I just got done with an intense two-week training cycle, so I’m taking a few days off from the gym. This morning I was feeling the itch and decided to grab a doweling and give the snatch a try.
I’ve never tried the snatch before, but have always wanted to learn now to do the olympic lifts properly. I’ve tried finding OL gyms/coaches in my area in the past but I don’t think they exist.
If those of you experienced with OLing could give me some technique pointers I would appreciate it. Sorry about the glare in the beginning.
[video]1749[/video]
(keep the back tight so the bar stays close to you, and your chest stays up too)
(by big pull I mean both the big hip extension/jump/stand,up/whatever-you-wanna-call-it AND the shrug at the top)
btw… on the subject of coaches did u check here:
–even if they are far from where you live, there are always clubs not listed that the coaches know about.
Thanks for the pointers. I’ll keep practicing with the doweling for a few days then report back when I start adding weight later this week.
As far as the coaching thing goes, I actually just found that site a couple hours after I posted this thread. Some of the clubs are actually near me, so I’ll look into hitting one of them up some time.
Went in and tried the snatch with weight today. It’s amazing how much adding a small amount of weight can teach you.
I found that I had been bringing the bar up almost in a circle as if I was doing shoulder dislocates. With some weight on the bar that’s a recipe for falling over backwards.
Worked on keeping my back tight and the bar close to my body during the pull so it would travel straight upward rather than in a circle.
For some reason my camera crapped out after the first rep and wouldn’t tape anymore afterward… but, here’s one rep with 65lbs (~29.5 kilos?):
[video]1754[/video]
Don’t get used to jumping at the top. You aren’t supposed to jump (I realize it’s just a broomstick). Get under the bar by pulling under it. That’s all for now.
[quote]PB Andy wrote:
Don’t get used to jumping at the top. You aren’t supposed to jump (I realize it’s just a broomstick). Get under the bar by pulling under it. That’s all for now.[/quote]
Roger that. I always thought you were supposed to try and jump the weight up to build momentum, but with more and more weight you would look less and less like you’re actually jumping.
Your swinging the bar away from your body at chest and head level… So try to keep the bar as close to the body as possible. Also have a look at the following videos of tommy kono lecturing on O-lifts.
[quote]NeoSpringy wrote:
Your swinging the bar away from your body at chest and head level… So try to keep the bar as close to the body as possible. Also have a look at the following videos of tommy kono lecturing on O-lifts.
Cheers NeoSpringy[/quote]
Thanks for posting the videos. Good info in there.
I’m gonna head to my University tomorrow morning to train, they actually have bumper plates so I can risk going heavier and missing some lifts.
Got some video of this morning’s session. With the bumper plates I was able to add more weight.
[video]1755[/video]
50.5x4x1, 55x1
I remember reading somewhere that as a beginner I should get into the habit of riding the weight down to the bottom position. I guess this means I should start doing overhead squats to get my stability down?
[quote]USMCpoolee wrote:
Are your thighs coming into any contact with the bar?[/quote]
Not that I can recall. I do remember banging my knee one time but since then I learned about double extension and since then the bar hasn’t hit my knees. I might pop it with my hips though.
Snatched again today. After four singles with 50.5kg I was feeling confident and went for a single with 59.5kg. Failed the attempt, tried again, failed again. Decided to call it a day there.
I tried concentrating on getting under the bar before it reached its apex. After watching the video I think it looks a little better but I probably need to get some more hip drive in before I drop into the bottom position.
Thoughts?
[video]1757[/video]
[quote]Wlfdg wrote:
Sharp4850, Looks like you are swinging the bar out in front of you, like a kettlebell snatch?[/quote]
Yes, that’s another thing I’m trying to fix. Keeping my back tight, and pulling the bar upward. On the reps where I end up following the bar backward is where it’s the most obvious I think.
It’s a lot to focus on!
[quote]Wlfdg wrote:
Sharp4850, Looks like you are swinging the bar out in front of you, like a kettlebell snatch?[/quote]
Yes, that’s another thing I’m trying to fix. Keeping my back tight, and pulling the bar upward. On the reps where I end up following the bar backward is where it’s the most obvious I think.
It’s a lot to focus on![/quote]
Pull the bar towards you, look at the image below:
If you look at the bar path at the bottom you see it is a flattened s shape. It’s not enough to just pull the bar straight up, you have to actively pull it towards you as well. At the moment the bar is way out in front of your body. Good luck!
The ox man is right, your bar path is wrong. The bar needs to be closer to your body. that is why your are overbalancing backwards in some of your lifts. Try some snatch pulls without the catch to practice a close bar path
Get your hips lower before you start and chest up. Check out ironmaven’s channel on youtube. She has dozens of video clips and uses Dartfish to analyze the lift and track the bar path. Actually you’re not doing too bad for a self taught beginner. A couple of thousand more reps and you should have the technique down pat.
Thanks everyone for the input. I appreciate being able to get all this for free (especially the link just posted).
It’s going to be a few days until I snatch again due to the holiday here but when I do I’ll try and put this all to work.
Focus on doing some light snatch pulls from the floor(legs, hips, jump shrug). You need to finish your 2nd pull before attempting to pull under the bar. This will make the transition to the bottom position easier and those poundages will feel lighter in no time.
