Snatch Form Critique

[Pete Gordon]

Originally Posted by Rob Brice

Can you explain this a bit more? I always thought exploding early (and jumping forward) is something that should be avoided?

I"m not really sure what to say. The concept / practice that is promoted is allowing the bar to follow as much of a straight line as possible...while still allowing a 'hook' type of path. Jumping backwards makes the top part of the hook longer..meaning more distance is covered, jumping forward means the top part of the hook is...quite thin.

[Gareth Rees]

Originally Posted by Pete Gordon

I"m not really sure what to say. The concept / practice that is promoted is allowing the bar to follow as much of a straight line as possible...while still allowing a 'hook' type of path. Jumping backwards makes the top part of the hook longer..meaning more distance is covered, jumping forward means the top part of the hook is...quite thin.

I'm not quite sure that I agree with this, Pete.
I'm no expert, but I'm of the opinion and understanding that manipulating your lift / pull so that it follows as straight line as possible is bad (that's the impression that you're giving me that you're trying to say, I apologise if this isn't correct or accurate). That's what basic mechanics say is best in terms of efficiency, which is fine if you're a machine with a single joint or plane of motion to move around, but we as humans are not a machine designed to lift maximal weights (as our body has not evolved simply for sport/weightlifting performance). The concept of the S pull is based upon the premise of achieving adequate muscle tension in the correct positions/at the correct times, while most importantly maintaining a correct combined centre of gravity (CCOG) of the barbell/body unit over the feet. Thus, jumping forward is a result of an issue somewhere in the pull (whatever it may be), causing the CCOG to be more forward than it should be, forcing you to jump forward to catch it.
Obviously some lifters lift better jumping forward, some backwards, and some none at all, all to various degrees... But again I am of the opinion that optimal pulls necessitate no jump forward or back, next to this a jump slightly backward is best (as some athletes employ a slightly S pull), and lastly is a jump forward.
Obviously this is my opinion, and others will have theirs, but just thought I'd share... I look forward to any response

[Bee Brian]

I don't really believe in a straight-bar path. As far as I'm concerned, if your lifting technique is sufficient, bar path will be almost straight.

If you purposely shift your technique to make a "minor" thing appear "prettier" (such as keeping your toes directly under the barbell before your first pull at the expense of comfort, hyperextending your back to make yourself feel like a "Taner Sagir" during the third pull, or keeping the bar as close to your body as possible to where you practically bend your arms to "control" the weight), then your lift will only suffer.



Doing an olympic lift is simple:

-Drive with the legs at the beginning.

-Get into the pre-explosion position.

-Explode.

-Catch.



If you perfect those movements, you will perfect your olympic-lifting technique.

[Pete Gordon]

Originally Posted by Gareth Rees

The concept of the S pull is based upon the premise of achieving adequate muscle tension in the correct positions/at the correct times, while most importantly maintaining a correct combined centre of gravity (CCOG) of the barbell/body unit over the feet.

Thus, jumping forward is a result of an issue somewhere in the pull (whatever it may be), causing the CCOG to be more forward than it should be, forcing you to jump forward to catch it.

Obviously some lifters lift better jumping forward, some backwards, and some none at all, all to various degrees.I am of the opinion that optimal pulls necessitate no jump forward or back, next to this a jump slightly backward is best (as some athletes employ a slightly S pull), and lastly is a jump forward.
Obviously this is my opinion, and others will have theirs, but just thought I'd share... I look forward to any response

Thanks for such an insightful response. You have made some pretty good points. Perhaps I am thinking of the mechanics incorrectly. Perhaps the thinking of the method is to prevent any potential jumping back..making the 'hook' still like a traditional hook...but not as exaggerated. I hope you understand what I mean. I'm not drunk lol

The encouragement that is usually given is to push the hips through the bar. The result of this is moving perhaps only an inch forward from the initially pulling position.

There is ample evidence to support that jumping backwards is inefficient...due to the youtube is awash with highly decorated athletes doing this. One of my fav lifters - Dimitry Klockov frequently jumps backwards (though not much) when lifting. Is he succesful? Damn right.