Olympic Weightlifting is a very technical sport that can quickly become overwhelming. There’s so much to focus on and (for most) so little time to train. Whether it’s building absolute and specific strength to technique work, theres a LOT to develop.
I believe the mistake for a lot of new weightlifters is focusing on the small things. For example today, a Weightlifter was having problems with his snatch. The lifter was fixated on the 1st and 2nd pull, the issue is that wasn’t the problem…while his pull wasn’t dead on, it was ‘good enough’. In actuality the Weightlifter was having problems with the bar catching in front and the turnover looking like a muscle snatch. Based on todays lifts, we changed focus and hammered down ‘punching’ his elbows and the head positioning/line of sight. After a few cues and some positioning work, it all clicked and BOOM a smooth lift!
Had the weightlifter kept focusing on the pull, the snatch session probably wouldn’t of come together. While the lifter was banging his shins a bit and he wasn’t in perfect position, it was good enough to move on from. This is why it’s important to have a knowledgable Coach, understanding the needs of the Weightlifter is crucial. While the lifter will still need to focus on the other aspects of his lift, his turn over was severely lacking in comparison to the rest of his lifts. If I was to give it a numerical ranking it probably would’ve gone something like this:
- 1st pull: 6
- 2nd pull: 6
- 3rd pull: 4
- Turn over: 3
- Catch: 6
Placing a numerical system like this (while subjective) can help you decipher on what needs to be focused on. In this instance, as stated earlier we needed to focus our attention on the 3rd pull and turn over.
In other words, we need to focus on the biggest bang for your buck fix. A simple question: “Why was the Weightlifter leaving the bar in front?” Gave us the answer that he needed to reinforce bar placement, head positioning, and being aggressive with the punch out. Working on those 3 quick fixes helped him hit some of his best snatches yet.
Train smart,
Team Fusion Weightlifting