Hierarchy For Learning The Olympic Lifts


When learning and training the snatch and clean & jerk, always keep in mind this hierarchy: Position, movement, speed, load.

Position is the priority because it’s the foundation of everything—all movement originates from a specific position, passes through other important positions, and finishes in another specific position.

You cannot perform a correct movement from or to an incorrect position because it would be a different movement.

Movement, in most cases, can be learned and practiced initially at reduced speeds to ensure optimal positions and motions between them and to improve familiarity and comfort. As a movement improves in precision and consistency, speed can be increased to its ultimate maximum.

Finally, load can and should be added only after positions, movement and speed are adequately developed. Loading develops strength, and strength develops very specifically to the positions and motions trained.

As a consequence, loading incorrect positions and movements strengthens and reinforces those incorrect elements, creating even more difficulty in developing optimal movement.

Be patient and trust this hierarchy and you’ll achieve better results in less time than by trying to rush the process.

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