Snatch Set-up (Part 2): Foot Position

“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.

Snatch Set-up (Part 1): Overview

In the coming weeks I plan on releasing a series of short, easily understandable blog posts about the snatch starting position in weightlifting.  I want to take you through my research as it pertains to the snatch starting position in hopes that you can learn along with me, peeling back layer by layer of the set-up to my favorite lift.

What I hope to accomplish is to first paint the general picture of what a proper set-up should look like (Part 1), then dive into specific aspects of the set-up such as foot position, shoulder position, hip angle, etc.  The goal is to provide the reader with resources from knowledgeable and/or informed sources, supported by science if and when possible, about all things related to the most efficient starting position.

As I dive into targeted research about different aspects of the starting position, my hypothesis is that certain considerations (such as hip angle) may ultimately differ from athlete to athlete due to bio-mechanical considerations (i.e., length of femur, total height, etc.).  An aim of this research, however, is to expose the most efficient starting position for the average athlete to highlight this as an ideal for each lifter.  My hopes are that we can all analyze our current starting position, understand where we need to be for maximum efficiency (the “ideal set-up”), then dissect why there may be differences between where we are and where we need to be – for example, is your ankle mobility holding you back from achieving a better set-up?  I will do my best with including remedies for poor positioning considerations when available.

So let’s look at a few starting positions snagged from a good ol’ Google search.

Exhibit A: Bryan Diaz – Starting Position (Snatch)

http://fubarbell.tumblr.com/post/47701459780/bryan-diaz-2012-crossfit-games-competitor

The O-Face in Weightlifting

[Photo: http://www.catalystathletics.com/articles/article.php?articleID=37]

I’ve noticed many weightlifters (“olympic weightlifters”) open their mouths wide right before starting the lift.  This made me wonder if there was a true purpose to this practice or if people were merely mimicking what they saw in a few experienced lifters.  After researching the interwebs and discussing the topic with a few credible lifting sources, I’ve come to the conclusion it’s a little bit of both.

O-Face with a Purpose

My research shows the wide open mouth just prior to lifting has a legitimate purpose regarding breathing.  This coincides with what many advanced lifters have told me: that they open their mouths wide to draw in a large, lung-filling breath.  According to Greg Everett of Catalyst Athletics, the weightlifter should draw in a large breath just prior to lifting to maintain “the structural integrity of the torso while under heavy loads”*.  Stated as such in his article titled “Breathing and Breath Control for Olympic Weightlifting”, Everett expands on the need for a large, deep breath prior to lifting: