Weightlifting Technique: Feel It
A point I try to emphasize frequently is that it’s generally easier and more effective to teach athletes’ bodies what to do directly than to teach their conscious brains. That is, if you can get the athlete to move the way you want through drills, exercises or lift segments, you’ll make more progress in less time than if you attempt to teach them conceptually what they should be doing.
There are a few ways to do this.
First is the use of complete support exercises like pull and deadlift variations or overhead lifts that teach, train, strengthen and stabilize the correct balance, positions and underlying motions for the snatch, clean and jerk. These are done independently in a training session and build the necessarily qualities and familiarity for the body to gradually being relying on them naturally during execution of the competition lifts. For example, using a segment deadlift or floating halting deadlift with an athlete who tips over in the pull of the clean, or snatch balances for an athlete who tends to be slow and unaggressive finishing the snatch turnover with an upward punch.
Second is generally using standalone technique exercises or lift variations, that is, exercises whose purpose is developing or refining skill rather than qualities like strength or power. For example, for an athlete with a slow or poorly executed third pull in the snatch, doing sets of tall snatches to practice the proper motion and aggression.
Next would be using these same types of skill-oriented exercises as technique primers by performing them immediately before the competition lift they’re intended to improve. For example performing a few sets of tall snatches before the snatches in a session. This achieves what performing them at another time does, with the additional benefit of the athlete being better able to apply what they’ve just practiced to the actual competition lift.
The final method is using complexes with a skill-oriented exercise and the full or partial competition lift. For example, performing a complex of snatch with no jump + snatch, or snatch from power position + snatch for an athlete who needs to improve leg drive power and timing in the pull of the snatch. This is like a technique primer but with even greater connection and therefore likelihood of the athlete being able to successfully apply the improved skill to the execution of the competition lift.
With all methods, things can be simplified to a greater extent as needed by using smaller segments of a total lift. For example, if an athlete struggles to open the hips completely at the top of a snatch, or keep the bar close to the legs during the final extension, using a complex of 2 or 3 hang snatch deadlifts to a simulated snatch finish position with the legs vertical and shoulders behind the hips + a hang snatch.
Figure out what the body is failing to do, then get the body to do it, whether or not the athlete understands what or why, and then before the athlete has time to think about it, get them to perform the lift you’re trying to correct. If you do this well—that is, choose your drills appropriately—you’ll see marked improvement.
There are a few ways to do this.
First is the use of complete support exercises like pull and deadlift variations or overhead lifts that teach, train, strengthen and stabilize the correct balance, positions and underlying motions for the snatch, clean and jerk. These are done independently in a training session and build the necessarily qualities and familiarity for the body to gradually being relying on them naturally during execution of the competition lifts. For example, using a segment deadlift or floating halting deadlift with an athlete who tips over in the pull of the clean, or snatch balances for an athlete who tends to be slow and unaggressive finishing the snatch turnover with an upward punch.
Second is generally using standalone technique exercises or lift variations, that is, exercises whose purpose is developing or refining skill rather than qualities like strength or power. For example, for an athlete with a slow or poorly executed third pull in the snatch, doing sets of tall snatches to practice the proper motion and aggression.
Next would be using these same types of skill-oriented exercises as technique primers by performing them immediately before the competition lift they’re intended to improve. For example performing a few sets of tall snatches before the snatches in a session. This achieves what performing them at another time does, with the additional benefit of the athlete being better able to apply what they’ve just practiced to the actual competition lift.
The final method is using complexes with a skill-oriented exercise and the full or partial competition lift. For example, performing a complex of snatch with no jump + snatch, or snatch from power position + snatch for an athlete who needs to improve leg drive power and timing in the pull of the snatch. This is like a technique primer but with even greater connection and therefore likelihood of the athlete being able to successfully apply the improved skill to the execution of the competition lift.
With all methods, things can be simplified to a greater extent as needed by using smaller segments of a total lift. For example, if an athlete struggles to open the hips completely at the top of a snatch, or keep the bar close to the legs during the final extension, using a complex of 2 or 3 hang snatch deadlifts to a simulated snatch finish position with the legs vertical and shoulders behind the hips + a hang snatch.
Figure out what the body is failing to do, then get the body to do it, whether or not the athlete understands what or why, and then before the athlete has time to think about it, get them to perform the lift you’re trying to correct. If you do this well—that is, choose your drills appropriately—you’ll see marked improvement.
