IKFF Kettlebell Certification London 2008

First Thoughts...

Thirty participants. Two world class Kettlebell Coaches. Two days. One venue. One purpose. This was the weekend of September 6th, the venue was The Generating Company in the docklands. The space was usually inhabited by circus performers and acrobats, but that day Gireveks from all over Europe lay siege to the venue, eagerly awaiting the IKFF's first ever UK course.

Each time I train with Steve Cotter I take away a nugget of information that penetrates my understanding a little more deeply, despite the high level information throughout the rest of the workshop. This time it was going back to basics with the Kettlebell swing and its effect on my snatch technique. As anyone who has done a 10 minute snatch set can testify, one of the first things to give out is your grip. Now while strengthening your grip can only have a positive affect on your endurance in the snatch, sometimes the weakest link can be found a little further down the chain.

For me it was the lower phase of the snatch (that is the swing part). While I was aware of the involvement of the posterior chain, especially the hamstrings and glutes in the elevation of the bell through their elastic recoil(the stretch- shortening cycle) I hadn't previously taken full advantage of that fact. Steve mad a point of emphasising the back swing; that is actually accelerating in what would typically be considered the deceleration portion of the swing.

This had the effect of consciously activating the stretch shortening cycle and enabled the bell to be elevated with far more considerable ease than heaving the bell overhead by forceful contraction of the glutes and quadriceps while extending the spine. This reduced fatigue in the lower limbs and the subsequent tendency to then apply upper body mechanics to 'muscle up' the snatch, thus smoking your grip.


I had a bit of an 'aha!' moment. You probably can't appreciate the dramatic effect this simple adjustment had on my technique by just reading about it. It will make sense when you actually do it, and when you get it you know its right, because it feels right - your body instinctively knows. So for the past month I have been breaking down the snatch to its constituent parts, and working on extended timed pieces on the swing (double handed and single arm) and the clean, laying down a new foundation to a far more effective snatch.

If you're truly into Kettlebells and haven't trained with Steve Cotter or Ken Blackburn, I urge you to do so. I don't care if you are a complete beginner or a qualified Kettlebell Coach, your time and money will be well spent. I'm grateful to have had the opportunity to learn from such accomplished Kettlebell Coaches and authentic people. I know that by putting into practice what I have learned not only will those that train with CJS Fitness gain from it, but on a personal level, I too can only be better off for it.

Steve Cotter IKFF Kettlebell Course

IKFF and CJS Fitness Team





I've had the opportunity of Kettlebell training with steve cotter on a number of occasions over the years. This was the first time that he had held a UK IKFF (International Kettlebell and Fitness Federation) Certification course in the UK. This was also the first time the legendary Ken Blackburn had crossed the pond to bless the us with his presence and Kettelbell teaching skills. We were not disappointed.

It was a very demanding and amazing course, with an amazing bunch of people and Kettlebell trainers that attended - from all corners of the earth. Steve Aish of London Kettlebells summed it up perfectly in their recent newsletter so I'm not going to try and top it. The news letter is available in full below. I'll be writing more about my experience of the Kettlebell course, and the strong man competitions on the course that I got stuck into!

London Kettlebell Newsletter September 2008

The London IKFF Certification report by Stephen Aish

I recently had the pleasure of a weekend's kettlebell training with the IKFF. This was a certification course run by Steve Cotter and Ken Blackburn. While being no stranger to kettlebells, I certainly took away a lot of learning points and training methods. I also thought the joint mobility section that Ken delivered was fantastic and extremely functional.

Now to the trainers themselves - Steve is without doubt one of the worlds leading kettlebell experts in both knowledge and ability. He trains like the Duracell bunny and you know he isn't even out of his warm up phase by the smile. His knowledge as a trainer is first class and extremely in depth. The points he has picked up through the contacts he has had in the professional kettlebell world can add to every ability from novice to experienced lifter.
Ken is also a fantastic coach and his level of conditioning has to be seen to be believed. There are not many guys out there at 240lb that can squat thrust, tuck jump and even ground flip with a gymnast's agility and then lift 32k kettlebells without breaking a sweat. Kens knowledge of bodyweight mechanics was demonstrated by a fantastic joint mobility session and his kettlebell ability needs no introduction. When you can chair press a pair of 32ks once you are strong. When you hold the world record with 52 reps you are in a league of your own.

One of the things that really makes the IKFF stand apart from most kettlebell businesses and most businesses in general is that it is a passion first and foremost and a business second. This is easily demonstrated by the fact that the IKFF is focussed as much on what happens to you after a seminar as during. Their aim is to help you promote your kettlebell business and any events you do and to strengthen that long term relationship with you.

If you are serious about learning kettlebells properly or have been using them for weeks, months, or years and think you know what they are all about, drop the ego, book a seminar space and get some serious knowledge under your belt on how to really use kettlebells from true professionals.

If Steve Cotter is humble enough to state that he has been using kettlebells for many years but only using them "properly" for the past couple of years then just maybe more people will realise that the same could be true for them.