Explorations into Girevoy sport

I've been asked by a mate if I want to try out Girevoy sport (kettlebell lifting for time). Basically it seems you do one 10 minute set with each of these:
2 hand jerk,
1 hand snatch
long cycle (a 2 hand clean & Jerk)

I've only said I'll think about it & give learning the form a go as I'm not a high rep person as a rule.
I have learned one style of kettlebell lifting, probably best summed up as the Pavel-school of kettlebell lifting ('hardstyle' I believe is the correct term), but for contest you use another form, much looser, the back is used in a way not normally used in European lifting - for example I found 2 clips, one with Steve Cotter doing a 1 hand jerk


This has a very 'Olympic lift' feel to it. I suspect you can lift heavier bells for low reps this way. Points to notice. Notice the depth of knee bend. A lot of activity. Secondly notice the thoracic area, in Girevoy sport the upper back plays a massive roll, maybe as much as the legs, but here Steve uses all hip & leg, virtually zero back & the back is very upright. A lot of our training as coaches would say this was a very good way to lift
Compare to this:



As it's front on you can't see so well but the lower back is extended, he is leaning way back, the leg & thoracic back is used to drive up the bells. On the lower the legs are virtually not used for shock absorption, you'll notice the chest is expanded as the bells fall & then deflated as bells hits the chest, he then allows his back to lean back, so it is the chest, the lungs & the spinal muscularity that actually absorb the impact & the lift is a leg, thoracic back movement.

It's a completely different lift! I've learnt the first, never even considered the second style & not sure if I even have the back flexibility to do the second style at all, but to be competitive you'd have to do that style as you'd maybe get 1 minute doing the first style, whereas you need to keep going for 10 minutes!

Hence I'm unsure about my abilities in this area as it is so unlike anything I've done.
Anyway the plan is to give it a go. Another drawback is I only ever bought 1 of each bell I use, so I've had to order some more. I'm ordering a 16Kg & a 20Kg so I have a pair of each. These will not be competition bells. Assuming I get the movements sussed out & enjoy doing it I'll invest in a 24Kg competition pair (24Kg each obviously), if I competed I'd probably start with a 24Kg weight class (if that's the right terminology?), work up to a 32Kg over a few contests once I get comfortable.

I can't really say how I'll feel about this until I get a chance to try out some drills with a few bells, how I feel being under load for that long & how the back feels getting into a totally new position, hence this will be an 'exploration' of the sport for me, learning the drill - you learn different portions of each lift & don't even get to do a full lift for several weeks, so in the jerk for example you learn a few drill while in 'the rack' (holding the bells to your chest), several drills for learning how to use the legs to drive the bell, several drills about how to drive with the thoracic back, then drills putting those together, next up you learn the second knee dip (or 'under squat'), then you learn some lockout drills, finally you learn to shock absorb on the lower...only after you've mastered all that will you be allowed to do a jerk! Bear in mind you have 2 other exercises, & you also have to learn the best way to turn the bell so it doesn't bash your forearm too hard, get the bell to the rack, pick up & put down the bell & probably 101 other points, so it will be quite a few weeks before I even get to do a full lift in any of the 3 contest lifts!

So, it will be interesting enough that I thought people might want to see how I do? I might crash & burn, or just find it so uninteresting that I drop the whole idea. This log will chronicle my experiences trying it out. I will be starting next week, so don't expect any updates for a few days, I'll have a couple of small bells at home, so I can practice form often, which I believe will be an important factor. Hopefully I'll enjoy it enough to at least hit one contest & see how I do, but we'll see as I'm not risking injury (or boredom) I'm doing it for a fun variation, so without the 'fun factor' I see no reason to keep at it.
I thought it might be interesting to keep some form of log of the adventure even if it is starting out with me lifting 16Kg kettlebells & doing a load of partial movements

I have yet to do one of these! You have to learn the bits of the lifts before you can do the whole thing, but here's the kind of thing you are expected to do (it's a frightening long time with 2 x 32Kg bells in your hands!)