WeckMethod's Rotational Movement Training® (RMT®) enhances your ability to move more efficiently as a foundation for fitness, sports and life. In addition to “Coiling" to increase core strength, swinging different objects is at the heart of RMT® as a method of training. Throughout evolution, from the time our species started standing and walking on two feet, our upper limbs have been used for many things. The opposable thumb is the greatest advantage primates have over other living creatures. Our thumbs allow us to do a number of things.


Swinging different objects in various patterns can build fluidity and teach efficient movement. In human evolution, the ability to construct tools, specifically weaponry, was only as useful as our ability to wield those tools. It is second nature for us to swing a bat, club, or stick. There are examples of extremely young athletes demonstrating proficient swinging mechanics in sports like baseball and golf with little to no coaching. Watching the natural ability of a human swinging a racket or club is a pure demonstration of how our body is meant to move. If your goal is to create a truly “functional" training program, you would address your body's ability to swing objects and train it specifically.



Swinging is a healthy practice because it takes your body through large ranges of motion and allows for rotational expression without placing ballistic stress on the extremities. Throwing is also an extremely athletic rotational expression and throwing different objects has its place in a well-balanced functional training program -- Especially for athletes who are required to throw in their sport. It is vital to monitor frequency and volume while training for a throwing motion. Overdoing it can cause overuse injuries in the shoulders/elbows.


It does not mean that swinging clubs and ropes carries zero risks of overuse injury. The body can handle this type of training more frequently and at higher volumes than training throws. Ropes and Clubs allow you to find the natural rotational patterns of the body with an established rhythm. Proficiency with these tools has a direct and powerful carry-over to one's ability to throw, jump, or perform any complex movement.


Indian Clubs, Maces, and Kettlebells are popular tools that allow for resisted swing training. We use the RMT® Club and RMT® Rope at WeckMethod to further develop our swinging skills. Both the RMT® Rope and RMT® Club provide a big advantage due to the versatility they provide.



There are countless exercises and possible swinging patterns with all of these tools, but the fundamental one to learn is the underhand figure-8. The ability to create the underhand figure-8 pattern with the hands has direct carryover to basic human locomotion, in which we also rotate our thorax in an underhand figure-8. Once the underhand figure-8 is established and mastered, you can add a variety to your swinging routine that can unlock athletic ability and further enhance your ability to move in different ways.


There are multiple good reasons for adding a swinging routine into your current program, and a number of different ways to implement swings into your daily routine. Swinging heavier objects can strengthen your shoulders through a full range of motion and can be implemented into your program for shoulder health. Lighter objects like the RMT® Rope can improve your ability to move at higher speeds and fits perfectly into the upper body mechanics portion of your speed workouts. Mastering the RMT® Rope, specifically the underhand figure-8, can also be an effective gateway to learning the Double Down Pulse. The RMT® Rope and WeckMethod ProPulse® Speed Trainers go hand in hand. Whether your goal is to build rotational power or to move faster and more efficiently, RMT® swings belong in your program.




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