Topic: Form Troubles: tucking under, bad back and passing out

[steve42]

As a novice, self coached lifter, I'm having a few difficulties with squat cleans. At the moment I've basically stopped altogether, but I would like to do the lifts recreationally.

My problem is that I can front squat fine, but when it comes to dropping under the bar I tend to tuck under quite a bit. I know the bar isn't out in front as I have a tendency to jump backwards. I have noticed that many lifters seem to get away with some bowing of the back, on the heavy lifts when the upper back rounds, but I simply cannot do this at all.

If my form on the front squat is not near perfect my lower back really suffers. This is definitely more than just fatigue; it's dull aching and subsequent inflexibility or inability to stand straight sometimes for days after. Furthermore, if I do not keep my back upright, and properly engage my hips so there's zero rounding I tend to lose conciousness. I am aware that the bar can press down on the neck; that lifters bounce the bar briefly off the shoulders in order to relieve some pressure, but this is not the same. It is a mystery to me, why this would happen.
 
Thanks for reading.