Technique Du

[carusom1]

I was wondering if anyone had any tips on DU?

The only videos I have seen are with Shrug. I have read Dave/Greg article. I know that Big Steve, Dave, and Clay have done DU, and Greg is currently right now.

Do you guys bend at chest, waist, lean forward, lean back?

How many fingers are on the bar?

Push away or toward?

I keep changing my technique and playing around. I usually don't flip it over until about 60 degrees. Any pointers are appreciated.

thanks

Edited November 17, 2005 by carusom1

[gamidon]

I am working the DU right now trying to slowly come up and bend with my shoulder. To answer some of your questions here is what I have been told and what I do :

Do you guys bend at chest, waist, lean forward, lean back?

Both Dave and Steve start with the bar over head, pull it down toward their chest and then lean over as they drive it downward. Both keep it tight to their chests and do a shrug at the end to maximize the kink (pull back with your traps at the last moment)

How many fingers are on the bar?

All of them. They told me to touch my pinkies in the center of the bar, I actually leave about a pinkies space between them to make room when it kinks for my fingers. My pinkies smash together otherwise.

Push away or toward? 

Pull toward your body, the bar should start bending at your neck and be done around your belly button. Big Steve does quite a bit of underhand bending on his first DVD and it would be easy to understand everything I just wrote if you watched it. It is very difficult to write how to bend without showing people. That was a huge hurdle with writing the article on unbraced bending. Many people still needed to refer to videos to fully understand what was written.

I keep changing my technique and playing around. I usually don't flip it over until about 60 degrees. Any pointers are appreciated.

Actually what you are doing is the best way to learn. Try things to see where you are strong and then work that technique. Film yourself with different styles of underhanding and write down how it felt. Then when you review yourself look at the times it felt strong and you will see it generally is a technique with no great angles away from the body, and where you are in a position to force the kink with speed and explosiveness with the bar close to or touching your body.

Hope this helps some, I am not a great underhander but some of my firends are

Greg

[carusom1]

Greg-

You are the man! Thank you for the response, it is exactly what I was looking for. Good tips on the video tape and writing responses. It is tough with DU, because there aren't that many vids out there. I will try my best to get something up for analysis, and hopefully to help any other DU benders.

Mike

[stranger]

i start at my chest/neck use all my fingers, lean forward alot and flip it at like 30 or 40 degrees

[supermagnamon]

u have a lot of great tips there, greg for DU benders. i like how u explained everything, thoroughly. gj.

[gazza]

carusom 1

Dave Ostlund was/is also a massive underhand bender there are videos in the gripboard gallery of him.

[carusom1]

thanks gazza

Dave is an animal

[austinslater]

Alot of good stuff on here. I like to lift the bar above my head but I come down as fast as possible and try to explode into the bar. Another tip I like is after my initial bend, I move my hands out alittle farther and I can usually bend it a few degrees farther. Usually when I flip it over im already in a position where I can interlock my hands together to finish it and dont really have to crush down a whole lot. This might be tougher though with the short bends. Good luck!