettlebell around the hand. The video shows the grip transition that needs to take place.

Cleaning out to the side

Common mistake 15/20

This common mistake can be damaging to the shoulder(s) and can be seen when a beginner cleans the kettlebell and pulls it to the side rather than letting it enter its ballistic flight and keeping it in one straight line going up. Having the weight land into a racking position out to the side puts a lot of strain on the shoulder for stabilization work.

Casting the weight from racking or overhead

Common mistake 16/20

Throwing or casting the weight away from a racking or overhead position is a common mistake that usually also leads to following the kettlebell, i.e. hinging too early as the force of the throw pulls the person forward.

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Not connecting with the arm(s) to the body on the swing/clean/snatch

Common mistake 17/20

This is a common mistake where the backswing is not deep enough and because of that, the exercise turns into a pull from a hang position rather than getting range from the backswing and using that.

Looking at the horizon at the bottom of the swing

Common mistake 18/20

This is a common mistake but it is used sometimes for people that are simply not able to keep their shoulders back on the backswing. It’s ok when done with low reps, but when done with high reps and heavy weight this can lead to neck problems.

Swinging/cleaning/snatching too light

Common mistake 19/20

This is a common mistake often made with good intentions, i.e. not ego lifting, however, ballistic exercises are exercises that always need to be performed fast and therefore need some weight behind them. If that weight is lacking then either the force will be lacking or the weight will be all over the place.

Kettlebell placed too far away on the ground

Common mistake 20/20

This is a common mistake seen on exercises that start with the weight being dead on the ground and then swung back for a clean, swing, or snatch. The person will be overreaching for the weight and compromise their back.

You’ll find many more of these short videos on Cavemantraining’s Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube.

Other Bad Kettlebell Posture Or Techniques Mistakes

What not to do with kettlebells?

• bending the back on the swing
• out too far for the clean (swinging and pulling in)
• too heavy
• heels come off the ground on the swing/clean/snatch
• pressing with arm bend overhead
• kettlebell placed too close on the ground
• using a tight grip with the clean/snatch
• standing too wide for the clean, swing, snatch
• not squatting deep enough
• not extending the hips and knees
• not holding the handle in the middle
• using the legs for a strict press

Many more are covered in our kettlebell books, courses, and online kettlebell certifications.

What Are The Most Common Kettlebell Injuries?

First, any and all kettlebell injuries can be prevented with the right form and technique, and the correct programming, but with that said, here are the 5 most common kettlebell injuries that people experience when they do not invest time into learning the fundamentals.

• Blisters
• Lower back pain
• Tendinitis
• Bruising
• Injury caused by overtraining

Tendinitis from kettlebell training is one of the most common injuries with the kettlebell swing, clean, and snatch being the ones that cause the problem when progression, programming, form, and technique are lacking.

Taco Fleur has been running a private online group called the inner circle for more than 4 years in which a new workout is published each week and the focus is on progression, coaching, working out in your own time, and designing your own program with the help of a coach. He says that there is no banter in the group because it’s all about one thing and that is YOU, kettlebells, and progression. Getting you to the next level so you can focus on the goals that matter to you, whether that is strength, endurance, or longevity! There is also an option that’s not on Facebook but it doesn’t include the coaching.

He says that there is nothing else out there that provides as much value to serious people looking to gain knowledge, train safely, workout, and have access to the world’s top-notch coaching and kettlebell workouts uniquely designed for goals like power, strength, endurance, flexibility, mobility, and more. He says that no one needs to worry about whether they can do it, as almost every session includes info on how to adjust and progress, plus you get access to him.

Advanced Kettlebell Work

Once you’re past the stage of fundamentals and have laid a good foundation you might be ready to train for some more advanced kettlebell work. Taco Fleur demonstrates some cool combos below.

I’ll close this topic with some related links to kettlebell swing muscles worked and how to kettlebell swing.