No Thigh Gap: Push the Bar Back
One of the biggest mistakes in the pull of a snatch or clean is allowing a gap between the bar and thighs after passing the knees.
This sets up multiple problems—forward imbalance, the body being pulled forward as it extends, a reduction of speed or even hitching, and an excessive collision at final contact that slows the bar and directs it forward.
The great news is that it’s simple to avoid—push the bar back as it passes the knees to keep it as close to the thighs as possible without your balance changing.
If you’re not sure how to do this, don’t open an anatomy book and figure out what muscles to activate—just execute the motion and let your motor cortex manage the organization.
With the shoulders slightly in front of the bar and the bar hanging straight down, just push it back against yourself…
I prefer the term “push” in this case because it tends to help disassociate the motion from rowing with the arms—let the arms hang rather than bending the elbows to bring the bar in. This should be a push back, not a lift up.
Once you understand how to make this happen and what it should feel like, practice tracing the legs with the bar using deadlifts and pulls to keep the bar as close as possible without dragging.
This sets up multiple problems—forward imbalance, the body being pulled forward as it extends, a reduction of speed or even hitching, and an excessive collision at final contact that slows the bar and directs it forward.
The great news is that it’s simple to avoid—push the bar back as it passes the knees to keep it as close to the thighs as possible without your balance changing.
If you’re not sure how to do this, don’t open an anatomy book and figure out what muscles to activate—just execute the motion and let your motor cortex manage the organization.
With the shoulders slightly in front of the bar and the bar hanging straight down, just push it back against yourself…
I prefer the term “push” in this case because it tends to help disassociate the motion from rowing with the arms—let the arms hang rather than bending the elbows to bring the bar in. This should be a push back, not a lift up.
Once you understand how to make this happen and what it should feel like, practice tracing the legs with the bar using deadlifts and pulls to keep the bar as close as possible without dragging.
