“90% of all missed lifts performed in competition could be
traced to the feet.” (1)
[Photo credit: “Learning the Olympic Lifts: The Stance” by Mike Burgener
with Tony Budding, reference (1)]
As I start to help coach novice athletes with weightlifting,
I’ve noticed huge improvements with lifting by correcting the starting position
of the lift. As such, I’m drafting a
series of blog posts about the starting position of the snatch in order to
better understand the most efficient set-up for the olympic lifts. I feel the best place to start is to consider
foot positioning, and what follows is a brief write-up regarding foot placement considerations for the beginning weightlifter.
The pictures above show proper foot placement for both the
starting (pull) and ending (catch) of the lift.
The figure on the left focuses on the lifter’s foot width and angle in
the set-up (top left picture) and catch (bottom left picture) of the
snatch. The figure on the right shows
relation of the foot position relative to the entire body position in the
set-up (top right picture) and the catch (bottom right picture) of the snatch.
Foot Width
The set-up stance for the snatch calls for feet to be placed
directly under the lifter’s hips (reference the top two pictures). Feet are wider for the landing position and
should be aligned approximately under the lifter’s shoulders (reference bottom
two pictures). A common error I see is
foot width with the snatch; most beginners start with their feet too wide –
under shoulders instead of narrow and under the hips – and land too wide with
feet outside of the shoulders. If the
feet are too wide, the potential for power is lost (1). I don’t think I’ve ever had to coach someone
with having feet too close for the set-up of the snatch, but if the feet are
positioned too closely, both balance and drive for the lift are sacrificed (1).
Let’s think about why starting with the feet below the hips
is most efficient for the snatch. When
your feet are directly below your hips, force created in the posterior chain is
directed straight into the ground and there is no lateral leak of power
(2). Transferring the power generated by
the lifter through a straight line with feet under the hips is thus more
efficient since the power travels a shorter distance; this is opposed to
starting with feet wider which would create a longer, less efficient distance
for the force to travel.
Foot Angle
Foot angle and the degree of foot turn-out is a contested issue
amongst some fitness circles. There
seems to exist two schools of thought regarding foot angle and olympic lifting:
toes forward and toes out. This is not
in regards to the powerlifting squat but more so for the squat involved in the olympic-style
lifts. What follows are a series of
links that you can use to follow the opinions of a handful of popular functional
fitness and weightlifting personas to understand where the argument stands
today.
-Advocates for a 5-12° foot angle (toes only slightly out,
closer to toes being forward)
Squats: Toes Forward or Toes Out? (4)
-References Starrett and how excessive toes-out “loses the
ability to create torque through external rotation of the hips”
-Article also discusses relation of ankle mobility and foot
angle
-Provides food for thought regarding coaching athletes and
understanding where their foot position should be
Proper Foot Position in the Squat - by Greg Everett (5)
-Everett addresses the issue of toes forward versus toes out.
"In short, squatting with the toes out to a correct degree (i.e. not excessive rotation to accommodate ankle inflexibility) and with a proper stance width will not set an athlete up for sudden valgus knee failure, and will in face help keep the joints moving through their intended planes of motion safely."
There are a few principles on which most people seem to
agree regarding foot angle: feet pointed out too wide can lead to injury and
feet pointing exactly forward can also lead to injury – both being mainly
related to knee issues. The answer about
foot angle for snatching is therefore mostly about how wide of an angle for
toes out is optimal for the lift. Starrett,
in the video linked above, describes a 5-12° foot angle. Other sources don’t out right discuss what
angle but from what I’ve gathered it’s no more than 20-30°. The optimal foot angle may ultimately depend
on the athlete and their inherent biomechanics as well as their level of
mobility (ankle, hip flexibility and range of motion). Regardless, I feel the main learning point
from these discussions is about correcting the excessively wide feet that many athletes
are accepting without correction.
See references below for additional reading.
Great techniques that one needs to consider while working out with regard to fitness techniques and working out with wood gymnastic rings & kettlebell workouts.
ReplyDelete