Jumping forward in both of the Olympic lifts is a very common issue, especially when you’re first learning to lift. Simply telling yourself not to jump forward or practicing the movement again and again isn’t going to help fix the issue. Like most things in lifting we need to get to the route cause, spend some time there trying to learn and feel a more helpful movement pattern.   

So, what could be causing the issue?

 

1.       Your first pull is a little off. You may be too far over the bar or too far behind it.

In the ‘first pull’ (bar from floor to knees) your shoulders should be over/in front of the bar, chest is proud, and your knees should move out of the way of the bar as you lift- back and /or sideways.

A great drill to practice to improve this phase are called ‘ lift offs’ whereby you practice moving knees  back and out of the way while maintaining a solid position.

Snatch grip or clean grip deadlifts are another great drill, they help you to feel the hips and the bar raising at the same time in one smooth motion.

You can also try a small complex of,  1 lift off plus one full lift.

2.       You’re on your toes when you reach the ‘Power Position’

 The power position (see blog 2 for more details of each phase of the lift)  is a vital aspect of the lift,  and comes after your first pull and between your second. The bar sweeps back from your knees and into your hips ready to head in to triple extension.

If you are on your toes in this phase you are likely to jump forward.

Think about keeping balance through your feet, keeping heels panted and only ‘Jumping’ only when you feel balanced.

Some useful drills are:

-          Power Position Snatch (great drill to use in your warm up)

-          Mid- hang High pulls

-          Mid- hang snatch

All of these movement can be used in your warm up drills or on a weighted barbell.

 

3.       Bar comes out and away from your body

If you love the feeling of slamming the bar with you hips this might be what’s going wrong for you. Yep it feels great and super powerful but it’s not helpful when we are trying to create a solid bar path.  We want to move the bar ‘up’ not ‘out’

Think about trying to get the bar close enough to your body that it catches you tee -shirt as you lift. Think about getting ‘tall’ like the bar is heading for your chin.

Some useful drills are:

-          Snatch High- pull plus snatch

-          Dip Snatch

Thanks for reading and we hope it helped, SYNERGI Weightlifting Club