Straight arm on the drop from overhead in the snatch

Common Mistake

Straight arm on the drop form overhead in the snatch and the weight moves too far away from you. The further it moves away from the center of gravity the more resistance it provides.

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Solution

Keep the weight closer to your body by bending and bringing back the elbow on the drop.

Description

Although it’s quite possible to keep the arm straight on the drop, this is usually reserved for more advanced athletes and requires thoracic hyperextension, thoracic rotation, hip hyperextension, or some other action that keeps the weight closer.

Bending the elbow and bringing it back also allows you to take control of the weight and regrip. Bringing the elbow back allows you to transition from a loose grip into a hook grip and also change the trajectory of the weight, i.e. rather than just following away from you, you are guiding it to stay closer.

Keeping the arm straight usually also results in a violent flip of the bell which creates a jerk on the arm.

In the Hardstyle snatch the elbow bends, moves back, and keeps the weight closer. The drop from overhead for the Hardstyle snatch is initiated by pulling the weight down and flicking the wrist (wrist flexion) like you are revving a motorbike.

In freestyle, you can use whatever works, but it’s best to master the snatch with the elbow bend and move back to keep the weight closer and as you have mastered the fundamentals then you can start experimenting with other techniques for the drop from overhead.

The attached video is that of the Hardstyle snatch and shows how the elbow bends and moves back to keep the weight closer.

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