The Snatch is often referred to as the technical lift of the biathlon. Approached with elegance but executed with ultimate strength and balance. Here are our top 5 pointers to get the perfect Snatch technique.
1. Get Your Grip Right
First and foremost you should be using the hook grip. This (pictured) is the strongest grip you can use for Olympic Weightlifting when Snatching (and Cleaning). The way your fingers wrap over your thumb prevents the bar from rolling around in your hand. This will give you a massive help in the hip drive. With a natural grip, the bar often slips out of your hand after the power from the hip drive. You can read, in detail, the benefits of the hook grip over the natural grip here.
2. Shoulders Over The Bar
Keeping your shoulders over the bar will make sure you can get the desired leverage to put the most power into the hip drive.
If your shoulders are back, it leaves you with very little room to generate power from hip contact.
Make sure they are over the bar.
3. Hips!
You’ve probably been told this by your coach. Make contact with the bar and work up to having a strong hip explosion. It will make a huge difference to the height you can generate from your pull. And, more height = lifting more weight.
If you’re hitting your pubic bone, read here.
4. Set Yourself
The set position will decide your whole lift. Make sure, when you set yourself you have a tight back, your shoulders are over the bar and your head is up. For the ideal set position click here.
5. Second Pull Matters
Saving the best till last. What is the second pull? The second pull is the full extension of your body and pulling with your arms, upwards, after the hip drive. This is something that I see lacking with so many beginners. They may have a good set position, a great hip drive and good receiving position but little or no second pull. This means the bar just floats and you have no control. You need to be finishing the lift.
What to do?
Practice the second pull on Snatch high pulls and hang Snatch with pulling straps.
If you found this useful read our Snatch – The Key Movements article.
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