Snatch Pulls
Overview
Olympic weightlifters typically spend around 20% of their total training time on variations of Snatch Pulls and Clean Pulls. For beginners, the primary focus of pull exercises must be skill development, for there is much to learn. Like every aspect of Olympic Weightlifting, the technique of the pull is highly complex, requiring precise body position, movement, and timing. Lifters who fail to learn the mechanics of the pull correctly are likely to encounter ongoing issues that could negatively impact their performance in the long run. It is wise for beginners to take a ‘top-down’ approach to learning the pull, following the backward chaining principle.
For advanced lifters with a stable, effective pull technique, pulls in various forms are generally considered essential for performance improvement. In particular, performing pulls at 100-110% intensity improves the acceleration and impulse characteristics of the pull.
Putting it more simply, for advanced lifters, there are two key objectives:
Objective 1: Increase the acceleration of the bar in the final stages of the pull.
The lifter must work hard to accelerate the bar in the final stages of the pull. Acceleration is a product of force, so working hard to accelerate the bar means the lifter must exert greater force. Force is a vector and therefore has direction. Force in any direction other than vertically upward is not helpful to the lifter, which is one reason why good technique is important. Acceleration in the final stages of the pull has a much greater advantage than acceleration at the beginning of the pull.
Objective 2: Maintain upward force on the bar for as long as possible.
In terms of raising the bar as high as possible from the ground, the key quantity is ‘impulse’, which is dependent on force and time. The lifter must work hard not only to increase force but also to extend the duration of upward force on the bar during the pull. Mere hundredths of a second matter in this respect. In the final stages of the pull, the upward velocity of the bar reaches approximately 2.0 metres per second, and this means that the bar is rising 2 centimetres every one-hundredth of a second. This is why timing is such an important aspect of technique.
Optimal Training Intensity for Pulls
The optimal intensity range for pulls is 90-110% of the lifter’s best Snatch (or Clean, if performing Clean Pulls). In the 90-100% range (shaded light green in Figure 1), the bar’s acceleration and impulse will mimic what the lifter experiences when performing heavy or maximal Snatches. Pulls over 100%, to a limit of 110% (shaded dark green in Figure 1), are performed to create an overload effect. In this range, with weights above personal best Snatch, the lifter must work hard to maintain acceleration and impulse, although they will struggle to do so. Every pull performed in this intensity range becomes a rehearsal for lifts they hope to achieve in the future. Each rehearsal is an all-out effort to finish the pull strongly and keep force on the bar for as long as possible.
Wouldn’t it be nice if lifters could get instant and accurate feedback on the force, acceleration, and impulse they produce after each rep, or the average in a set? If this were the case, then lifters could work much more effectively on these quantities. However, even with sophisticated laboratory equipment, accurate measurements from systems such as 3-D motion analysis cannot provide timely feedback. So, lifters tend to focus on another quantity, one that is easily measured – the weight on the bar. The assumption often made is that heavier pulls (for example, 120% and above) build strength. While this is true, pulls at this intensity differ significantly in acceleration, velocity, pull amplitude, and timing from what actually occurs in maximal Snatch attempts. The practise of pulls at this intensity does not adhere to the specificity principle. However, the counterargument that many put forward is that heavy pulls build the capability to produce force. This may be the case, but lifters in Olympic Weightlifting rely heavily on the precision of body positions, movement characteristics, and timing. These aspects will certainly break down when pulls are overly heavy.
Percentages are calculated on personal best Snatch (or the Clean, if performing Clean Pulls). So, if a lifter has a personal best Snatch of 80 kg, the effective range for Snatch Pulls will be 72 – 88 kg. Although this range may be labelled as effective, this does not mean that lifters should pull up to 110% on every occasion. Lifters must take a common-sense approach to training and not follow programs blindly. It is important to make minute-to-minute decisions about what weight to tackle next and how many reps to perform, based on an understanding of training principles.
Key Concept
The optimal technique in the pull leverages the body’s strongest muscles to generate force. These muscles are in the legs – the quadriceps. At every stage of the pull, the force to lift the bar vertically upwards is generated by the legs. At every stage of the pull, from the start position to full extension of the body, the arms must remain straight until the lifter begins their descent under the bar. Unfortunately, bending arms during the pull is one of the most common faults in Olympic Weightlifting. Beginners tend to rely on arm strength to pull the bar higher. This works when weights are light, but it is a disadvantage when weights are heavy. Learning to keep the arm straight during the pull is a necessary strategy for preparing lifters for the future, when they will attempt far heavier weights.
Key Criteria and Coaching Points
1. Starting Position
In the start position, hips should be set low to take full advantage of leg strength. The depth of the hips in the start position can be assessed using two criteria: (a) the angle of the knee should be approximately 80- 85% depending on the lifter’s limb lengths, and (b) the angle of the back will be approximately 40° for the Snatch and 45° for the Clean.
2. Kinetic Chain
In the first phase of the pull, from the ground to the knee, the hips and shoulders must rise in unison to maintain the same back angle. This preserves the ‘kinetic chain’, maximising the transmission of force through the body to the bar. If the hips rise before the shoulders, some of the force generated by the legs is absorbed (wasted) due to the change in body shape. Read more about the kinetic chain.
3. Bar at Knee Position
As the bar rises to the knee, the shins should be close to vertical, and the shoulders slightly forward of the bar. There should be no gap between the body and the bar. Failure to achieve vertical shins by the time the bar reaches the knee is the reason why athletes suffer bleeding shins. Read also about knee retraction.
4. Minimisation of Horizontal Force
The lifter must maximise vertical force (A) and minimise horizontal force (B). If a bar gathers excessive horizontal momentum, it becomes hard, if not impossible, to control. Lifters, incorrectly advised on ‘hip drive’, often develop excessive forward horizontal movement of the bar. This causes a more circular path of the barbell, called ‘Swing’, which is hard to control.
5. Top of the Pull
The top of the pull is a fleeting moment that is difficult to judge except with video technology. The lifter must strive for maximum upward extension of the body, including raising up on toes. It should be noted that the lifter’s arms are still straight, ensuring a good kinetic chain until the last moment of the pull. This moment is not the last moment in which the lifter is able to exert upward force.
