How To Gain Leverage In The Getup
You've probably heard several times that Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu (BJJ) is about leverage and technique. While this is true, it's not enough to truly grasp the power and efficiency of BJJ.
My philosophy of BJJ takes the leverage and technique concept one step further. I believe that in order to truly understand the art of BJJ, grasp the concepts of leverage and technique, and to actually excel in the art you must aim to master these two elements:
- Posture
- Positioning
Position Always before submission
This is a concept that I learned from my friend and Jiu-Jitsu mentor, Aurelio Gallegos of Presa BJJ (Aurelio is a 2nd Degree Black Belts under Ricardo "Franjinha" Miller). Meaning, in order to have an effective submission... you must *first* have a strong position.
I've taken this concept and have been applying it to strength training for over 12 years now. Only the submission is the actual execution of the lift. Without strong posture and excellent positioning... you can kiss your deadlift, military press, squat, etc... goodbye.
Posture and positioning are the mother of leverage and technique. Here's what I mean ... the stronger you are in your posture, the better position you will be in, and the better position you're in, the better your leverage will be over your opponent/training partner.
In this case... the more leverage you will have over the weight you're trying to lift.
In this weeks post I'll show you how to apply the same principles/concepts from BJJ to improve your getup by improving your posture and maximizing your positioning to give you the most leverage over the kettlebell.
The well known but often misunderstood concept of the
Hip Hinge in the getup
It's NO secret...
The hip hinge is essential in the Getup, not only is it essential, it's crucial for the safety of your spine by preventing lateral flexion.
Probably the most over-looked/misunderstood aspect of the hip hinge in the Getup is the leverage component. As with BJJ, the closer you get your hips (your center of mass) to whatever weight you're trying to move...
The more leverage you will gain over said weight.
Conversely, the further your hips are from the weight you're trying to move... the more your leverage decreases, making it nearly impossible to execute the task at hand.
Today we'll be taking the hip hinge in the half-kneeling windmill one giant step forward.
How to actually pull the floor to you rather than search for the floor with your hand and gain the most leverage over the kettlebell
From the half-kneeling position typically you would perform a hip hinge *but*, you would also begin to look for the floor with your hand. The problem with this is, if you have a heavy kettlebell overhead more than likely it will not be a smooth landing.
would You be willing to do this with a 48kg kettlebell?
Instead hinge further, to the point that you're sitting on your calf. Notice in the third image that my hips, shoulders, and head are directly under the kettlebell. In this position I've done two things:
- I've improved my posture by being more upright.
- I've stacked my shoulder, my hips, and my head directly under the weight.
Resulting in maximum leverage over the kettlebell (Or should I say, under the bell).
There's one other thing that has happened...
By going deeper into the hinge, I've actually brought the floor up to me and I no longer have to reach out for the floor.
All that's left is to simply slide my hand out to my side and now I'm ready step back through and continue my decent.
In the end, this will result in a smoother and seamless transition back to the floor for you, especially in your heavier getups.
Give this a try and let me know how it goes by leaving a comment below.
-Hec
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