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Don't Sweat the Small Stuff if You Can't Even Do the Big Stuff
Greg Everett
December 14 2017



Weightlifting technique can really be as complicated or simple as you want to make it. You could easily spend the rest of your life researching, experimenting, practicing, and driving yourself crazy with the infinite minutiae. But most of you just want to get better, and do it as soon as possible as easily as possible, which is a perfectly rational desire.

Focus on the big stuff and forget the little stuff until you need it. Don't worry too much about the precise angle of humeral external rotation in the snatch overhead position if you're not yet even able to consistently get the bar overhead where it needs to go. All you're doing is overwhelming yourself with information and slowing the process. Think of it like trying to learn a new language by starting day 1 learning the most complex details of grammar and idiomatic speech—if you're not yet even familiar with the array of most common words, this information is essentially meaningless in a practical sense, unnecessary, and worse, confusing for no good reason.

Spend time getting comfortable with basic positions, balance and movements, and gradually layer in more and more detail as you progress. Don't make the mistake of trying to master elements that can't be mastered without a suitable foundation.

 
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