Topic: Missed snatch behind - Technicalities of missing

[Matt Erdman]

So I missed a snatch behind today, for the first time ever. It was about 86kg, so it was heavy for me. I didn't expect it, so I didn't get out of the way and the bar hit my lower back. It isn't injured, but I stopped there, because I was a little...uh... bothered by it. How do you react when you don't know it is going to happen? I don't have a coach, so asking him isn't an option. Any good advice would be great.

[Dave Almeida]

You need to practice missing behind with just the bar and then 40 kilos or so. Once you feel the lifting starting to slip backwards you will know what to do if you've practiced missing. All it takes is a couple times and you'll know when you need to drop it behind you. You most likely bent your arms instead of keeping them straight and letting the bar go back while jumping forward a little.

[Matt Erdman]

Thanks. I'm not sure what happened. It caught me off guard. I'll mess with it, like you suggested.

[Matt Foreman]

There could be a lot of reasons for why it happened.  You might have swung the bar out in front of you during the pull, causing it to continue in an arc when you get it overhead, making you miss behind.  Your torso could be collapsing when you catch the bar, causing the shoulders to collapse. 

You'll miss snatches behind you.  It's nothing to be scared of.  Get a video camera and start coaching yourself by matching your technique with elite lifters.  That will help you. 

And when you feel it coming down behind you, jump forward and get out of the way.