Taiwan, like the rest of Asia, is very much a beginners market when it comes to kettlebell training, Crossfit, and other fitness training that is popular in the West. So we need to explain terms sometimes that get thrown around in discussions regarding these fitness trends. The topic today is the difference between hard and soft style kettlebell training.
First of all, let me say that understanding the differences isn’t easy and respect to anyone struggling to understand these terms. I didn’t always understand them either and in fact, it took me about two years to figure out all the terminology surrounding kettlebell training. So I appreciate the effort of those struggling to understand the terms.
The difference in hard style and soft style kettlebell training is mostly the use of tension vs. relaxation. Hard style training is mainly done by Pavel Tsatsouline and his group known as the Russian Kettlebell Club (RKC). Pavel wrote a pair of famous books Power to the People and then Enter the Kettlebell that laid out his ideas about strength training and kettlebell training. Both are excellent books and should be mandatory reading for anyone that really wants to understand kettlebells and/or strength training.
Power to the People explained how to generate tension in the muscles in order to generate strength and Pavel gave numerous examples of how the Russians and other old time strong men used tension to attain very high levels of fitness. As he clearly stated, the ability to generate tension is what is missing in most people’s fitness routines, causing them to get less than satisfactory results. Power revolutionized many people’s thinking on fitness and strength training, in general. Enter the Kettlebell extended those ideas into kettlebell training.
So if we look at the RKC swing, we see why it’s called the “hard style.”
Notice the sharp snap of the knees and the hips, and the deliberate squeezing of the glutes as the kettlebell moves into the top position. The emphasis is on the lower body. The arm is kept straight. What you can’t see is that he is also squeezing his abs as the kettlebell flies up. He deliberately stops the bell at the shoulder height. All these requirements use tension to power the kettlebell up. He also forcefully exhales as the kettlebell comes up and inhales as the kettlebell goes down. This helps generate tension at the top of the swing.
The “soft style” is basically the Girevoy sport swing, Girevoy sport is what kettlebell competition is called. To win a competition, you have to do more repetitions than your opponents in 10:00 events. Efficiency of motion is extremely important. So taking as much tension out of the movement as possible and being as relaxed as you can while still doing the technique is what the soft style does. Here’s what it looks like:
The swing starts at :26. Notice how relaxed he is. The arm is bent, the knees are soft, the kettlebell handle is turned to the side, and the force of the swing is spread over the whole body. What you can’t see is that he is inhaling as the kettlebell comes up, not down as in the hard style swing. Inhaling on the up swing makes the inhale slightly longer, giving you more oxygen, therefore allowing you to do more reps.
I have studied and practiced both of these swings for quite a while and I use and teach both of them. To fully understand kettlebell training, you need to understand both. The advantages of the hard style for beginners are numerous. Hard style builds muscle and strength, plus it burns calories like crazy. Like Pavel said, few people understand how to generate tension, especially in their core, and hard style training is just what they need. Generating tension in the core is core stability and learning how to do it with a kettlebell or in weight training is absolutely vital. Using this tension in pushes and pulls makes all other movements more effective. And using tension means using more muscle, which burns calories by the ton. Beginners can’t go wrong with hard style.
Soft style in my opinion is more advanced and should be done later in one’s training. Once you can generate tension, you have to learn how to relax and become efficient. Think of it like this, hard style gives you a stronger engine, soft style gives you more fuel efficiency. To be complete, you need to learn both.
The one exception is with bodybuilders. It has been my pleasure to train several bodybuilders and they usually have no problem generating tension. In this area, they are way ahead of the normal population. But relaxation can be a big issue with them. They have big, strong engines but all that tension can cause them to gas out quickly. I teach them the soft style swing to get them to relax and improve their efficiency. You simply select the right tool for the job.
So both hard and soft styles exist for valid reasons and both are useful tools in a trainer’s tool box. Train them well and use them as needed.