FREE CHEAT SHEET · FOR COACHES AND MOVEMENT PROS
— THE HINGE CHEAT SHEET
Most coaches can see when the hinge breaks down. Knowing where to start is a different skill
Here's the exact framework I use to assess every hinge - so you always know what to look at, what to triage, and what to coach next.
Identify the breakdown
✦
Coach with confidence
✦
Assess the hinge
✦
Identify the breakdown ✦ Coach with confidence ✦ Assess the hinge ✦
— THE REAL PROBLEM
Here's what most coaches do when the hinge breaks down:
try another cue, drop the weight, hope it cleans up.
The problem isn't effort, it's not having a clear place to start.
Without a system, every assessment feels like a different puzzle. You're triaging in real time, between sets, with a client in front of you waiting for answers.
This cheat sheet gives you the exact 3-step framework I use with every client, so you always know what to look at first, what to triage, and what to coach. Whether you're working with a new client or troubleshooting a pattern that just won't stick, this is where you start.
"You NEED to learn HOW to hinge first. Then everything else will come."
That's what this framework is built around. And now it's yours - free.
You can see something's off. But where do you actually start?
— WHAT’S INSIDE
The 3 steps I use to assess every hinge.
Step 01 · Set Up
Read the body before the rep.
A quick joint-by-joint check that tells you if your client is built to hinge well today, before they ever touch the bell.
Ankle & hip mobility checks
Spine positioning quick-look
The red flags I always watch for
Step 02 · Execution
Yielding vs. overcoming, decoded.
Spotting the difference between force absorption & force production in real time. So you actually know what your client's body is doing under load.
What the eccentric is telling you
Tempo & load adjustments
Why the breath matters here
Step 03 · Technique
Spot it. Cue it. Fix it.
The most common breakdowns I see in the kettlebell swing & the exact cues that fix them, without slowing your session down.
Top hinge faults, ranked
Cues that actually land
Drill swaps that stick
Each step comes with assessments & quick fixes you can use right away.
For coaches who actually coach.
This isn't a textbook. It's the cheat sheet I wish I had when I was 5 years deep into figuring this stuff out on my own. Built for the coach who needs answers between sets, not after a 45-minute screen.
i.
You coach kettlebell swings, deadlifts & other hinge-based lifts & want to coach them better.
ii.
You want a reliable way to assess movement under load without overcomplicating it.
iii.
You need a system you can repeat across every session, every client.
iv.
You're tired of coaching by feel & want a clear framework behind every cue.
—Meet Your Coach
PA-C | CSCS | Kettlebell Specialist
Hey, I'm Sam.
I’m a PA-C, strength coach & kettlebell specialist who's been teaching & coaching around the world for over a decade.
It took me 5 years to make sense of this stuff. My mission is to cut that time in half for you. This cheat sheet is pulled straight from my coaching playbook, the same one I use with clients & teach the coaches I mentor inside Bell Mechanics.
