Kettlebell Technique Basics | The High Pull

Why do it?

Before you start snatching, you need to master the high pull. This is also an exercise in its own right and is great when performed as part of a circuit. It’s a tough exercise because, like the swing, at no point does the kettlebell come to rest.

How to do it (Please see my instruction for the Swing for a more detaied explanation of the correct starting position)

1. Place a kettlebell slightly ahead of your feet.
2. Then think about pushing your hips back as if sitting back on to a bench making sure that you crease at the hips whilst maintaining a straight back position. Your shoulders should be back and down. You will then be in the correct starting position. If you’ve got it right then you should be feeling a stretch in your hamstrings.
3. Grasp the kettlebell with one hand.
4. Swing it back as you would the swing. Then powerfully snap the hips forward to initiate the forward swing of the kettlebell.
5. Now, as the kettlebell starts to come up, at the point where it reaches about chest high, pull your elbow back by bending your arm and retracting your shoulder blade. Think of it as trying to elbow somebody in the face behind you. The kettlebell should remain straight in front of your fist and not flip over or down, in other words, kept under control.
6. Once in the pulled back position, thrust it forward again and continue with the downward swing and repeat. Be sure to control the arc on the way down. As per the swing, you don’t want to project the kettlebell out too wide.