Snatch & Clean - Why Not Bar Over Midfoot?
Why isn’t the bar over midfoot in the starting position for the snatch and clean?
Simple: That would prevent the rest of the body from being in the optimal starting position.
To create the position we want, the knees need to move slightly forward of the bar, which brings the shins forward.
If we position the bar over the middle of the foot, it blocks the shins, which keeps the knees too far back, the hips too high, and the shoulders too far forward.
If we move our bodies into the desired position, the bar is pushed forward by the shins until it’s over about the balls of the foot—that’s why it’s a common landmark.
Essentially, this position is as close to midfoot as possible, while allowing the rest of the body to be positioned properly.
This is one of a few problems with trying to equate the pull of the snatch and clean with the deadlift as is done ad nauseum by quite a few people outside the WL community. While there are obviously commonalities, they’re absolutely not the same, and they have different requirements.
This bar position doesn’t make you out of balance—remember there is a body attached to it. In such a position, while the bar is slightly in front of midfoot, more of the body is behind it, which creates balance in the system as whole.
As the bar rises, the shins move back with knee extension to allow the bar to move back, and more of the body moves forward as the knees and hips extend, continuing to maintain system balance—the bar and body converge over the foot as needed.
Simple: That would prevent the rest of the body from being in the optimal starting position.
To create the position we want, the knees need to move slightly forward of the bar, which brings the shins forward.
If we position the bar over the middle of the foot, it blocks the shins, which keeps the knees too far back, the hips too high, and the shoulders too far forward.
If we move our bodies into the desired position, the bar is pushed forward by the shins until it’s over about the balls of the foot—that’s why it’s a common landmark.
Essentially, this position is as close to midfoot as possible, while allowing the rest of the body to be positioned properly.
This is one of a few problems with trying to equate the pull of the snatch and clean with the deadlift as is done ad nauseum by quite a few people outside the WL community. While there are obviously commonalities, they’re absolutely not the same, and they have different requirements.
This bar position doesn’t make you out of balance—remember there is a body attached to it. In such a position, while the bar is slightly in front of midfoot, more of the body is behind it, which creates balance in the system as whole.
As the bar rises, the shins move back with knee extension to allow the bar to move back, and more of the body moves forward as the knees and hips extend, continuing to maintain system balance—the bar and body converge over the foot as needed.
