A small mistake at the base is amplified by what we carry over our heads.
The quote said more or less like this. I read it somewhere, in one of the thousand articles on weight lifting that I happened to consult.
For all that concerns the weightlifting, currents of thought make it impossible to know with certainty what is the best, or most efficient, way to do something. Everything.
However, one concept seems to be established: the importance of the smallest detail for the good execution of a lift or an exercise.
Index
The starting position of the snatch
Several coaches agree that one starting position correct allows
- Manage the barbell path
- Reduce the effort to be spent in the lift
- Configure the degree of work of the muscle groups
- Reach one optimal snatch
So you come to perfection - or almost.
In the snatch - and more generally, in the weightlifting traditional - when the weight is lifted from the platform the athlete-barbell system becomes one and the vectors of the movement are defined, becoming very difficult to modify.
There are several factors that can be adjusted for refine the snatch start position: angle of ankles, knees and hips, position of the shoulders in relation to the center of the barbell, relative position of the barbell with respect to the feet.
Let's see the last two.
A little snatch technique (and history)
In the 70 years it was thought that the ideal shoulder position during the beginning of the snatch it was exactly perpendicular to the barbell.
In contemporary weightlifting, we observe how the athletes who lift large loads in the snatch and in the clean & jerk they begin the movement with the shoulders forward of the vertical: respectively 8-12 centimeters in the snatch, and 4-10 in the C&J.
It is clearly the physical structure of the athlete that determines the best position.
Regarding the position of the feet, the reference point is themetatarsal joint. It is generally thought that this should be exactly on the vertical of the balance wheel. For Russian coaches, depending on the athlete's structure, this imaginary line can fall between the metatarsus and the middle of the foot.
Studies show that when you start applying the force to the barbell, the metatarsal becomes the rigid end – and therefore terminal – of a complex system. Dropping the vertical beyond this point is no longer practical.
If some athletes put their foot forward, they probably do so instinctively. And yet, numerous records have been made by athletes who almost defied the laws of physics, assuming unconventional positions and apparently disadvantageous.
It is however about experienced athletes. If you find yourself in the early years of sports, try following the strategies I explained to you.
And if you want an example of unconventional risers, look for a photo of Bob Peoples' deadlift, and look at your back.