Putting It All Together: The Kettlebell Clean and Jerk in Detail

We’ll briefly talk about the clean, then look into the jerk in more depth.

The Clean

The clean is a swing.  As you approach the fastest part of your swing in terms of the speed the bell is moving, start to pull the bell toward you, rotating your arm as you do so.  Turn your thumb up and your elbow in and pull your shoulder back.  The bell should begin to travel towards you and continue on its upward path too.  When your clean is smooth, the bell should land in the racked position without any apparent force; there shouldn’t be a bump of any kind.  The racked position should have a tall spine, rather than a ‘high chest,’ with the hips and neck in a neutral position.  The pull you use to bring the bell in towards your body should be an extension of the pull you'd use in a swing anyway.  

The Jerk

From the racked position, you’re going to put the bell overhead in two stages.  The first stage is the drive, pushing the bell to about head height by straightening the lower body.  The next stage is the dip, where you’ll drop the lower body, getting the body under the weight.  Finally you’ll catch and extend. 

1: The drive

Drive the bell overhead. 

Practice without a load first.  The bottom position of the drive is the rack.  The top position is with the elbow down and slightly abducted, the forearm vertical and the thumb just above the top of your head.  You get here by driving the body upward by extending the hips slightly, and standing up on the balls of the feet.

2: The dip

You’re going to drop under the bell and catch it with a straight arm.

That means bending the legs sharply, while keeping the back straight.  In essence, you’re moving from extended legs and a bent arm to an extended arm and bent legs.  The heels go back down firmly – try not to stamp, but begin driving through the heels as soon as they hit the ground.  You’re in a quarter squat at this point; standing up fully erect completes the rep.  Wrap your scapula and keep a solid core.

See Also: One-Armed Kettlebell Swings For Rotational Core Stability

If there’s something I haven’t explained, or you have your own skill or experience to share with us, why not get in touch through the comments section below?