How to Perform the Split Snatch

by Kim Goss, B.A., C.S.C.S. Assistant Strength Coach United States Air Force Academy This series of stick figures shows the technique of the split snatch. When performing an exercise as com p lex as the snatch, first conc entrate on achi eving the correct body positions in each of the major phases of the lift. Onl y after you learn correct technique should you try to increase the speed of the movement. THE START (figure 1) The best starting position for most athletes is with the feet po sitioned hip-width a pa rt a nd the to es pointed slightly out.

From a stand ing position over the bar, you should be able to see at least the tip s of your toes in front of the bar... How do you determine the w idth of your grip? A general rule is to tak e a grip wide enough so that your arms form a 45-d egree angle w ith the bar. Keep your arms straight but not locked. N ext, curl your wrists tow ards yo u until the top of y o u r h ands are perpendicul ar to the floor. This will rotat e your elbows out to your sides so the ba r will be more likely to travel str aight up (ra ther than back) at the top of the pull. Man y coac hes believe yo u sh ould start with yo ur shoulders in front of the bar.

But athletes with a relatively short back often perform better with the ir sh o u ld ers directly over the bar. Regardless of wh ere your shoulders are , keep the bar close to your shins. Stick your chest ou t and place your head in line with your back. Some athletes prefer to look straight ah ead, but I've found that this position often causes them to swing the bar too much. Finally, mo ve your arms so your elb ows ar e in line with th e m iddle of the knees. This technique should move your hips into th e corre ct position, which for most athletes is slightly higher than knee level.

INITIAL PULL (figure 2) Keeping the bar close to the body, lift the weight to knee level the bar by pushing with your legs without straightening your back (figure 2). The bar sh ould rea ch a p osition wh ere it is in line with the middle of yo ur kneecaps. POWER POSITION ( figure 3) Continue pushing with the legs until your knees are almost completely straight. You will have to straighten your- back slightly to do this, and you will have to pull the bar towards your body rather th an straight up . At this time the bar w ill have reached the power position.

The power position is th e pla ce where you will be able to produce the most force on the bar. Your shoulders should be on top of (or slightly in front of) the bar, and you shou ld feel your bodyweight centered on the middle of your feet. For some athletes this means the bar will be resting on the middle of the thighs. For others the bar will be resting on the top of the thighs. SHRUG (figure 4) From the power position, you now full y straighten your legs (but do not lock the kn ees) and shrug your shoulders. Your arms are still straight. DROP UNDER ( figures 5 & 6) Now is the time when the arms go to work, and their purpose is to help pull you under the bar.

As the arms bend, your legs begin to jump into the split position. RECEIVING POSITION (figure 7) When your feet land the bar should be positioned overhead as shown in figure 7. Your front kn ee should be slightly in front of the foot and the rear kn ee should be slightly bent. The heel of the rear foot is off the floor, so your balance is on the ball of the foot. Photos 1 and 2 show th e difference between th e re ceiving positions of th e Split-style Sn atch and th e Squat -style Snatch . In the Squat st yle th e upper arms (humerus bones) must rotate back much furth er than in the split style. This position cra tes a stress th at may cau se or aggr avate a shoulder injury.

Most athletes can lift more weight in the Squat s ty le bec ause th ey can fix the bar ov erhead in a lower positi on, but the mu scles a re working equally as hard in both lifts. RECOVERY (figure 8) Complete the lift by first st raightening your front leg and then your rear leg. If you perform the lift incorrectly, you might have to recov er first with your rear leg. It's common practice to te ach th e Split Sn atch by teaching it from the top down. First, learn the receiving position by practicing a Drop Snatch. From a standing position, place a barbell behind your neck and spread you r hands apart to the Snatch Width .

Now jump into the Split position while pressing th e weight to straight arms. Recove r to the standing position and repeat. Do 3-5 rep s per sel. When you become comfortable with jumping into this receiving position, practice the lift from th e power position (figure 3). Wh en you've ma stered this segment of the lift, practice it from knee level (you can rest the barbell on blocks set at this hei ght) and finall y from the floor. by Steve Beebe Continued On Next Page RECEIVING POSITION: Figure 7 Editor's Note: We at BFS prefer the Power Snatch for High School and College Athletic Training and then if you do go into Olympic Lifting the transition will be smoother for the Squat Snatch.

Please note that figures 1-4 are the same for all styles of Snatching.

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From BFS Magazine — Fall 1991. Part of the BFS Magazine Archive (1980–2014).