I suppose it is high time that someone came up with a good introductory kettlebell video.  There is no question that there is some quality stuff out there but no one has really produced anything brief and cohesive geared toward a real beginner.  Fortunately Fireman Tom has come to the rescue.  Tom Corrigan is a fireman from Washington State and he has been using kettlebells for quite a while.  I had the pleasure of meeting him in Miami at the World Kettlebell Club meet back in November.  He is a nice guy and an accomplished lifter.   I found out about this video from Tom Furman's blog.  For that you can check the list of linked blogs on the sidebar further down the page.

I know quite a few people who are curious about kettlebell lifting.  Many of them want something they can do to stay fit that does not involve a lot of travel or time commitment.  Now that the bells are more readily available, more and more folks are getting interested.  The real problem has to do with lack of access to quality instruction.  Not everyone had the time or excess cash flow to attend a seminar.  When people first see kettlebells they think they are used in ways similar to regular weights like barbells and dbs.   This is true only to a limited extent.  There is a seemingly endless variety of drills one can do with kettlebells.  Ask Steve Cotter, he has about 15 hours worth of different drills on his DVDs.  I tell people who are really serious to check out Steve's encyclopedias as they are an exhaustive reference.  Others though are more pragmatic, they want the simple basics.  That is where Kettlebells 101 fits in.

This is a great beginner video for several reasons.  First Tom goes into essential detail about the the basic lifts, the front squat, swing, clean, deadlift, are all covered.  The quality of the video is good.  Since Tom is a fireman much of it is filmed in front of a fire truck.  Interestingly the fire truck is yellow.  All the engines I have ever seen, up to now have been red.  I am not sure why that is.  Tom shows safe execution of the general lifts and in addition some circuit drills are demonstrated.  He goes through a nice 10 exercise general warm up and has an important discussion about beginner guidelines and program design.  He also has a nice FAQ section and even discusses back health and stretching.  The video quality and editing are good.  The only thing that might bother a few people is that some drills shown in the circuits are not discussed in great detail although it is easy to grasp them without a lot of explanation.  For the most part though this is very complete and I highly recommend it as a first kettlebell reference DVD.  It clocks in at less than an hour, so it conveys a lot of helpful info in such a way that you will retain the information and you will not get bored. 

Anyone who pays a bit of attention to the whole kettlebell "scene" is acutely aware of the whole debate between hardstyle drills as taught by the RKC and the more "fluid style" of kettlebell sport.  It is best not to get caught up in such foolishness of debating "styles".  Just spend some time on the training forum on IgX if you don't believe me.  It is sort of like business casual vs formal wear.  As long as you wear something it is probably better than nothing.   Same with exercise.  Too many people don't exercise, better they get active.  Once that happens we will have something to work with. Of course it is important to do so in a way that will not lead to injury.  That is part of the reason why this video is so helpful.  It teaches basic safe technique. 

You can order it from Tom Corrigan at his website www.bluecollarfitness.com  Oh yeah I almost forgot, it is only $15 so it is a steal.  I bought a few copies to give to people who keep ask me about this stuff.