Topic: It's a Long Way to the Top

[Matt Erdman]

Nice work man. 185 is a great first total.

[Brian Bies]

Thanks for the support guys.

Got some snatch balance videos for you all today:

Snatch Drops
5x40kg
5x40kg
5x45kg
5x50kg

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JAnm-S3JdXs

I haven't done these before, and I would love some input on how to do them correctly.  Things I specifically have questions on:
Should I be pressing with my legs like a mini jerk before dropping?
Do I want to spread my feet out a little as I fall like in a full snatch?
How do I keep from losing my arch at the bottom?
Are these generally done for heavy weight low reps or lighter weight and higher reps?

Thanks!

Brian

[Shaun Le Conte]

Hi Brian, as a technique reference for this exercise I refer to a video compiled from borrowed clips:

The person in most of the video is one of my favourites, Olympic silver medallist Yoon Jin Hee, 53 kg

She does drop snatch with close to her maximum snatch weight for reps in this video starting at around 50 seconds into it

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ci6VU-BECAs

[Brian Bies]

Thats a great video Shaun.  She actually does almost a half squat before she drops, and it looks like she shrugs her shoulders at the top before as well.  I will try doing some of them like this next time.

[Taylor Chiu]

Awesome vid, Shaun.  How can I look it up on Youtube?

[Arden Cogar Jr.]

Thats a great video Shaun.  She actually does almost a half squat before she drops, and it looks like she shrugs her shoulders at the top before as well.  I will try doing some of them like this next time.

Brian,
  I thought your drop snatches looked awesome.  But I'm not the most learned on these exercises.

  Her video reminded me more of heaving snatch balances.  More so than regular drop snatches or snatch balances.  I could be completely wrong about it to.

   I always think of the drop snatches as doing them exactly like Brian in his video - minimal pop, sneak under the bar.  The idea being to put the bar just a little higher than you would pull it - (which should be, as I understand it about chest high for the snatch).

  Don't know if that helps or confuses?  I hope it helps?

All the best,
 Arden

[Jack]

Cool Training brian!

Shaun, thanks for the incredible video, priceless insight. Did you post more of these gems?

Sjaak Smorenburg

[Shaun Le Conte]

I do think that what Brian does in his video is a traditional drop snatch, but you have to decide if there is any value in trying to race the bar from a dead stop. In a drop snatch we do it by pushing up on the bar from a standing position and releasing support in our legs for an instant. That is only somewhat similar to what we do in a snatch. So IMO for an advanced lifter (e.g. an Olympic silver medallist and 2007 World Champ in the snatch) the only thing developed in a "drop" snatch that is relevant to a snatch is supporting strength. In that case the advantages of what she is doing are that it releases some of the tension in the wrists for a few seconds in between reps, and the lift is a little more dynamic (versus standing up and down while holding the bar overhead the entire time).