The cast versus drop for the kettlebell swing clean is a simple adjustment that can drastically improve your kettlebell clean and reduce the chance of injury.
The cast versus drop is covered very detailed in our book Kettlebell Training Fundamentals. The following are some points from that book.
Casting the Kettlebell
To cast a kettlebell: To throw a kettlebell forcefully in a specified direction.
Casting the kettlebell is like throwing out a fishing line. The weight should not be forcefully thrown away from the body for the start of a swing or clean. When the weight is cast it is usually paired with breaking too early at the hips, following the kettlebell, and coming too low in the hinge position.
Some issues caused by casting are:
- Lower back pain
- Elbow flexor problems
- Wrist problems
- Shoulder problems
Dropping the Kettlebell
A controlled drop from the rack position into the backswing is the correct way to start the backswing for the clean. The clean can be performed with different movements, the one covered is the most common on which is performed with a hip hinge.
For more information on how to correctly drop the kettlebell and avoid many common kettlebell mistakes and annoyances, check out the book Kettlebell Training Fundamentals, and/or the course/video, see links below.
