Common Technical Errors in the Snatch,
Clean, and Jerk , their causes, and some
proposed remedies.
The most common error in the snatch and clean
(structurally, these lifts are closely related) is
inadequate amplitude during the top pull. A
successful snatch and clean depend on the
speed of the bar at the end of the top pull ( as a
result of a sharp and simultaneous straightening
of the legs and trunk ).
If this speed is adequate, then the bar will
reach the necessary height and make it possible for the
lifter to execute a fast and accurate drop under the bar.
With a weak top pull however, the speed of the bar will
be less and it will not reach the necessary height.
Another frequent error is an early or late start of the
top pull or an early stop of the top pull, which also
reduces the force of the top pull and leads to lower
speed on the bar (the top pull in the clean should start
from the lower third of the thigh, and in the snatch --
from the upper third of the thigh).
Premature involvement of the trunk ( when the lifting
of the bar begins with the extension of the trunk and
not the legs) is also a main cause of failure in the
snatch and clean. This type of start imparts horizontal
speed to the bar and makes it difficult to hold the bar
(especially in the snatch). This error plagues those who
neglect or care little about developing trunk strength,
giving preference to leg strength. As a result, the
coordinated action of the leg and the torso muscles is
disrupted, which, in turn, leads to decreased power in
the top pull.
Remedies : Use snatches and cleans from the hang
and from boxes, snatch and clean pulls, good mornings
; correctly place the feet under the grip. ; lift the bar off
the platform smoothly with the arms straight, standing
on the whole foot and not changing the position of the
trunk before the start of the top pull ; develop
proportional leg and trunk strength, and execute jumps.
Here is a typical error in the snatch : The barbell is
overhead and the arms are straight, but the weight is
forward and is not locked into position. Causes : Before
adopting the starting position, the lifter incorrectly
positioned his feet under the grip, and the barbells
center of gravity was outside the support area or in line
with the toes ; poor mobility in the shoulder joints ;
during the entry of the drop under the bar, the lifter
tossed his head back before completely straightening,
thus jutting forward the shoulders and forgetting about
the movement of the trunk. Remedies : Use snatches
from the hang or from the boxes with light and
moderate weights, paying special attention to
quickness in dropping under the bar, spreading the
feet, and the downward - forward movement of the
trunk. Exercises for improving shoulder joint mobility
should also be used.
Problem : The bar is overhead, bit the arms are not
locked out. Causes : early termination of the top pull,
late start of the drop under the bar, slow spreading of
the feet after the top pull. poor mobility in the in the
ankle and the hip joints, and too shallow a squat.
Remedies : Use snatches from the hang and from
boxes with light and moderate weights ( 3-4 reps per
set ), paying special attention to complete extension of
the trunk and legs, and flexibility exercises with and
without weights.
Errors in the jerk.
1. Poor jerk from the chest. The weight is overhead
(forward) on straight arms but cannot be fixed.
Causes : Weak legs ; in the starting position (before
the jerk) the pelvis is too far forward ; the angle formed
by the shin and the thigh (of the lead leg) is less than
90 degrees ; too narrow a grip ; poor mobility in the
shoulder joints ; forward tilt of the trunk and lifting the
heels off the platform during the preliminary dip ; after
the preliminary dip the lifter does not completely
straighten the legs, the elbows are dropped down, the
barbell is not utilized as a "prop".
Remedies : Develop leg strength and mobility in the
shoulder joints ; use jerks from behind the neck and
from the racks and the so called "push press" ; adopt a
correct starting position before the jerk ; change the
width of the grip.
2. During the preliminary dip, the barbell loses
contact with the chest.
Causes : an abrupt dip, which produces significant
inertial force ; the barbell does not lie solidly on the
chest ; the wrists are not relaxed.
Remedies : the preliminary dip must be executed
smoothly on the whole foot while slightly bending the
legs at the knee and the hip joints, with the fingers
relaxed so that the bar rests solidly on the chest.
3. The weight is lifted up, but the barbell falls behind
head.
Causes : When executing the split ("scissors
movement"), the lifter does not plant his lead leg on the
whole foot, but rather on the heel ; the trunk is dropped
down, but the shoulders remain behind the vertical line;
the arms are lifted upward - backward ; the trailing leg
is bent strongly at the knee joint.
Remedies : Direct the arms (and the barbell)
strictly upward ; place the weight of the lead leg on the
whole foot ; when dropping the trunk down, move the
shoulders forward slightly directing the elbows upward
and to the side.
4. Loss of balance to the right or to the left.
Causes : misplacement of the lead leg to the
inside (loss of balance to the right if the right leg is the
lead leg), or misplacement of the trailing leg to the
inside (loss of balance to the left if the left leg is the
trailing leg)
Remedies : many reps of the "scissors" movement
with light weights in order to develop precision in the
forward-backward leg movement (along a straight line),
thus maintaining distance (support area) between the
feet.
The End
by Jim O’Malley
