Kettlebell Snatch - Training Tip # 2

In the first training tip for the kettlebell snatch we covered the exercises you need to master before performing the snatch.  This second training tip for the kettlebell snatch will get you on the right track for your first snatch reps.

Once you've perfected the swing, clean, press and push press/jerk and have good overhead lockout, you're ready to have a crack at the snatch.  In order to start snatching safely you need to be very aware of what you're aiming for and of how you should be moving.  Pay attention to the following pointers and you'll be well on your way to avoiding any snatch-induced injuries.

Getting Safely Started with the Snatch

1. Start Light!

It's common sense to start light with a new movement, but it's especially important the you drop the weight right back when you begin snatching as it's such a technical lift.  The snatch requires you to stop a rapidly moving kettlebell overhead and errors can have more severe consequences than with other lifts due to the shoulder being in a position of compromise overhead.

So, as a general rule, no matter what other weights you have been lifting, women should start with a 6kg or an 8kg kettlebell and men with a 12kg or 16kg kettlebell.

Pro Grade kettlebells are actually preferable to snatch with, and learn the snatch with, because they are specifically designed for high repetition ballistic lifts and therefore are better balanced and move better for ballistic lifts such as the snatch.

2.The Kettlebell Should Follow a Straight Line Up

Just like with the clean, the kettlebell should follow a straight line that "cuts you up the middle".  The mnore direct the path of the kettlebell, the less chance there is of the bell wrenching your shoulder out.  Practise the movment a couple of times without a kettlebell to get the feeling of the path the kettlebell should follow.

Watch in the clip below the path that the kettlebell follows and how it is strictly up and down, no deviations to the side:

3. Punch Up to the Sky Aggressively

Stopping the kettlebell quickly and efficiently overhead in the snatch is really important.  If you don't stop the kettlebell and it's wobbling around all over the place it will place undue stress on your shoulder.

As the kettlebell passes head height you need to punch your hand up to the sky agressively to stop it overhead, rather than letting it drag your should backwards as it would do if it continued on its trajectory.  It needs to be a decisive movement so that the kettlebell stops quickly.

Below is an example of poor snatching.  Watch how the kettlebell keeps moving overhead and never really stops.  Compare this with the video of Maya above.  Also note the path of the kettlebell below - see how it comes out to the side on the way up.

3. Land the Kettlebell in the Correct Hand Postition

It's really important that you land the kettlebell in the correct position so that the handle sits diagonally across your palm with the pressure on the heel of your hand to avoid any unnecessary pressure on the wrist and elbow joints.  This will require you to relax your grip and actively spear your hand through the handle as you punch up to the sky - a very similar motion to the one you use in the clean.

Notice how the kettlebell lands diagonally across Valery's hand:

4. Swing the Kettlebell Back on a 45 Degree Angle

As the kettlebell swings back between your legs, the handle should be on roughly a 45 degree angle.  This will best set the bell up to land in the correct hand position and will take the pressure off your grip (which is always going to be the first thing to give out when snatching).

Watch the angle the kettlebell swings back on in Alex's set here:

4. Start by Deloading Using the Rack Position

Bringing the kettlebell down (deloading) is actually the most difficult phase, and given how much is involved in the upward phase as you can see above that's pretty complex!

Deloading is difficult because you need to be able to control a bell that is being dropped from overhead.  It is safest to start by just training the upward phase of the snatch, then drop the kettlebell to rack, bump it off into a backswing and snatch from there.

We'll go through the other methods of deloading in the next training tip.

In Summary

The kettlebell snatch is a very complex lift so take it slowly, start with a light weight, be very conscious of what you're trying to do when you're lifting and don't overdo it.

The next training tip will cover the different methods of deloading.