30/1/2017

The Roll to Elbow: How to Build the Foundation for a Beautiful Get-up - StrongFirst

THE ROLL TO ELBOW: HOW TO BUILD THE FOUNDATION

FOR A BEAUTIFUL GET-UP
By Matt Kingstone (http://www.strongfirst.com/author/king-cobra-fit/)

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SFG I
Posted on January 24, 2017. 18 Comments. (http://www.strongfirst.com/build-foundation-beautiful-get-up/#comments)

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If I had to choose one exercise to practice the rest of my life, it would be the get-up. Kalos sthenos or beautiful strength is the
most apt description Ive ever heard of for this exercise. There isnt any other movement that combines mobility, stability, motor
control, and strength in such a perfect way.
Ive had the privilege of teaching many different types of people how perform the get-up, from tactical operators to senior citizens,
and these experiences have brought me to the conclusion that the get-up is the one movement that can make all people into better
people. (Im only half kidding.)

(http://www.strongfirst.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/roll-to-elbow-get-up.jpg)
With the volume and variety of people Ive taught the get-up to, Ive found the biggest sticking point for most is the initial roll to
elbow. Ive had the opportunity to experiment with a multitude of approaches and coaching cues to teach this portion. Many of these
techniques were learned from various sourcesStrongFirst articles (http://www.strongfirst.com/blog/) and forum posts
(http://www.strongfirst.com/community/), the SFG Level I Certification (http://www.strongfirst.com/certifications/sfg-ikettlebell-instructor-information/) and manual, the FMSand some through personal trial and error.

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This initial portion of the get-up sets the stage for success during rest of the movement. And there is more going on with the roll to
elbow than meets the eye, so Im going to share the breakdown that has given me the most success with this initial portion. (Get
ready because things are about to get real geeky around here.)

Step 1: Rolling
The get-up is best understood when broken down into smaller pieces of a bigger puzzle, and anyone whos ever built a puzzle knows
you build the edges first. The initial roll to press followed by the roll to elbow both involve, you guessed it, the rolling pattern. So, to
build the edges of the get-up, I start by ensuring that my student knows how to roll.
I use the upper and lower soft rolling patterns from the FMS. Im not going to go into too much detail with these patterns other than
to say, have a look at the video below and check them out on the FMS site.
rolling patterns for TGU

Basically, if you cant roll from your back to your stomach and return by leading with either your leg or your arm (but not pushing off
the floor for assistance), you might have trouble with the initial roll in the get-up. If there is a pattern that proves to be difficult for a
student, well drill that pattern until it is less sticky. But rolling is the key to a successful get-up.

Step 2: Arm Bar

The arm bar is an unassuming drill that is amazing for shoulder stability and motor control. I teach the arm bar in three stages. Each
stage starts the same, with a roll to press just like the get-up. Then, once the student is in positionwith the bell arm extended, the
bell-side leg bent, the off-side leg straight and off-side arm reached over headwe move through each stage.
Arm Bar

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Stage 1:
Student uses the bell-side foot to push his or her body over to side-lying, with the kettlebell straight up toward the sky and
shoulders stacked on top of each other.
The knee of the top leg then comes up to rest on the floor in front of the body, kind of like a kick stand.
From there, my instructions are to breathe, relax, and pack the shoulder.
Cues like, Point your elbow towards your feet, or, Suck your arm into the shoulder socket, help guide the student to a packed
shoulder, where he or she will feel the most stable. This is the sweet spot.
As the student starts to find stability, I encourage him or her to take eyes off the bell and add some slow neck rotations.
The student will need some time but eventually will find the sweet spot. Most students will actually be excited about it when
they do.
I leave the student here for 30-45 seconds. Then he or she reverses the position and we repeat on the other side.
There is an important safety cue here. You need to be almost uncomfortably close with your hands around the bell as a spotter. If a
student becomes distressed or loses the position, he or she should say, Take it, and you take the bell. The first time a student takes
his or her eyes off the bell, it will generally sway quite a bit. Again, give the student time to learn to maintain vertical and then add
stage two.

Stage 2:
You can move on to this stage once the student is in the kick stand position and has the sweet spot.
Ask the student to straighten the top leg until it is lined up in front or stacked on top of the other leg.
Breathe, relax, pack the shoulders, and add neck rotations as able.

Stage 3:
This stage is a tricky one, but important to work on once the student is comfortable with stages one and two.
With the top leg extended and the shoulders packed and stacked, have the student roll his or her top hip toward the floor in
front of him or her as far as is comfortable while keeping the bell and arm straight up toward the sky.
Breathe and relax to maintain the sweet spot.
Again, you must be close enough to your student to take the bell if things go sideways. Its also important that the student has any
pain or discomfort cleared firstthis position should not hurt. Most people will feel a stretch through the upper back and around the
shoulder blades.

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This sequence accomplishes two things. First, it will help your students brain learn where vertical is so it doesnt have to be thought
about it during the get-up. The other sneaky trick that this drill does is help your student get comfortable using the bell-side foot to
initiate the roll as he or she moves to the elbow. (More on this in a second.)
Now that the student can roll, can comfortably maintain vertical with a packed shoulder in numerous positions, and is comfortable
using the bell-side foot to start the roll, he or she is ready to put it all together.

(http://www.strongfirst.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/get-up-practice.jpg)

Step 3: Make a Mountain

Rather than telling someone to engage a specific muscle, I like to give people an analogy that ties to the movement pattern they are
about to move through. Make a mountain is the one I like for the roll to elbow of the get-up.
Mountains are made when tectonic plates collide and the land masses have nowhere to go but up. So, I tell my student that the foot
on the floor on the bell side is one land mass and the elbow on the floor on the off side is another. The visualization is to crash these
two land masses together to raise the bell up toward the sky. The student should push on the foot and pull with the elbow to move
the bell up. This cue has worked great for most people and should get your student into a tall, proud, open chest when he or she
reaches the elbow.
There is a great reactive neuromuscular training (RNT) drill that I use here for someone whose bell-side foot loses contact with the
floor during the roll. I put a towel under the students bell-side foot and as he or she moves through rolling to the elbow, I tug on the
towel enough that he or she needs to drive through that foot so the towel doesnt move.
Roll to elbow w/ RNT

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Its important to give the drill time to work. Initially, it may make the roll to the elbow harder for your student. However, give the
student time to get used to using the bell-side foot to start the roll and before you know it, youre going to have to grab him or her a
heavier bell.

Step 4: Back Down

The down phase of the get-up is as important, if not more so, than the up. The instructions I give for the return from elbow to laying
are straight from the SFG Level I. Push away from the off-side elbow and use the bell as counterbalance to lower under control.
This cue was a huge a-ha moment for me at my SFG Level I Certification. We use the bell as counterbalance for a little help on the
way up, whether we realize it or not, so why not use it in the same fashion on the way down?
In fact, as the bell gets heavier, you will have to do this to control your descent. Push away from the down elbow, create space
between your shoulders and ears, and fade the bell toward the off side of the body a little to lower yourselfand viola, no more
crashing to the floor.
TGU Controlled descent

Build a Strong and Beautiful Get-up

By breaking the initial portion of the get-up into its smaller pieceslearning to roll, finding stability in the shoulder, and using the
bell-side foot and off-side elbow to power the rollyou will have your student well on the way to a beautifully strong get-up.

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Matt Kingstone (http://www.strongfirst.com/author/king-cobra-fit/)

(http://www.strongfirst.com/author/king-cobra-fit/) SFG I
Matt has been teaching fitness in Victoria, BC, Canada
for six years and is the owner of King Cobra Fit. Always
striving to add to his base of knowledge, Matt started
work with kettlebells five years ago, and recently
completed the SFG Level I Certification in Vancouver
under Jon Engum.
When hes not working with members of the Canadian Armed Forces or teaching men and women of all ages how to get strong and
enjoy life, he trains to compete in Kettlebell Sport or practices the use of other vintage strength tools like swinging clubs and
maces.
Contact Matt at King Cobra Fit (www.kingcobrafit.ca) or kingcobrafit@gmail.com.

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18 thoughts on The Roll to Elbow: How to Build the Foundation for a

Beautiful Get-up
Older Comments (http://www.strongfirst.com/build-foundationbeautiful-get-up/comment-page-1/#comments)

Taikei Matsushita (http://www.kettlebell.jp/) says:

January 29, 2017 at 5:38 pm (http://www.strongfirst.com/build-foundation-beautiful-get-up/comment-page-2/#comment-201873)
Thank you for the tips. Its written in a very professional manner.
Reply (http://www.strongfirst.com/build-foundation-beautiful-get-up/?replytocom=201873#respond)
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