In this post, Aaron Vyvial from Texas Kettlebell Academy breaks down the kettlebell snatch technique they teach at Texas Kettlebell Academy.

The Texas Kettlebell Academy is where some of the top Kettlebell Sport athletes in the United States train. Additionally, they put on one of the great kettlebell sport events in the country each year in Austin, Texas. Kettlebell athletes from around the country and the world attend, compete and stay for additional training from world champions. If you are looking for a kettlebell sport event to train for, we highly recommend you consider the Texas Open as one of your first events. It is hard to beat traveling to a city like Austin and you will get the opportunity to meet some of the top athletes and minds in Kettlebell Sport.

What is Kettlebell Sport?

Kettlebellsport, also known as girevoy sport (GS), is competitive kettlebell lifting. Lifters compete in mostly 10 minute sets, going for as many repetition as possible in three different lifts: Snatch, Jerk and Clean & Jerk. Athletes really need everything to compete succesfully; technique, mobility, strength, endurance and mental focus.

The Kettlebell Snatch is a great movement which involves a full body strength and cardio workout. You only need one kettlebell for this movement.

We recommend most men start with 16,18 and 20 kilogram Kettlebell Sport style kettlebells and most women start with 8,12, and 16 kilogram Kettlebell Sport style kettlebells. Why this style of bells? These bells are designed for maximum comfort during high repetition exercises so that your hands, wrist and forearm lock into position comfortably and easily. They are all the same size and dimension regardless of weight so the training is uniform at all times.

By Aaron Vyvial, Texas Kettlebell Academy:

Denis Vasilev, 6x world champion and MSIC athlete has a unique but proven snatch technique that we really respect and teach to most of our athletes. It almost can be compared to long cycle, which is clean and a jerk, but with one bell and without the 'clean' movement to chest. This technique works well for athletes that compete both in biathlon (two arm events) and long cycle.



In the video below, Denis shows his slower paced snatch and then switches to his sprint or higher paced technique: