Exercise Technique
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Exercise Technique |
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Power Snatch
Primary Purpose: Develop explosive power through triple extension of the hips, knees and ankles.
Secondary Purpose: Stress the entire neuromuscular system through a synergistic summation of forces (multi-joint total body lift).
Equipment Set-up:
Using either an 8' x 8' weightlifting platform or an adequately sized rubber floor (5' x 8' minimum), position an Olympic barbell loaded with, preferably, rubber bumper plates in the center of the lifting area.
Make sure the floor is clean, dry and free of any uneven areas. Do not allow any workout sheets, towels, drinks, or anything besides the barbell and the athlete on the lifting area.
The lifting area needs to be off limits to any traffic and free of anyone except the athlete performing the exercise.
Starting Position:
Use between a hip to slightly less than shoulder width stance, toes pointing straight ahead to slightly out.
Squat down to the bar, and position your hips lower than your shoulders.
Use a wide grip with your arms fully extended and elbows turned outward.
Grip the bar with your thumb around and your knuckles turned downward and slightly back (this will help keep the bar in close to the body in the second pull).
Roll the bar back to touch or no more than an inch from contacting your shins, drop your hips down into a squat and maintain a tight arch in your back.
Position your shoulders directly over to slightly in front of the bar (never behind the bar).
Snatch, Starting Position from Greg Werner on Vimeo.
Push the Play button to watch the video. You can pause the video to study the notes and technique.
Procedure:
Lift the weight off the floor by driving force through your entire foot (don't get forward on your toes).
The first pull [floor to just above knees] is key to aligning your body in the correct posture for the second pull, or power position.
Be patient and don't yank the bar off the floor, rather, pull the bar and build speed.
While keeping your shoulders over the bar, extend your knees and hips, performing a deadlift type motion.
As the bar travels over your knees past mid thigh, raise your head and shoulders and straighten up into a vertical alignment so the bar shifts to your high upper-thigh and lower abdomen area (pocket). This is the power position for the snatch.
In the power position your knees are slightly bent, your hips are cocked and your torso is vertical with your shoulders over the top of the bar - this is the key alignment for your body to produce great force on the barbell.
Explosively extend your hips and knees while transferring the weight from your heels to your mid foot and snapping your head up while shrugging your shoulders vertically (jump and shrug the weight up).
This lift is executed by a very fast summation of forces (kinetic linking). Use the most powerful muscles first (i.e., hips, thighs, back, calves and traps) before using your arms to pull the bar upward. The pull is more of an "impulsive hit," than a deliberate pull. Make it explosive - this takes a fraction of a second.
As the weight moves upward, simultaneously drop/pull your body underneath the bar catching the weight locked out overhead in a 1/4-1/2 squat position (full squat if the weight requires you to drop that low).
Finish the lift by standing upright under control with the bar locked out overhead.
Lower the weight, by either dropping it under control or bringing it back down to your shoulders and then to the start position. Stop, reset everything and then repeat the exercise.
Power Snatch Execution from Greg Werner on Vimeo.
Push the Play button to watch the video. You can pause the video to study the notes and technique.
Click on Power Snatch and go to Vimeo to view High Definition
Full Screen version.
Key Points:
The movement is very explosive, occurring in the hips, legs, back and shoulders. Execution should be clean and crisp.
Your back should remain tight (isometric contraction) and flat throughout the entire exercise.
As you move under the bar flip/rotate your wrists so that you catch the bar overhead.
The bar trajectory should be vertical - don't swing it out and around, jump-shrug-pull it straight up.
If a rep gets away from your in front drop the weight, if one gets away from your behind dump the weight and move forward away from it. Don't try and strain out reps if you're off balance - be safe.
Control the movement and start with a weight that doesn't cause you to lose your balance.
Hold your breath in, so to create a tight core (increased intra-abdominal pressure) until you proceed through the sticking point and then exhale. Exhaling too early causes a loss in core stability.
Produced by Master Strength & Conditioning Coach, Greg Werner from James Madison University
Athlete in the video: Callye Williams