The Unholy Trinity
The Swing, The Push up, The Squat
Three basic moves upon which everything is based. After mastering these moves, you can start to be creative with what you've learned and put your own ideas to it. Creating variations will not allow boredom to set in. The swing, the push up, and the squat are without a doubt the simplest, most effective moves on the planet. Without going into a lot of physiology, it's a perfect balance of movement and resistance. It's all about timing and body awareness; stop me if this sounds familiar. Listen, there's nothing harder than trying to explain a physical activity in writing, so your job is to pay attention to your own body dynamic and listen to what it says. If it hurts, stop it! This is where Hanzo comes in. By learning to be aware of Hanzo without thinking, and condition your body to act and not react, you will achieve a true level of physical awareness; and that is the goal here, to learn how to use this thing called "your body" and to achieve things that at one time seemed out of reach.
The Swing
Stand over your Kettlebell. Toes and knees lined up at 45-degree, a little more than shoulder width apart. Both hands placed on bell, squat back, not down. Squatting down will hurt your knees. Lift the kettlebell a couple of inches from the ground; then, with a pendulum like movement, prime the pump, start the swing with a mini tap back between your legs.
The Push Up
Hands outside and in line with the shoulders (not behind or past), head straight, neck aligned with spine, legs extended all the way out from Hanzo (your center), knees locked, butt up parallel with shoulders, back is flat like a table; do not drop below shoulders- keeping this alignment is the whole move. The most important thing here is to focus on form. If you have to just do static holding until you bring your strength and body awareness around, that's OK. Static holds are the best way to develop areas that are weak. Do not cheat yourself, bring total body awareness to what you are doing.
The Squat
The squat is about flexibility and strength, and when done correctly, works cardio as well. To begin, stand straight, not slouched, feet 1-2 inches beyond shoulder width. All attention begins at Hanzo, head and gaze level, shoulders down. As you descend, your hips should be going straight back, sitting back, not down. Continue to lower yourself, your torso remains straight up and down, don't lean over your feet or knees (thighs should be behind your knees). Go to parallel, which means, top of thighs parallel with floor, hip bone below knees. Don't hold your breath, breathe all the way down, evenly. Don't bounce or drop quickly, the slower the better. A brief pause, then rise, shoulders back, head up. This is usually the part where everybody tries the shortcut, racing back up will put your body out of alignment. Smooth and strict-keep your attention on Hanzo, exhale breathe on the top.