Control the Pull with Even Foot Pressure
If you’re overwhelmed trying to think about your posture and where the bar is at every point in the pull of the snatch or clean, try focusing on the feeling of pushing through the whole foot evenly.
If you can do this, much of the position problems you’re experiencing will resolve themselves.
It’s very difficult to be significantly out of position or for the bar to be far away if you’re consistently balanced over the foot through the pull.
This means you can focus on a single very simple feeling and let your body organize the rest of movement, which it’s much better at than your conscious mind.
The balance/pressure does not need to be perfectly even—get it close. Slow down the first pull if/when needed initially to get it down.
This will not magically solve all your technique problems—but if you’re a complete mess physically and mentally, it gives you a single point of focus and eliminates your conscious interference, which often create new problems and magnify existing problems—and helps fix the most fundamental issues.
So think of it as a temporary stage to give you some time to reorient yourself with a more solid and consistent baseline that you can then begin working from on all the details.
Focus on this in all pull and deadlift variations as well—even things like RDLs—to maximize your training/practice.
Yes, there are some elite lifters who move all around on their feet as they pull. You’re welcome to try it if you believe that’s the best way.
If you can do this, much of the position problems you’re experiencing will resolve themselves.
It’s very difficult to be significantly out of position or for the bar to be far away if you’re consistently balanced over the foot through the pull.
This means you can focus on a single very simple feeling and let your body organize the rest of movement, which it’s much better at than your conscious mind.
The balance/pressure does not need to be perfectly even—get it close. Slow down the first pull if/when needed initially to get it down.
This will not magically solve all your technique problems—but if you’re a complete mess physically and mentally, it gives you a single point of focus and eliminates your conscious interference, which often create new problems and magnify existing problems—and helps fix the most fundamental issues.
So think of it as a temporary stage to give you some time to reorient yourself with a more solid and consistent baseline that you can then begin working from on all the details.
Focus on this in all pull and deadlift variations as well—even things like RDLs—to maximize your training/practice.
Yes, there are some elite lifters who move all around on their feet as they pull. You’re welcome to try it if you believe that’s the best way.
