Technique Thursday: Leg Drive in the Snatch and Clean

I've brought this bit of detail up in classes quite a bit lately, but since due to my schedule I only have the pleasure of working with the early am or later evening athletes, I figured I could reach the rest here.

Leg Drive

We'll assume the athlete below setup properly, sets his shoulders, chest up, flat feet set about hips width apart. He drives his feet into the ground, the bar path slides up his shins and past his knees, his hips then launch the bar upward to catch overhead. We are not done once the bar leaves our hips, there is still more we can do to keep that bar traveling upward.

Keep pressure against the floor while the barbell is moving upward. Your heels will naturally leave the ground. You will see from time to time athletes driving the barbell upward, and before they hit total leg and hip extension they are already re-positioning themselves by dropping their heels and pulling themselves under for their squat. This will stop the barbell from moving upward, decrease the potential for your lift, and you will need to act twice as fast to get under the barbell, which is not ideal.