Pull it higher or pull yourself under? Bob Takano explains how to get under heavy bars fast.
There are two components involved in getting a bar overhead or up to the shoulders from the ground.
The most commonly conceptualized component is to lift the weight up to the required height. The second component is to lower the body under the bar. In the sport of weightlifting, both components are combined simultaneously by proficient practitioners. For many aspiring trainees, however, they understand only the first and can’t seem to quite conceptualize the second—or combine the two. For these lifters the default is always to lift the bar higher.
The task for the coach, therefore, is to coach the second aspect and provide training that will combine the two. Whether the lift is a snatch, a clean or a jerk, lifting the weight and dropping under the weight are combined. In this article, I’ll focus on the snatch and clean as it seems that fewer people have trouble learning the jerk.