Coaching the Hang Power Snatch

COACHING THE HANG POWER SNATCH

by Robert Takano, CSCS

The Power Snatch Vs. The Power Clean

While the power clean has enjoyed great popularity in strength and conditioning circles over the past two decades, the power snatch is less frequently included in the training regimens of many coaches. The reasons for this are unclear. Could it be that many coaches are unfamiliar with the exercise and thus less likely to attempt to coach it? Perhaps the briefly popular, but illconceived rumor about the dangers of overhead lifting has inhibited some coaches from incorporating the power snatch into their training regimens. No matter the reason this highly beneficial exercises appears much less frequently in many training programs than the power clean. The power snatch when performed properly is a more eloquent movement than the power clean and it both requires and allows the body to move in a more speedy manner. It also works many of the same muscles, but in a slightly different manner, and the overhead aspect of the power snatch places different stresses on the torso musculature of the athlete. Furthermore it allows for more variety in a training program and that can alleviate much of the psychological boredom that accompanies training. Certainly overhead support of weights enables the torso musculature to develop more thoroughly and is especially help to those athletes that must counterbalance lateral forces during the performance of competitive movements. For young athletes just learning to strength train, the learning of the power snatch before the power clean should teach a fuller extension of the hips.

The Hang Power Snatch Vs. The Power Snatch

The reason I teach the hang power snatch to tall athletes is that it eliminates one portion of the movement (the first pull and shift) that is often very difficult to coach, provides little additional benefit for the athletes in many sporting events, and it does a great deal to develop the strength of the hands. While the issue of hand strength is derived from the same rationale as employing the hang power clean in preference to the power clean, the benefits to grip strength are even greater in the case of the snatching movements because of the greater distance between the hands. The angle change places greater stress on the muscles involved in gripping.

Preliminary Exercises
Some exercises that will help the athlete prepare the body for the learning of the power snatch are useful to practice beforehand. The length of time that they might be employed prior to actually incorporating the power snatch into training can vary from as little as a day to several months depending on the individual characteristics of the athlete in question. Snatch grip Press Behind Neck: This movement requires the standing athlete to take the bar from a squat rack while employing a snatch width grip (as determined by the coach), stepping away from the rack, assuming a stance width that would be comfortable for performing the full squat (Fig 1) and doing repetition (35) presses being sure to lock out each one (Fig 2). The coach should insure that the head is held erect and that a vertical line rungs through the ankles, hips, shoulders, ears and the bar upon completion of each repetition. This exercise should expose any inflexibilities in the shoulder

Copyright 2005 Robert Takano

Coaching the Hang Power Snatch

.Fig.1

Fig. 2 Overhead Squat: This movement is an extension of the previous one and will result in a development of the torso musculature necessary to hold the weight overhead. Because of the change in the angle between the torso and the legs, the torso musculature will be required to make minor adjustments in tension that will further strengthen it. The athlete should perform a single repetition of the previous movement and when completed with the bar overhead, squat all the way down and then rise (Fig 3).

Fig. 3 Upright row: This movement should be performed with a wide grip equal to that employed in the performance of the snatch. The athlete should

Copyright 2005 Robert Takano

Coaching the Hang Power Snatch

address the weight, take a snatch width grip and deadlift the barthis is the

Fig. 4 starting position (Fig. 4). The athlete should maintain an erect posture with the eyes fixed on a focal point on the opposite wall. This will make sure that the spine is properly aligned during the performance of the movement. The action is to lift the elbows up to the side. The athlete should focus only on elevating the elbows to the side (Fig 5). When this motion is no longer possible, the action is completed. At no time should the head drop, or the elbows move backwards. The height of the bar during the movement is irrelevant, but the pathway of the bar is

critical.

Fig. 5

The Learning Sequence

Hang Snatch Extension: This exercise employs the same starting position as the previous exercise. From this position the athlete should simultaneously bend the hips and knees as though performing the countermovement for a vertical jump. The bar should move straight downward and possibly contacting the fronts of the thighs. The athlete should feel the pressure on the balls of the feet. When the legs and torso reach a position that is identical to that of the bottom of the countermovement in a vertical jump, the athlete should extend the knees and hips simultaneously as well as a complete plantar flexion of the ankles with the feet. A violent shrugging of the shoulders should immediately follow this extension, but the arms should not bend at all. The final position should be held momentarily (Fig. 6).

Copyright 2005 Robert Takano

Coaching the Hang Power Snatch

Fig. 6 Hang Snatch Pull: This movement is a duplication of the previous exercise with the addition of an arm pull in the exact manner as the upright row. Again the final position should be held momentarily to reinforce the position (Fig 7).

Fig. 7 Hang Muscle Snatch: In this movement, the previous movement is executed in a speedy manner, but at the top of the movement, the elbows drop down and forward and the arms press the weight overhead while the torso and legs remain straight. In the finishing position the weight is locked out overhead. Hang Power Snatch: This movement is performed much like the previous one with the exception of the finish which is very speedy as the body is dropping down under the weight while the knees bend. This portion of the movement is termed the unsupported phase. During this phase the torso drops rapidly while the arms push the torso under the bar. The bending of the knees and the locking o the elbows at the completion of the movement must occur simultaneously (Fig. 8).

Copyright 2005 Robert Takano

Coaching the Hang Power Snatch

Fig. 8

Incorporating the Hang Power Snatch Into Training

This movement is a speedy movement and this concept should be kept in mind when considering where to place it in the sequence of exercises in a given workout and how often to place it in the workout. During competition phases the hang power snatch should be placed first in the sequence of exercises in a workout when the nervous system is fresh. This early inclusion of this lift in the training also serves as a good warming up movement. During preparation cycles it might be advisable to perform heavy squatting first and then to attempt to perform speedy power snatches while the legs are fatigued. This will affect recruitment patterns and thus have a beneficial effect as well. In the training of well conditioned athletes the frequent inclusion of a few sets of power snatches will not unduly affect the restoration of the body, and their speedy nature will help the athlete to attain maximum speed qualities as a peak competition approaches. The number of repetitions should be in the range of 2 to 5, and the number of sets can vary between 3 and 8. The movement can be incorporated into workouts as little as once a week or up to three times per week. It can be included in the same workout as the power clean, or it may be used in place of that old favorite. In either case it provides the athlete and coach with another speedy movement to include in the training that will fend off staleness.

Copyright 2005 Robert Takano