If you can't see it, is it really there?

It's funny how you can make a change to your kettlebell technique that FEELS extremely different, but when you watch a video of yourself, your lifting looks exactly the same.

Today Kristen and I completed an 8-minute Snatch set together with the purple bells. We motivated each other to stay on pace, and it was a good set for both of us. But after watching the video of our set, I was disappointed. I felt like I had been making progress over the last few weeks, but my lifting looked exactly the same as it did before I made the changes to my technique. 

After discussing with Kristen, I realized that just because I couldn't SEE the changes, doesn't mean my technique hasn't improved. In fact, I KNOW my technique has improved because I can FEEL the difference - my set with the 20kg felt easier, lighter, and less taxing on my physical strength and grip stamina than it ever has. Just because you can't see something, does not mean it's not there. 

When you learn any new sport or skill, you tend to progress fairly quickly in the beginning stages. Once you are technically proficient and begin to cross over into the advanced level, however, progress moves at a much slower pace.

While learning the basic techniques of Kettlebell Sport, it often helps to exaggerate certain movement patterns to ingrain them into your neuromuscular system (i.e. BIG hip drive to launch the bell, exaggerated breathing).

Once you have mastered the basic techniques of Kettlebell Sport, however, every change you make is about refining those exaggerations. You want each movement to become more and more nuanced, for efficiency's sake. This is why discerning certain technical points in elite lifters is nearly impossible to the untrained eye. Trust me, all the key technical elements are there, they are just much harder to pick up.

After all, Kettlebell Sport is about getting as many repetitions as possible in 10 minutes, and having the bell swing too far out before pulling it into rack wastes precious seconds that could be used to secure a win or a new personal best.

Have you ever made a technical fix and been unable to SEE the difference? What element of your technique are you working to refine?