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There are a number of elements contributing to keeping the bar as close to the body as possible during the snatch, but let’s focus on one of the simplest but most overlooked.
 
The initial motion of the pull under the bar is a shrug up and back and a pull of the elbows up and out. Among other things, this helps preserve the bar’s proximity after it’s contacted the hips.
 
However, if we leave the elbows in this same position as we turn the bar over, we lose that proximity—the elbows become a fixed pivot point for the bar to rotate around, meaning it’s forced to move forward.
 
In order to keep the bar as close as possible, we need to squeeze the shoulders back to pull the bar in toward us as we turn it over. The bar should stay so close that you fear for your face’s safety.
 
This squeeze back begins with the initial shrug up and back and pull of the elbows up and out, and needs to be increased as we turn the bar over.
 
Practice this motion with slow and then full speed tall muscle snatches to get the feel for it, and then be sure to implement it on all snatches and snatch variations.
 
Note that even in a well executed snatch, the bar won’t be as close as it is in this drill, but the effort to keep it this close will keep it as close as it needs to be.