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my goal is to gradually learn to do the Snatch. I joined a specific course of Snatch and Clean but it turned out to be extremely bad: the coaches are good but they are two and we are 60 people. Each of us is practically ignored and I'm not receiving any advice to correct my newbie mistakes.

So, my question is about some mistakes I do not know how to fix, and on about I have some doubts.

Precisely:

  1. Hip Contact with the bar. It should not be a bang. But it is said that at the moment of contact, the hips must be extended. Do the glutes reach 100% lockout? It comes naturally to me to provide a bang if I totally extend my hips. So, I try to verticalize the movement and use mainly my quads and secondly my glutes, but is such an approach correct? Do you have some mind cues to help understand the proper movement pattern?

  2. Bar swinging forwards. I've never been able to keep the bar close to my torso. After the hip contact, it swings forwards a bit. I'm able to keep it close to my abs and chest only if I use my arms like in an upright row, which clearly is not proper technique. Again, do you have any mind cues?

I think my problems are more about mind rather than muscles. I think I've not clear the movement pattern of the Snatch.

To make my questions more clear, I've uploaded a gif of my newbie execution with 17kg :( I've drawn a partial bar path.

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    It sounds like you’re making too much hip contact if you’re launching the bar away from your body. Re-watch to slo-mo I posted the other day.
    – Dave Newton
    Oct 21, 2021 at 17:27
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    I’m not sure I understand; it’s going to be difficult to diagnose without video. Here’s a video with a pretty strong hip bump: youtu.be/UBc5N_-xdqo
    – Dave Newton
    Oct 21, 2021 at 18:22
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    From your gif, your shoulders seem to be too far back. Your rear delts should be aligned with the bar when you are at the contact point.
    – E.Aigle
    Oct 21, 2021 at 18:34
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    I'd also say look forward, not up; it may be skewing where your body thinks it needs to be. Must be nice to have flexible shoulders.
    – Dave Newton
    Oct 21, 2021 at 19:06
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    Sometimes, the bar moving forward could be from (mentally) trying to move the bar around your knees or from starting with the bar too far forward (not over center of foot). If you are receive the bar too far forward that could also be from pulling (with arms) before you are fully extended. Pretty hard to diagnose (imo) without seeing video.
    – TravisJ
    Oct 22, 2021 at 15:18

1 Answer 1

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1: The main cues I recommend is thinking about aligning your hips and shoulders at the end of the pull. Hip extension and knee extension should be simultaneous and your glutes should reach full engagement right before you drop into a receiving position. Try high hang snatches (from the contact point) focusing on fully extending the hips and knees and aligning your hips and shoulders at the top of the pull.

2: I'm not sure how you do your upright rows, but I think the movement pattern should actually be quite similar to the snatch. Think about keeping your forearms vertical and your wrist straight throughout the pull. The bar should rise to about nipple height and be close enough to lift a loose fitting shirt. Try light muscle snatches to get the pattern and timing correct.

Note: weightlifting coaches differ wildly in their approach and preferred technique. These recommendations may not work for everyone depending on individual anatomy and strength etc.

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  • Thank you very much. I'll try to follow these advice
    – Kinka-Byo
    Oct 22, 2021 at 5:16
  • Can I ask you another question? Your advice are so useful. Do you think arms must be thought as ropes? Or do they make a very very little contribution to assist the bar going overhead? Do you feel your shoulders and arms a little tired also if the heavy lift is performed by your legs?
    – Kinka-Byo
    Oct 22, 2021 at 20:32
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    @Kinka-Byo the action of the arms in the pull is to keep the bar close (it's actually the lats, but the arms are transmitting the force). In the catch, the arms should lock out forcefully and the shoulders should be fully engaged. I never find my shoulders to be particularly tired after a heavy rep, but sometimes after many repetitions. Your arms shouldn't contribute to the lifting of the weight, just to the catch, and even then, it's more of a balancing act than using strength to hold the weight.
    – E.Aigle
    Oct 23, 2021 at 12:22

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