The snatch is one of the most complicated movements that you will encounter in CrossFit which can make it equally frustrating and rewarding at the same time. Here are some tips to help you on your journey to a better snatch:
1. Get comfortable in the bottom of an overhead squat. This is as simple as it sounds – grab a bar and literally spend time sitting in the bottom of the overhead squat. The more time you spend there, the more confident you’ll be to drop into this position during the snatch.
2. Hold positions. Learn the correct set-up, above the knee and high hang positions and then practice holding these positions statically. Once you can hit these positions correctly without having to think too much, start to move (slowly) from one position to the next. Do this over and over again until the movement between one position and the next is a no brainer.
3. Use hook grip. No one likes the feeling of using hook grip initially but it is a necessary thing. Using hook grip gives you a much more secure grip on the bar and reduces the tension in your arms which means a quicker turn over under the bar and reduces the likelihood of an early arm pull.
4. Be committed. There’s a lot to think about in the snatch but you can’t let your brain get in the way. Give every lift your all – big weights won’t go up if you try to move them slowly!
5. Don’t go for PB’s too often. Trying to get better by lifting maxes all of the time is a frustrating road. If you’re working on the limits of your ability chances are that your movement quality is not as good as it could be and your progress will be stunted. The large majority of a weightlifting program is comprised of submaximal lifting with PB’s normally left for competitions. Let the weight you lift be dictated by form – some days you’ll be able to lift weights that you can’t on other days. Don’t let this worry you – just focus on moving with the highest level of quality on any given session and the big numbers will follow.
