Common mistakes during snatch

This post is another exerpt from Gorbov’s book “Girevoy Sport”. Snatch is easier exercise than jerk. However, because of this more reps are expected, and the correct technique can make a big difference in numbers, as well as the numbers of torn calluses. The following errors are the most common ones during snatch

Mistake 1. The grip is too deep. It leads to the excessive strain of the muscles of forearm, quick fatigue of the grip and excessive formation of calluses.

Causes:

- Weak forearm flexors
- Slippery handle of the kettlebell

Correction.

- Exercises with a gripper
- Static holds of kettlebells or a barbell
- Swings with heavy bell of varying amplitude
- Swings with a light bell held on fingertips


Mistake 2. Bending the elbow during the lifting phase. In this case when the bell changes direction during lowering in the lowest point the elbow straightens and absorbs the shock of the falling weight. The power and the crispiness of the reversal phase is lost, and the arm gets fatigued quickly.

Causes.

- Athlete’s inability to snatch with maximally relaxed muscles of the arm
- Weak arm muscles

Correction.

- Static holds of heavy bell at various levels – lower leg, knee, upper leg – up to 15 seconds
- Swings at various amplitudes


Mistake 3. Rounded back during the lifting phase and before the second dip. It leads to the early fatigue of the muscles of the trunk and impairs the muscular coordination.

Causes.

- Weak muscles of the back
- Incorrect technique

Correction.

- There are two main recommended exercises for teaching the correct back position.

First. Stand holding the bell in one hand. Keeping the back straight, bend the knees, push your pelvis back and hold this position for several seconds. Straighten the legs and the hips without changing the curvature of the back.

Second. One arm swings. They must be first done from the high stance while paying attention to the curvature of the back. Once this error is corrected, the swings are performed from lower stance.

Other exercises for strengthening the back – good mornings, deadlifts, squats, hyperextensions etc.

Mistake 4. After the reversal the kettlebell is traveling too far forward. This completely impairs muscle coordination and the technique. The breathing and the trunk get fatigued.

Causes.

- Excessive swinging of the bell – swinging it too far behind the legs
- Weak back muscles

Correction.

- Perform swings, snatches and high pulls from high stance. The elbow must touch the body during the reversal phase.

- Strengthen back muscles (above)

Mistake 5. Attempt to reverse the bell at the bottom too early. In this case the most important phase of the snacth is performed in suboptimal position. The power and crispiness of the snatch is lost.

Cause.

During snatch, before straightening the body it is important to advance the hips and the pelvis slightly forward. Then the hips and the body are sharply straightened in one continuous movement.

Correction.

- Static holds of one bell while standing on tip toes and shoulders elevated (shrugged)
- Slow pulls of kettlebell from high, medium and low stance with simultaneous plantar flexion of the feet (getting onto the tip toes) and lifting the shoulder

- High pulls with plantar flexion of the feet
- Kettlebell cleans in high stance.


Mistake 6. Incomplete straightening of the legs and body during the lifting phase. The athlete is “not opening up”, the bell is not getting high enough, and the second dip has to be deeper. It leads to fatiguing of the legs.

Causes

There may be many: bad coordination, incorrect learning of various phases of shatch.

Correction.

- Perform exercises such as clean, jerk and swing with the special emphasis on getting the heels off the ground – almost jumping.

- Snatch light kettlebell without the second dip.

Mistake 7. The reversal phase is completed mostly by the muscles of the back. As the consequence these muscles will fatigue fast.

Causes.

- The pelvis and the knees are not advanced slightly forward, and the legs are not engaged in the movement.

Correction.

- Assistance exercises directed to developing of coordination of the muscles of the back, trunk, legs an shoulders.

Mistake 8. The wrist is not advanced into the handle deep enough at the top. As the result the muscles flexing the fingers are constantly strained. The grip and the wrist give up quickly. It also leads to excessive calluses.

Causes.

- The bell must be at the level of the head or higher just before the wrist is pushed into the handle.

Correcion.

- As follows from the causes above, get the bell high before fixation at the top.

Mistake 9. Flipping the bell over the wrist during fixation at the top and lowering. Difficult to push the wrist through the bell. The bell hits the forearm. Muscles get tired quicker.

Cause.

- During the lifting phase the angle of the bell’s handle must be turned forward and up. Just before the fixation of the bell on the top the contact of the hand with the handle must be minimal, almost lost. You must push the hand/wrist through the handle and not flip the bell over the wrist.

- At the beginning of the lowering of the bell it must wrap around the forearm instead of flipping over the wrist.

Correction.

Learining the correct technique.

Mistake 9. Pushing the wrist through the handle is performed too late. Athlete is trying to “punch through” when the bell has lost the upward momentum. It must be done during the last moment, just befor the bell has lost its upward inertia.

Mistake 10. Late change of grip during lowering. When the bell is lowered one should use the corkscrew type change of grip. In this case the handle of the bell is making sort of a jump from the heel of the hand to the fingers. If it is done too late, when the bell is at the waist level, it jerks the arm down. The coordination of the snatch is impaired, the forearm and the back fatigue quickly.

Causes.

- Incorrect timing of the corkscrew.
- The flexion in the hips (bending the body forward) starts too early during lowering phase.


Mistake 11. Early flexion of the hips/bending of the body forward.

Correction.

- High pulls to various eight while paying careful attention to the position of the trunk, legs and shoulder during the beginning of the lowering phase and beginning of bending of the body.


Snatch is highly technical movement, and learning the correct technique during all of its phases is important for getting high number of repetitions. There are vaious assistance exercises that help learning the technique of this lift. I will address these exercises in the future posts.