The snatch – such a beautiful but treacherous movement. When done correctly it looks so easy, but anyone who tried it knows that it could take a lifetime to master.
Since the same technical mistakes happens over and over I would like to give you a little guide to some errors so you might be able to spot if you are guilty of them and if you are able to remedy them.
The stripper snatch
Problem:
Hips rise faster than the shoulders leading to sub optimal power and positions for receiving the Snatch soundly because the weight is on the toes etc.
Solution:
- Setup yourself in a position with, depending on your build, high enough hips to push from this position instead of too deep hips leading to
- Think squat from the floor to the knee. This means push the midfoot to the floor. Only the knee joints are allowed to bend at this point. The back is fixated. It’s ok to have high hips, not all are built as Chinese weightlifters. As long as your hips are below the shoulders you may be fine.
The key is that the hips and shoulders raise at the same time and that is achieved by really only bending the knees.
Around the world
Problem:
The bar travels around the knees leading to a swinging path or to be too much on the athletes toes. Most often a jump forward will be the result. Spotted by analyzing the bar path from the side. The bar should never have a forward horizontal movement from the floor to the hip.
Solution:
- While pushing from the floor as in the first tip also push the knees back. The shins should be vertical and still slightly bent when the bar is at the knee
- This is a little tricky since pushing the knees back is easiest done by letting the hips rise faster. This cannot happen since it will lead to the stripper snatch.
- Maintain a strong push to the floor and get a hamstring connection, then you know you are firing the right stuff to build up to a strong snatch.
