Topic: Technique Help Please

[Brooke Burkhalter]

Can you guys take a look at some of my vids below please and see what I may need to fix.

Thanks!

CJ

Clean Miss

[Jack]

Brooke,

Judging the long set up time in the approach to the bar and difficulty to stop the descend in the squat, it seems your were depleted of ATP fuel.
It was a bit too heavy or too much for that particular day. probably the latter. It would be hard to assess the technique when you are too tired.

Sjaak

[Brooke Burkhalter]

Thanks for the feedback!

I had maxed on snatch as well 15 min before and was feeling pretty drained and that was not the first attempt at clean max. This was after the first 3 weeks back from layoff and lower volume training from knee tendinitis.

You are correct that I don't seem to miss like that when fresh.

[Guy Greavette]

I had to look at the clips a few times to catch what I think you are doing wrong. The first noticeable thing to me is rolling the bar before the start. I do not like this as it could cause a lifter to start in a slightly different position each lift. You should approach the bar and have your feet in the same position each time without moving the bar. Having said this, I do not believe that this is affecting the lifts of the 2 clips you have provided but something to consider.

Here is what I have noticed that is definitely affecting the quality of your cleans. Everything looks good until reception in the bottom. You do not open up and what I mean by this is that your feet are not moving out to the side after extension and are remaining basically in the same position as your start so the hips have only one place to go and that is to the back. Extend and move those feet and you will be able to receive the weight better and the timing (rebound) out of the bottom should improve.

In regards to the Jerk, it appears that the dip might be a hair fast and that the knees are going slightly to the front. The dip should be in control, hips in, knees slightly out (Straight down - Straight up), with the drive being explosive while pushing through the top (through the roof) forcefully and hitting the split position tight and in control.

I hope this helps.

[Paul LaDuke]

I would agree with what Guy has written.  I will also add more.

I notice a slightly less than optimal first pull.  It seems that the bar moves away from you just slightly around your knees.  Try to practice your first pull until it is perfectly perpendicular to the ground.  I think the adjustment to make is to get much tighter in the lats and lumbar spine.  Push the knees out might help a bit to.  Make sure you squeeze the bar off the platform in a smooth pull.  Don't jerk it.

2nd thing I see is what Guy mentioned, your a bit sloppy in the clean receiving position.  Get those elbows high faster and catch that weight in a solid position.  You are letting that bar crash on you.  Often this is just a mental lapse with me.  It helps to think about just manhandling that weight.  Throw it around and catch it tight!

3rd thing I see is in the jerk,  I think your dip and drive is the problem.  Your dip gets onto your toes to early.  Keep the weight back on your heels longer.  I have had good success by doing Power jerks.  Their is much less room for error with this style so you will get pretty immediate feedback as to whether that bar is in the slot behind your ears like it should be or if it is out in front of you.  The jerk that I saw was out in front of you a bit.  Stay on your heels and your drive will be vertical like it needs to be.

Lastly, don't adjust your junk on camera!   

[Brooke Burkhalter]

Thanks guys!

I have always seemed to let the bar drift out on the first pull. As soon as I concentrate on holding it in with the lats it comes up straight.

Yeah I got a slight adductor strain from sprints that I was fiddling with there. :D

[Philip Middleton]

What's your b/w, and what were the weights you lifted up there?

Second clean, that wasn't a miss, it was a debacle!

That should have been a power clean, you easy had it high enough. Your full clean should be 20% on top of that.

You had that weight high, then for some reason you dropped down as fast as you could to full squat, I'm pretty sure you're head was almost under the bar at one stage. Then by the time you started to take weight of the bar, you were almost fully bottomed out and the bar had been free falling for a good 50cm, when a bar carrying whatever - 100kg free falls for that long it's gona be heavy and your core will likely give out unless you have really good upright posture and catch it in the right place - you caught it slightly forward, rest is history.

Remedy - either power clean it, or add 15% more weight and full clean it. You should be playing catchup to get under the bar, the bar shouldn't be playing catchup to dump down on your rack.

[Jack]

Add 15% more weight? Would that help you think? There is no back arch at any point in the lift, and then add 15%? Do you lift yourself, or are you kidding?

Sjaak