imported_Rick
16-11-2007, 12:32 PM
[b]World-famous martial arts authority, Daniel Inosanto, goes toe-to-toe with Pavel Tsatsouline.
Hard Style: Sifu (Master) Inosanto, thank you for granting us this interview. When did you first start working with kettlebells and how did that come about?
Daniel Inosanto: I first started working with kettlebells when my student, Mike Krivka, RKC Level II, brought them to one of my seminars and started showing me some of the exercises. Mike was quite enthusiastic about the kettlebells and told me that even though he no longer lifted traditional weights, he was able to lift more weight than before when he tried it again thanks to the kettlebell training.
Krivka gave me either a 26 or 35 pound bell to play around with, and I immediately tried using it with the shrimp move from the Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu warm ups. I liked how it felt. Then Krivka told me that the guy who pioneered kettlebell training in the USA was living not too far away from my school, here in L.A., and he set up my first lesson with Pavel.
I really enjoyed kettlebells from the first lesson, mostly because it wasn’t boring like regular weightlifting. With standard weights, you might have to go through an hour to two hours in the gym, so you’re spending a lot of time to get a workout, not to mention waiting for the different machines to be available.
One thing I like about kettlebell training is that you can get your cardio – because the training is very cardio to me – and the strength training all in one process. It also worked my upper and lower body at the same time. You don’t have to run around the gym and go from machine to machine to machine just to hit all the different body parts and get a complete workout. That’s a major plus!
Also, kettlebell training’s variety of exercises keeps the workouts fresh. It’s never boring or monotonous. Just like with martial arts, you learn a technique or an exercise, and once you think you’ve got it, your instructor gives you a little correction here or there, and your entire understanding and ability level changes dramatically. That’s how I feel about kettlebell training with Pavel.
To be honest, I was quite worried about my lower back, having had several serious injuries in the past. But the kettlebell training actually seems to have opened up my back and my hips! Other people might not agree, but I really think that it’s a perfect compliment to Pilates, Gyrotonics, yoga, and other forms of exercise. For years, I’ve had very tight hips, but kettlebell training has really opened them up.
I was also worried about starting kettlebell training because of my age. When I started kettlebells, I was either 67 or 68 and had a lot of doubts about what I’d be able to do with them at my age. To my surprise, I’ve been able to do just about everything and I’ve actually gotten a lot stronger now at 70. Even when I’m in Jiu-Jitsu class, I have much better grip strength than I ever had before. My Kali (Filipino stick fighting) game has also benefited from the kettlebells.
HS: In grappling arts, you need to have two different kinds of gripping power. Let’s say “quick grip� is the ability to grab something quickly and assert control over it. And let’s say “endurance grip� is the ability to maintain a grip on something once you’ve managed to get your hand on it. Which of the two do you feel has improved in your grappling thanks to kettlebells?
DI: Both! Let me tell you about one training session I had with Renato Magno (chief instructor of Brazilian Street Sports and Machado Jiu-Jitsu black belt). After a few months of training with kettlebells, I went in once for a class with Renato, and while we were rolling, he said, “Whoa, your grip is strong today, Dan!� He never complimented me on my grip before, so I realized that other people could tell that I was getting stronger too. I felt like I was able to not only control my opponent’s gi (uniform) better, but also didn’t feel the fatigue in my hands and forearms as quickly.
While I know that kettlebell training has helped my endurance, Pavel has also shared some other non-kettlebell insights with me as well. The drill he does with striking pads at various percentages of force or effort was a real eye-opener. Even though you as the striker can feel that you’re using totally different amounts of effort, the differences in shock value for the receiver of that strike are almost negligible. My students have really learned to appreciate that, especially with kicking arts. Thinking back, I can relate to that lesson in sprinting. If you think you’re going all out, that’s not where you want to be. If you think you’re going at 80%, you’re actually running faster. I discovered that in my college track career. This kind of training is very intelligent.
HS: Backtracking a little bit, when did you first get into weightlifting?
DI: I got into weights quite late, at 18 years old. I was introduced to it by the Ward brothers: Bob (the former conditioning coach for the Dallas Cowboys), Paul, and Maurice. In those days, weightlifting for athletes was taboo. Athletes were taught that weights would make them stiff and musclebound. So by the time I got to college as a freshman, I had my first foray into weight training. Back then I was running track and later played football.
HS: So Dr. Paul Ward introduced you to weights because of football?
DI: No, it was because of track. Back then, I thought Dr. Ward was incorrect to make sprinters weight train, but it clearly made me faster.
HS: You’ve done other types of weight training through the years, right?
DI: I’ve done a lot of hours of weight lifting, but the sheer amount of hours I had to put in the gym to get a compete workout conflicted with the time I had to put in developing my martial arts skills back then. Maybe that’s why I never really got into it before kettlebells.
HS: With other systems of weight training, have you ever suffered injuries?
DI: Oh, yeah. Sometimes with trying to lift a weight that’s too heavy for me, I’ve hurt my back or shoulder. Even worse than that, I think I’ve even dropped a weight on my toe before. Oddly, I’ve never suffered an injury with kettlebell training, but I think that’s more because of the way Pavel teaches. Instead of forcing me to push out another rep when I’m already tired or when I’m getting a little sloppy with the form, Pavel tells me, “Put it down right now!� So the safety component of the training’s been really valuable.
So after a few years of kettlebell training already, I still haven’t suffered any injuries from it! I’m 70 years old now, and I’m constantly amazed that there’s so much that I can do with kettlebells, in spite of my initial doubts. The exercises create a great linkage in my body, so I feel like I’m moving with power. I’d even say that I feel like I’m regaining strength or mobility in some areas of my body – for example, my shoulders and lower back. Thanks to exercises like the Turkish Get-Up, I can feel my hip flexibility improving, while still working the rest of my body at the same time. The Turkish is an interesting exercise because even if you don’t have a kettlebell, you can still work on it using other things that you happen to have on hand.
Kettlebell training has been interesting. Thinking of the press in particular, I remember that I couldn’t even press the 26 lb. bell even once with my left side because of all the rotator cuff injuries that I’d had. I’ve tried tons of different things to rehab that rotator cuff, from rubber tubing to whatever. The kettlebells seem to really have made the biggest difference with bringing them back to functionality for me. The snatch might have helped to open up the restriction in my shoulder girdle too.
I tell you this. If I were to go back into coaching track & field, I’d make kettlebell training mandatory for my sprinters, my middle distance runners, pole vaulters, shot putters, discus throwers, and all of the jumpers. I’d make it mandatory for football players as well.
If I had enough floor space, I’d have everyone in my Thai boxing and JKD classes doing kettlebells as part of the warm-up and conditioning as well. The kettlebells themselves don’t take up a lot of space, so they’re actually useable in crowded conditions, but sometimes, those classes are standing room only, and we just don’t have enough bells for everyone yet.
HS: The martial arts training methods that start becoming popular at the Inosanto Academy often seem to find their way out into the American and then international martial arts mainstream afterwards. Do you see kettlebell training as a part of that as well?
DI: Oh, yeah. Of course! And it’s not just us. Frank Shamrock used kettlebells as part of his preparation before his victory over Cesar Gracie, and you even see kettlebells in movies now, like Rocky Balboa. The guys behind the scenes of the movie
300 used kettlebells to train the actors, too. And whenever I have a seminar or an instructors’ conference, I’m always recommending Pavel’s kettlebell training methods, telling the students to get to his workshops or seek out his RKC certified instructors. For professional athletes, for rehab, for whatever kind of athletic endeavor, this stuff is practical and you can feel the benefits right away.
Hard Style: Sifu (Master) Inosanto, thank you for granting us this interview. When did you first start working with kettlebells and how did that come about?
Daniel Inosanto: I first started working with kettlebells when my student, Mike Krivka, RKC Level II, brought them to one of my seminars and started showing me some of the exercises. Mike was quite enthusiastic about the kettlebells and told me that even though he no longer lifted traditional weights, he was able to lift more weight than before when he tried it again thanks to the kettlebell training.
Krivka gave me either a 26 or 35 pound bell to play around with, and I immediately tried using it with the shrimp move from the Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu warm ups. I liked how it felt. Then Krivka told me that the guy who pioneered kettlebell training in the USA was living not too far away from my school, here in L.A., and he set up my first lesson with Pavel.
I really enjoyed kettlebells from the first lesson, mostly because it wasn’t boring like regular weightlifting. With standard weights, you might have to go through an hour to two hours in the gym, so you’re spending a lot of time to get a workout, not to mention waiting for the different machines to be available.
One thing I like about kettlebell training is that you can get your cardio – because the training is very cardio to me – and the strength training all in one process. It also worked my upper and lower body at the same time. You don’t have to run around the gym and go from machine to machine to machine just to hit all the different body parts and get a complete workout. That’s a major plus!
Also, kettlebell training’s variety of exercises keeps the workouts fresh. It’s never boring or monotonous. Just like with martial arts, you learn a technique or an exercise, and once you think you’ve got it, your instructor gives you a little correction here or there, and your entire understanding and ability level changes dramatically. That’s how I feel about kettlebell training with Pavel.
To be honest, I was quite worried about my lower back, having had several serious injuries in the past. But the kettlebell training actually seems to have opened up my back and my hips! Other people might not agree, but I really think that it’s a perfect compliment to Pilates, Gyrotonics, yoga, and other forms of exercise. For years, I’ve had very tight hips, but kettlebell training has really opened them up.
I was also worried about starting kettlebell training because of my age. When I started kettlebells, I was either 67 or 68 and had a lot of doubts about what I’d be able to do with them at my age. To my surprise, I’ve been able to do just about everything and I’ve actually gotten a lot stronger now at 70. Even when I’m in Jiu-Jitsu class, I have much better grip strength than I ever had before. My Kali (Filipino stick fighting) game has also benefited from the kettlebells.
HS: In grappling arts, you need to have two different kinds of gripping power. Let’s say “quick grip� is the ability to grab something quickly and assert control over it. And let’s say “endurance grip� is the ability to maintain a grip on something once you’ve managed to get your hand on it. Which of the two do you feel has improved in your grappling thanks to kettlebells?
DI: Both! Let me tell you about one training session I had with Renato Magno (chief instructor of Brazilian Street Sports and Machado Jiu-Jitsu black belt). After a few months of training with kettlebells, I went in once for a class with Renato, and while we were rolling, he said, “Whoa, your grip is strong today, Dan!� He never complimented me on my grip before, so I realized that other people could tell that I was getting stronger too. I felt like I was able to not only control my opponent’s gi (uniform) better, but also didn’t feel the fatigue in my hands and forearms as quickly.
While I know that kettlebell training has helped my endurance, Pavel has also shared some other non-kettlebell insights with me as well. The drill he does with striking pads at various percentages of force or effort was a real eye-opener. Even though you as the striker can feel that you’re using totally different amounts of effort, the differences in shock value for the receiver of that strike are almost negligible. My students have really learned to appreciate that, especially with kicking arts. Thinking back, I can relate to that lesson in sprinting. If you think you’re going all out, that’s not where you want to be. If you think you’re going at 80%, you’re actually running faster. I discovered that in my college track career. This kind of training is very intelligent.
HS: Backtracking a little bit, when did you first get into weightlifting?
DI: I got into weights quite late, at 18 years old. I was introduced to it by the Ward brothers: Bob (the former conditioning coach for the Dallas Cowboys), Paul, and Maurice. In those days, weightlifting for athletes was taboo. Athletes were taught that weights would make them stiff and musclebound. So by the time I got to college as a freshman, I had my first foray into weight training. Back then I was running track and later played football.
HS: So Dr. Paul Ward introduced you to weights because of football?
DI: No, it was because of track. Back then, I thought Dr. Ward was incorrect to make sprinters weight train, but it clearly made me faster.
HS: You’ve done other types of weight training through the years, right?
DI: I’ve done a lot of hours of weight lifting, but the sheer amount of hours I had to put in the gym to get a compete workout conflicted with the time I had to put in developing my martial arts skills back then. Maybe that’s why I never really got into it before kettlebells.
HS: With other systems of weight training, have you ever suffered injuries?
DI: Oh, yeah. Sometimes with trying to lift a weight that’s too heavy for me, I’ve hurt my back or shoulder. Even worse than that, I think I’ve even dropped a weight on my toe before. Oddly, I’ve never suffered an injury with kettlebell training, but I think that’s more because of the way Pavel teaches. Instead of forcing me to push out another rep when I’m already tired or when I’m getting a little sloppy with the form, Pavel tells me, “Put it down right now!� So the safety component of the training’s been really valuable.
So after a few years of kettlebell training already, I still haven’t suffered any injuries from it! I’m 70 years old now, and I’m constantly amazed that there’s so much that I can do with kettlebells, in spite of my initial doubts. The exercises create a great linkage in my body, so I feel like I’m moving with power. I’d even say that I feel like I’m regaining strength or mobility in some areas of my body – for example, my shoulders and lower back. Thanks to exercises like the Turkish Get-Up, I can feel my hip flexibility improving, while still working the rest of my body at the same time. The Turkish is an interesting exercise because even if you don’t have a kettlebell, you can still work on it using other things that you happen to have on hand.
Kettlebell training has been interesting. Thinking of the press in particular, I remember that I couldn’t even press the 26 lb. bell even once with my left side because of all the rotator cuff injuries that I’d had. I’ve tried tons of different things to rehab that rotator cuff, from rubber tubing to whatever. The kettlebells seem to really have made the biggest difference with bringing them back to functionality for me. The snatch might have helped to open up the restriction in my shoulder girdle too.
I tell you this. If I were to go back into coaching track & field, I’d make kettlebell training mandatory for my sprinters, my middle distance runners, pole vaulters, shot putters, discus throwers, and all of the jumpers. I’d make it mandatory for football players as well.
If I had enough floor space, I’d have everyone in my Thai boxing and JKD classes doing kettlebells as part of the warm-up and conditioning as well. The kettlebells themselves don’t take up a lot of space, so they’re actually useable in crowded conditions, but sometimes, those classes are standing room only, and we just don’t have enough bells for everyone yet.
HS: The martial arts training methods that start becoming popular at the Inosanto Academy often seem to find their way out into the American and then international martial arts mainstream afterwards. Do you see kettlebell training as a part of that as well?
DI: Oh, yeah. Of course! And it’s not just us. Frank Shamrock used kettlebells as part of his preparation before his victory over Cesar Gracie, and you even see kettlebells in movies now, like Rocky Balboa. The guys behind the scenes of the movie
300 used kettlebells to train the actors, too. And whenever I have a seminar or an instructors’ conference, I’m always recommending Pavel’s kettlebell training methods, telling the students to get to his workshops or seek out his RKC certified instructors. For professional athletes, for rehab, for whatever kind of athletic endeavor, this stuff is practical and you can feel the benefits right away.