Exercise Library
Drop Snatch
The drop snatch is an exercise that trains strength, aggression, balance, timing and confidence for receiving the snatch.
Start with the bar behind your neck, your hands in your snatch grip and your feet in the pulling position. Brace your trunk, set the shoulder blades tightly together, and ensure you’re balanced evenly over the whole foot.
Without any upward drive on the bar with the legs, pick the feet up and punch the arms to push yourself down as aggressively as possible into the bottom of an overhead squat. The goal is to elevate the bar as little as possible, and to establish a secure lockout in the bottom immediately.
Ensure you’re balanced and the bar is locked securely overhead, and then return to standing with the bar still in the overhead position.
Notes
Because there is no upward drive on the bar preceding the downward punch of the body, drop snatch weights will be limited relative to the snatch balance or heaving snatch balance, but with quick and aggressive lifters, may still be significant. If you maintain the hook grip when you turn the snatch over, use the hook grip in the drop snatch.
Purpose
The drop snatch is a good choice of exercises to develop speed and aggression in the final part of the snatch turnover, to develop precision in bar and foot placement and posture in the snatch turnover, and to develop strength and confidence in the receiving position of the snatch. It’s more appropriate than the snatch balance if speed and timing is more of the focus over loading.
Programming
The drop snatch can be used as a technique primer before snatch training sessions or as a light technique exercise any time, but most often will be used as a fairly heavily loaded training exercise after snatches or on days between primary snatch training sessions. Use sets of 1-3 reps, usually from 40-70% of the lifter’s best snatch. Because there is no upward leg drive before the push under the bar, weights will be limited relative to the snatch balance and heaving snatch balance.
Variations
Drop snatches with the feet planted on the floor in the receiving position rather than being lifted and relocated can be used for athletes who have trouble consistently moving their feet correctly or who need a simpler introduction to the exercise. The drop snatch is one of 4 snatch balance exercises: pressing snatch balance, drop snatch, heaving snatch balance and snatch balance.
See More
Pressing Snatch Balance
Heaving Snatch Balance
Snatch Balance
Start with the bar behind your neck, your hands in your snatch grip and your feet in the pulling position. Brace your trunk, set the shoulder blades tightly together, and ensure you’re balanced evenly over the whole foot.
Without any upward drive on the bar with the legs, pick the feet up and punch the arms to push yourself down as aggressively as possible into the bottom of an overhead squat. The goal is to elevate the bar as little as possible, and to establish a secure lockout in the bottom immediately.
Ensure you’re balanced and the bar is locked securely overhead, and then return to standing with the bar still in the overhead position.
Notes
Because there is no upward drive on the bar preceding the downward punch of the body, drop snatch weights will be limited relative to the snatch balance or heaving snatch balance, but with quick and aggressive lifters, may still be significant. If you maintain the hook grip when you turn the snatch over, use the hook grip in the drop snatch.
Purpose
The drop snatch is a good choice of exercises to develop speed and aggression in the final part of the snatch turnover, to develop precision in bar and foot placement and posture in the snatch turnover, and to develop strength and confidence in the receiving position of the snatch. It’s more appropriate than the snatch balance if speed and timing is more of the focus over loading.
Programming
The drop snatch can be used as a technique primer before snatch training sessions or as a light technique exercise any time, but most often will be used as a fairly heavily loaded training exercise after snatches or on days between primary snatch training sessions. Use sets of 1-3 reps, usually from 40-70% of the lifter’s best snatch. Because there is no upward leg drive before the push under the bar, weights will be limited relative to the snatch balance and heaving snatch balance.
Variations
Drop snatches with the feet planted on the floor in the receiving position rather than being lifted and relocated can be used for athletes who have trouble consistently moving their feet correctly or who need a simpler introduction to the exercise. The drop snatch is one of 4 snatch balance exercises: pressing snatch balance, drop snatch, heaving snatch balance and snatch balance.
See More
Pressing Snatch Balance
Heaving Snatch Balance
Snatch Balance
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Greg Everett