Snatch Form Check

Bigger Stronger Leaner Powerlifting & Strength Sports
1

Hi guys, i’m new to the forum and was wondering if someone could give me some advice in relation to my snatch form.

I’ve been practicing the lifts for a little less than an year now.
I’ve never had the possibility to train with a coach, and at the moment that’s still not an option, so all i’ve learnt comes from reading books and more books. Now i got a lot of theoretical information and little practical.

Despite the bad quality, one thing i’m pretty sure i am getting wrong is that i’m bending my arms a litte too soon.

Anyway, here’s the video, it’s really short not to bore anyone…sorry for the bad quality, i’ll soon get a better camera.

Thanks!

2

It looks like you’re looping the bar overhead. I.e. you’re banging it off your hips and it’s getting away from you. In a power snatch, you should be more powerful and get under that bar faster, so speed changing directions should be worked too.

BTW, when you say a training with a coach is not an option, what makes you say that?? Just curious.

3

Thanks for the quick replay!

I know the first and second pulls can’t be examined deep enough from this video quality, but do you notice any problems in positioning? Or is it just lack of power? I’m a long legged person, so i have to spread my knees a little bit to let the bar pass in front of my knees.

By saying that training with a coach is not an option, i’m saying that there aren’t many oly lifters where i live, and most of them won’t waste their time with you if you’re not a kid or teenager…unless they charge you lots of money, which i can’t afford at the moment.
Besides, I don’t really feel like i have good enough technique to get much improvement with just a couple of sessions…

4

You should be punching the bar overhead, not swinging it. Practice in the hang from the hip and just above the knee, landing in the full overhead squat.

5

[quote]jm85 wrote:
You should be punching the bar overhead, not swinging it. Practice in the hang from the hip and just above the knee, landing in the full overhead squat. [/quote]

I’ll get a video of that on monday!

6

This is a fairly good example. Shortening the movement kinda forces you to have a quick hip explosion, but really makes you drop under and punch the bar above head.

7

you’re right about bending your arms too early. In fact, this could be what causes the bar to loop because a bent arm will be very rigid. If you also notice, the angle which you catch the bar overhead is almost exactly the same angle of bend in your arm during your pull.

Basically, don’t bend the arm until you’ve finished your pull.

8

[quote]Weighty1 wrote:
you’re right about bending your arms too early. In fact, this could be what causes the bar to loop because a bent arm will be very rigid. If you also notice, the angle which you catch the bar overhead is almost exactly the same angle of bend in your arm during your pull.

Basically, don’t bend the arm until you’ve finished your pull. [/quote]

Absolutely…i agree the angle i’m bending my arm is the angle i’m catching the bar overhead…

In order to fix that…could it help to use a broader grip of the bar? Maybe my grip is too narrow so my arm needs to bend sooner…or maybe it’s just a bad habit?

One way or the other, BIG problem is…I have been trying to correct not bending my arms in the past…thing is, when i achieve not bending the arm, i can power snatch considerably less weight that when i’m bending them…so i end up bending my arm in order to get the heavy weights up

9

My body does not understand the correct technique for barbell snatch. My legs do not seem to do the work they are supposed to. In order for the bar to hang at my hip crease i need to almost touch the collars, it feels impractical.

For some reason though, i do very much understand a dumbell snatch with 1 arm. I use very decent technique, my legs make a good jumping action, my feet smack the floor the same time the weight locks out over my head. It looks good.

10

Here’s an update with a much better camera. There’s 50 kilos on the bar btw.
Thanks!

11

man you seem to swinging the bar over head. As Jon north said there is no arms in weightlifting. try to you tube joh north’s hit and catch drill. that will help you for sure

12

Yet another update, I’ve tried the recommended things exercises. When i made the video, it didn’t feel like i was swinging the bar overhead, but then again, i’d appreciate input to see if I’ve solved anything or i’m still doing the same stuff.

Thanks!

13

Ass is in the air, arms are bent even in transition to second pull, shoulders are tight during the two pulls. No oly shoes?

Keep your ass down. Yeah, powerlifters can get away with a slight to major curvature in the lower back during deadlifts. If you want to hit good lifts, especially the snatch (unless you love bruising your pubis), you need to have a perfectly angled “flat” back. Can’t keep a flat back? Drop the weight until you get the ability. There are many exercises for training the lower back well in weightlifting.

Never ever bend your arms. This is probably the easiest mistake to correct.

A lot of people get into a bad habit of tensing the shoulders due to improper coaching in sports or other lifts. For optimum explosive power at the “scoop” or end of second pull/transition to squat from deadlift phase, you’ll need to completely relax your shoulders until the moment of explosion, in which you shrug straight up as hard and fast as you possibly can while “jumping” with the feet (triple extension). You lose so much power by utilizing your shoulders too early.

Don’t forget the “straight-up” phase of shrugging and pulling. I personally had a difficult time as I was taught in high school to do dumbbell shrugs forwards and backwards, along with straight-up. Muscle memory is a bitch when it works against you. This is why a coach is so important.

If you want some to see some vids of a guy who sits in front of a machine all day and night and lifts occasionally doing “good” lifts, check out my Youtube channel (same as name).

14

[quote]TurboLykes wrote:
Ass is in the air, arms are bent even in transition to second pull, shoulders are tight during the two pulls. No oly shoes?

Keep your ass down. Yeah, powerlifters can get away with a slight to major curvature in the lower back during deadlifts. If you want to hit good lifts, especially the snatch (unless you love bruising your pubis), you need to have a perfectly angled “flat” back. Can’t keep a flat back? Drop the weight until you get the ability. There are many exercises for training the lower back well in weightlifting.

Never ever bend your arms. This is probably the easiest mistake to correct.

A lot of people get into a bad habit of tensing the shoulders due to improper coaching in sports or other lifts. For optimum explosive power at the “scoop” or end of second pull/transition to squat from deadlift phase, you’ll need to completely relax your shoulders until the moment of explosion, in which you shrug straight up as hard and fast as you possibly can while “jumping” with the feet (triple extension). You lose so much power by utilizing your shoulders too early.

Don’t forget the “straight-up” phase of shrugging and pulling. I personally had a difficult time as I was taught in high school to do dumbbell shrugs forwards and backwards, along with straight-up. Muscle memory is a bitch when it works against you. This is why a coach is so important.

If you want some to see some vids of a guy who sits in front of a machine all day and night and lifts occasionally doing “good” lifts, check out my Youtube channel (same as name).[/quote]

I’ve got a couple of questions…

First, how can i keep my ass down when i’m supposed to rise them at the same speed as my shoulders, isn’t that correct?

Second, in relation to bending my arms too early, i took this picture from the video just after the transition to the second pull. Are they really bent?

Thanks a lot for having taken the time to answer!!

15

[quote]robert35588 wrote:
I’ve got a couple of questions…

First, how can i keep my ass down when i’m supposed to rise them at the same speed as my shoulders, isn’t that correct?

Second, in relation to bending my arms too early, i took this picture from the video just after the transition to the second pull. Are they really bent?

Thanks a lot for having taken the time to answer!![/quote]

Don’t worry about that. Just keep your chest up. If you’re putting the bar around the hips during the snatch and feeling it hurt your pubic bone, you’re not keeping it down.

If you go about 0.1 seconds further in your video you’ll notice when you hit the “scoop” you are bending your arms. It’s where the bar meets the hips. Looks like you may want to consider a wider grip.

16

[quote]TurboLykes wrote:

[quote]robert35588 wrote:
I’ve got a couple of questions…

First, how can i keep my ass down when i’m supposed to rise them at the same speed as my shoulders, isn’t that correct?

Second, in relation to bending my arms too early, i took this picture from the video just after the transition to the second pull. Are they really bent?

Thanks a lot for having taken the time to answer!![/quote]

Don’t worry about that. Just keep your chest up. If you’re putting the bar around the hips during the snatch and feeling it hurt your pubic bone, you’re not keeping it down.

If you go about 0.1 seconds further in your video you’ll notice when you hit the “scoop” you are bending your arms. It’s where the bar meets the hips. Looks like you may want to consider a wider grip.[/quote]

To be honest, i don’t feel it hurting my pubic bone (I’ve had that problem before and it’s awful), but it’s true that watching the video doesn’t seem like i’m keeping my chest up, so i’ll try to be more aware of it.

The one thing i admit i’m not doing is touching the bar with my upper legs at any time before the scoop, but not sure whether that’s actually a mistake.

Excellent!! I’ll try a wider grip…i’ve been suspicious of that, but never tried it cause my grip is pretty wide already. Then again, this is a problem that I’ve had a lot time without being able to correct.

Maybe i’m one of those persons who need to hold the endings of the bar.

Thanks!

17

Hey guys, I’ve made a new video after working a bit on the mistakes and advice you’ve guys given me.

Especially, trying to punch the bar overhead without swinging it, not bending my elbows too early, and trying to learn to catch in a full overhead squat. I think I’ve fixed the elbow bending problem, but not sure. Apart from that, trying to keep my butt down is tough to correct.

So here it goes, a 50k power snatch attempt, and a 40k full snatch attempt (I’m still not comfortable with going heavier with this).

Thanks for the comments, they help a lot!