Steve Cotter Vid describing the differences between the 2 styles

[Allen Yeh]

http://media.crossfit.com/cf-video/CotterKBvidJuly.wmv

This was linked on the Crossfit Myspace group, pretty good video explaining the differences.

[David Aguasca]

one thing i don't understand is the flexed elbow...why keep any slack in the system between your hips and the bell? i know i've jacked my bicep up trying to slow down a badly-positioned bell when doing hand-to-hand stuff.

[Garrett Smith]

David,
The flexed elbow comes more into play (and intuitive sense) when one thinks about the clean and snatch--why move the bell further away when the whole goal is to move it directly upwards?

The slack idea is to relieve tension in the system. Obviously, higher levels of strength are necessary to create the "space" in the movement for this slack.

I think the bent elbow is also more of a product of an explosive hip drive (and arm following the bell, not the other way around), rather than something that is actively pursued with a lot of energy.

The RKC swing, upon learning of the "GS" swing, does seem much more contrived--as in, I have a hard time thinking of another weight lifting maneuver in which the weight is actively tried to move in an arc (not a straight line).

[Allen Yeh]

The article:

http://www.fullkontact.com/pdfs/crossfit2.pdf

[Dave Van Skike]

Originally Posted by Garrett Smith

The RKC swing, upon learning of the "GS" swing, does seem much more contrived--as in, I have a hard time thinking of another weight lifting maneuver in which the weight is actively tried to move in an arc (not a straight line).

I think a lot of throws are done with mostly straight arm; preserves momentum I would guess....weight for height in highland games for instance;

[Garrett Smith]

Good point, Dave. I completely agree, in terms of the types of throws you are referring to.

The bent arm and straighter trajectory may be of more benefit in exercises like the snatch, where the distance to project the weight is known and reducing the "length" of necessary exertion is a benefit.

[Catherine Imes]

As Garrett was saying..The swing as Cotter is demonstrating it carries over much better to the snatch. I can teach people to snatch much more quickly than if they were doing a straight arm swing. If people have been doing the straight arm version, they have a hard time bringing the bell in and avoiding the certain forearm trauma from flipping the bell over and smacking themselves.

Also, people who try to keep their arms straight have a harder time keeping the arm connected to the body..They let the bell get away from them; too far in front of them. Essentially, the arm is just relaxed at the top of the movement...It's not that it is actively bent.

It has more to do with the projection than what someone is actively doing with their arms..if you do a swing correctly you shouldn't be pulling with your arms. If you'll notice, Steve isn't forcefully snapping his hips and driving his heels into the ground; so the bell doesn't go as high or as far out. What he is doing is following the bell back and as it is swinging back between his legs, he is timing the "pop" so that it takes advantage of the "pendulum" effect of the swing. There is a slight "Shrug" when he does this which will account for the bend in the arm.

CI

[Steve Shafley]

The weight over the bar throw in the Highland games is the ultimate power biased expression of the one armed swing.

It's very easy to see what kinds of modifications to a swing movement add the most power. A quick vid to demo this:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fZ_qg9mQGqg

Look at the bent legs, the full triple extension at the top, and the deep, deep swing between the legs to develop momentum. The rigid back of the RKC style swing is sacrificed for a greater arc for the development of implement speed.

An 18' WOB is awesome.