How to Perform the Snatch Lift



There are many factors to learn step-by-step to perform the snatch. The athlete should start by standing as close to the bar as possible while placing their feet about shoulder's width apart. Let the arms hang straight down and lean down to grip the bar with a wide grip. To measure the distance of how far the hands should be apart, usually a coach will take a tape measure and measure the length from the middle of their back to the tip of their fingers as the lifter holds his/her arm out to the side. This measurement should be the width of their grip. Grasp the bar with a "hook" grip by putting the thumb under the fingers and at least the first two fingers will be wrapped over the first index joint of the thumb. Ensure all fingers are wrapped around the bar and that the lifter has a solid grip. The lifter needs to get into a half-squat position with their bodyweight on their heels. Their back should be tight and shoulders should be back, no slouching or rounding out of the back. Stand up and back quickly, driving off the heels and pulling the bar with the arms which should be straight. The back and legs need to be doing the work and not the arms. When the bar has passed halfway up the thighs, the lifter should pull their upper body up and back in a hard, fast manner with a straight shrug. The bar should have hit slightly on their upper thighs at the same time the lifter performed that hard shrug and the weight should be moving fast enough to retain its own momentum. This hit/shrug is often referred to as "the second pull" of the lift. Their feet should come off the floor at this point because the lifter has nearly launched themselves as well as the weight. At this point, a few things must happen quickly and all at once. According to Larry Mather from Edmonton, who is a provincial, national, and international coach, "olympic weightlifters were tested one year at an olympic event and were said to have the fastest reaction times out of all the other athletes in other sports." This tremendous speed and reaction time is demonstrated when the lifter drives down very fast into a full squat position, after fully extending with the weight. Their shoulders must be back with the knees out over the toes. The lifter's feet will slam hard back down flat on the platform, slightly out to the side from where they began but on the same horizontal line. If the lifter jumps and lands forward or back of that line, they will have troubles balancing the weight. At this point the lifter will start to stand up with the weight. It may seem fairly simple to a spectator, but this takes quite a bit of practice to achieve the proper balance, flexibility, coordination and strength.



How to Perform the Clean & Jerk Lift

How to Perform a Proper Clean

The above picture shows what a clean looks like. In order to perform a proper clean, the lifter starts by standing as close to the bar as they can get, placing their feet about shoulders width apart. Once the lifter is in the starting position, he/she is ready to lift. The "pull" phase of the lift is all similar to the snatch. The difference now is that the lifter will be catching the weight on their shoulders instead of over head. The backs of their fingers will likely contact their deltoids and they will receive the weight of the bar as it lands in the groove which traverses the tops of their deltoids and clavicles. The lifter needs to be careful when receiving the weight by insuring they do not receive it on their throat because the lifter can choke themselves out. Another thing to watch is that the lifter does not let their elbows contact their knees because that will cause the lift to be disqualified by the judges. The lifter should have their back and legs tight, their knees out over their toes, shoulders back, elbows facing forward, and the bar firmly planted at the base of the throat. Once this position is achieved, the lifter can start to stand up as if they were completing a front squat. After the lifter completely stands up with the weight and regains a comfortable, unhooked grip, they will be ready to jerk

How to Perform a Proper Jerk
You can either Clean the bar or you can take it from a rack or off Jerk Blocks to Jerk it. The grip for the jerk will be the same grip as the clean. Rest the bar across the base of the lifter's throat (being careful of the clavicles and the windpipe) and across their deltoids. The elbows are slightly to the side and are pointing mainly downward and slightly forward. The shoulders should be back, while the back and legs are tight. The lifter should stand with their weight shifted to their heels so someone could look at their body from the side and draw a good line from the heels, through the hips, and through the shoulders where the bar is located. When the lifter jerks the weight overhead, they drive the weight more effectively upward and back by having the bar in this position. After getting into a solid stance to jerk, dip the hips and drive out of that dip with tremendous speed and force so the bar will launch up with no need for the arms to have to push it. During the driving motion of the jerk, the bar leaves the resting state and begins to travel upward and slightly back. The next step is to drive down quickly thrusting one foot forward with that knee bent as much as the lifter needs in order to get fully under the weight with the arms locked out straight overhead. The arms straighten as the bar moves up and back and the lifter moves down and forward. The arms must lock so that when the bar stops moving, the lifter can support the weight overhead. The lifter is now on their toes on the rear foot and absolutely flat footed on the front foot. Both feet are pointing forward and they are about shoulder width apart to help support the weight. When the arms are locked and the weight is in a controlled position overhead, recover from the jerk. Start by sliding the front foot back to the originating line. Make sure the lifter slides their foot and not step or the base will not be as strong and the lifter will drop the weight. When that is done, slide the rear foot forward. Both feet should be in line with the trunk, shoulders and the barbell overhead. At this point the jerk is complete and the lifter will have a successful lift.