[LIFTING TIP]


you’ll have a hard time recovering the lift. To correct this, try pulling the bar tight to the body in a sweeping motion as you start the lift.


Second pull After the bar passes the knees is another point in which the bar can get away from you. If this occurs at this stage you have zero hope of making the lift because you’re no longer in control of the bar. As the bar drifts out away from the body, you must move away from your upward motion path and jump forward to catch the bar


Mistake 4: Not closing the “triangle.” The next mistake goes by a number of names: a short pull, leaving


the hips out, or not finishing with extension. We call it “not closing the triangle” and it’s mistake #4 on the list. The triangle is the position you achieve when the bar is above the knees. This position is important to form: the hips are away from the bar, the arms are di- rected back toward the thighs, and the chest is over the bar forming three sides of a “power triangle.” The triangle stores a


ton of potential pow- er—the hips are primed and ready to explode


with force on the bar. It’s easy to achieve any sort of triangle above the knees, but often people are unable to shut it. Focus on driving the hips to the bar as soon as the bar passes your


knees. Finish the second pull and shut the triangle with force and fi- nality to get the most out of your snatch. If you leave it “open” you’ve left a lot of power on the platform that could’ve been used to lift big- ger weights.


Mistake 5: Being a swinger.


In snatching there are two types of people: swingers and pullers. Being a swinger isn’t a good thing when it comes to the snatch. Efficient weightlifters finish the second pull with a vertical spike of


power. Swingers, on the other hand, finish the second pull with a for- ward spike of power, leading the bar to “pop” off their hips in a dis- tinct forward arc. While big weights can be lifted in this way—you’re still reaching full,


powerful hip extension—it’s far from efficient, and will lead to more missed lifts than you’d care to have. Focus on achieving a vertical finish to the bar. Know that actively pull- ing yourself under the bar you’ll be able to get around the bar, rather


than making the bar move around your body. Again, it isn’t a


huge difference in the “looks” catego- ry, but one that will screw you up big time going forward. And that’s why it’s mistake #5.


Mistake 6: Catching like a starfish. A largely overlooked component of the Olympic lifts is the receiving


portion. The snatch is great for force production, but just as impor- tant is the force absorption that takes place as you receive the bar. This position should look like landing from a jump. When it doesn’t,


not only are you missing out on the benefits of force absorption, you’re also training yourself to land in bad positions in other athletic movements. Your training just went from injury prevention to injury promotion. Hello mistake #6. The starfish is an ugly creature that likes to poke its head out when


weights approach a maximum. Most have seen it before and likely done it as well. The feet splay out wide, with all the weight toward the toes. It’s about the least athletic position you can imagine. Landing like a starfish occurs because you haven’t prepared to


move rapidly under the bar. Your body defaults to what it thinks is the fastest way, which in most cases happens to be the feet wide, starfish position. Prepare yourself by doing drills like the snatch balance to improve


your comfort level in getting under the bar for max weights. Although this drill requires that you go into a full overhead squat to receive the bar, it will still equip you with a strategy to get under the bar that’s far better than the starfish.


Wrapping it up. There are plenty more mistakes lifters make when performing the


snatch, but these six are the big ones that keep most from hitting big weights. Correct these mistakes and you’ll be on your way to putting some serious weight over your head.


The views expressed in this article may not be that of USA Weightlifting. Publication of all articles is to share different opinions and viewpoints. For instruction on the lifts from USA Weightlifting visit www.usaweightlifting.org


References: 1. Y. Ikeda, Jinjii T., Matsubayashi T., et al. Comparison of the snatch technique for female weightlift- ers at the 2008 Asian Championships. J. S&C Res. 2012 26(5)/ 1281-129


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