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Dan John's Kettlebell DVD
Posted: Sun Oct 11, 2009 8:22 pm
by TomFurman
Advice-Get It.
I really enjoyed this. This is the way kettlebells should be taught. Dan is using his coaching in Olympic lifting and throwing with the "Hardstyle" kettlebell method. I like his analogy, teaching outline, and humor. He makes it fun and not like a bunch of shaved head anarchists pretending to come from a foreign country. If that sounds harsh, it is. Hopefully everyone is a grown up and we can be ourselves without imitating some caricature. The laid back coaching, demonstrations and vital points are organize to become part of your method and not displace your method. Dan's Hip Displacement Continuum is a great breakdown that should allow you to be creative and actually think.
Dan doesn't take himself seriously, but he takes coaching very seriously. He said that being wrong a lot is a great way to learn and improve. This DVD,, from Dave Draper's website is highly recommended.
---Tom
Re: Dan John's Kettlebell DVD
Posted: Mon Oct 12, 2009 4:06 pm
by Shafpocalypse Now
I agree. This is the first DVD of the seminar in Utah he put on that I've watched, and it was very useful.
There can be significant issues with instructing people on how to swing a kettlebell, especially if they don't have any background into it. Dan's DVD provides practical cues and tip on how to make the swing happen, and happen correctly, including both coaching tricks to get people in the right position, and his hip dispacement continuum, which allows you to show why you should do a kettlebell swing a certain way.
I'd seen bits and pieces of the hip displacement continuum explanation, but it's really very, very useful to reframe how you think about how the hips move in real life and athletic movement.
The so-called "American Swing" of Crossfit? Completely and utterly debunked by this.
This improved my understanding on how to teach someone the swing quite a bit.
He also discusses the "Kalos sthenos" style get up. I've seen those vids, and they convinced me that the get up is a useful diagnostic and warm up tool, as well a useful full body exercise, and Dan's coaching of the get up really nails it down as being an important movement.
It's also nice in that the people featured on this DVD are physical culture enthusiasts, but are of varying ages, sizes, and abilities, so the techniques are highly applicable across a broad population.
Re: Dan John's Kettlebell DVD
Posted: Tue Oct 13, 2009 12:45 am
by Chessman
Shafman wrote:He also discusses the "Kalos sthenos" style get up. I've seen those vids, and they convinced me that the get up is a useful diagnostic and warm up tool, as well a useful full body exercise, and Dan's coaching of the get up really nails it down as being an important movement.
Interesting. So Kalos sthenos now gets a thumbs up from you. I saw Cook's youtube video on it and I agreed with his points. Not sure I agree with the "display crotch" movement, but using it as a diagnostic and warmup might be useful.
How does Dan's coaching of the TGU differ from Cook's?
Re: Dan John's Kettlebell DVD
Posted: Tue Oct 13, 2009 1:30 am
by Shafpocalypse Now
I never had any issues with the Cook and Jones material, only with the costs associated with it, and with Cheng's general support of everything Hardstyle.
Dan doesn't teach it any different than Cook or Jones does, but he does have a lot of experience with coaching people, and it shines through.
Re: Dan John's Kettlebell DVD
Posted: Thu Oct 15, 2009 5:57 pm
by Abandoned by Wolves
TomFurman wrote:Advice-Get It.
I really enjoyed this. This is the way kettlebells should be taught. Dan is using his coaching in Olympic lifting and throwing with the "Hardstyle" kettlebell method. I like his analogy, teaching outline, and humor. He makes it fun and not like a bunch of shaved head anarchists pretending to come from a foreign country. If that sounds harsh, it is. Hopefully everyone is a grown up and we can be ourselves without imitating some caricature. The laid back coaching, demonstrations and vital points are organize to become part of your method and not displace your method. Dan's Hip Displacement Continuum is a great breakdown that should allow you to be creative and actually think.
Dan doesn't take himself seriously, but he takes coaching very seriously. He said that being wrong a lot is a great way to learn and improve. This DVD,, from Dave Draper's website is highly recommended.
---Tom
Link?
Re: Dan John's Kettlebell DVD
Posted: Thu Oct 15, 2009 7:03 pm
by Crust Bucket
Re: Dan John's Kettlebell DVD
Posted: Fri Oct 16, 2009 2:04 pm
by Abandoned by Wolves
Re: Dan John's Kettlebell DVD
Posted: Sat Oct 17, 2009 8:52 pm
by T200
I just got the first DVD in the series. Haven't watched it yet.
Kettlebell one isn't out yet right? How the F did Furman get it?
Re: Dan John's Kettlebell DVD
Posted: Sat Oct 17, 2009 9:39 pm
by Shafpocalypse Now
Laree sends me them when she gets them because Dan wants to send them to me.
Re: Dan John's Kettlebell DVD
Posted: Sun Oct 18, 2009 4:49 am
by TomFurman
Laree bought my DVD's and we talked, etc. Same with Dan John.
Re: Dan John's Kettlebell DVD
Posted: Fri Oct 23, 2009 2:14 pm
by Abandoned by Wolves
Got mine in the mail from davedraper.com a couple of days ago.
I'm really glad I got it, if only to see Dan John "live". He really is a great educator, trainer and coach. I learned a couple things, so it was well worth the money.
Great concluding voiceover by DJ while the credits roll: "People ask me why I don't use any big words....I don't KNOW any big words!"
Re: Dan John's Kettlebell DVD
Posted: Mon Oct 26, 2009 6:49 pm
by TomFurman
Shafman wrote:I agree. This is the first DVD of the seminar in Utah he put on that I've watched, and it was very useful.
There can be significant issues with instructing people on how to swing a kettlebell, especially if they don't have any background into it. Dan's DVD provides practical cues and tip on how to make the swing happen, and happen correctly, including both coaching tricks to get people in the right position, and his hip dispacement continuum, which allows you to show why you should do a kettlebell swing a certain way.
I'd seen bits and pieces of the hip displacement continuum explanation, but it's really very, very useful to reframe how you think about how the hips move in real life and athletic movement.
The so-called "American Swing" of Crossfit? Completely and utterly debunked by this. .

I gave a workshop at Crossfit Affliction a few months ago. I told them the "American Swing" was worthless. This photo if from this last weekend and Jeff Martone taught a "Crossfit Kettlebell Cert". Oh well.
Re: Dan John's Kettlebell DVD
Posted: Thu Oct 29, 2009 8:40 pm
by Alfred_E._Neuman
I've been to the CF KB cert, and Martone doesn't teach the American Swing the way you see it in most CF videos. He teaches it the way the RKC teaches the swing, with a larger bend at the hips and no "squatting" the weight up and yanking with the arms.
To take the weight overhead, you have to develop the hip drive to naturally swing the weight that high. But he even stated that the snatch is a much better exercise than an overhead swing.
From what I remember, there was very little "crossfit" in the crossfit KB cert. It was basically an RKC cert from 4 or 5 years ago.
Re: Dan John's Kettlebell DVD
Posted: Tue Dec 29, 2009 4:17 am
by Guarddog
Martone teaches every aspect of the KB Swing - American, Russian, blah blah blah.