Please Critique my form (videos)

[DtotheJtotheH]

Just got back to school where we have olympic mats, so I can finally clean etc. again. I feel like my form isn't where it was after 2 semesters last year so I recorded some videos. Please help me out and check out these videos, leave any comments.

Clean - 185 lbs

http://youtube.com/watch?v=ckcVeBoUkww

Snatch - 95 lbs

http://youtube.com/watch?v=o_Q7mfNp9iw

Clean and Jerk

http://youtube.com/watch?v=HPmVwrBS10k

None of these videos are my maxes, but they are working weight. Just trying to get some examples of form. Any comments are cool. Thanks.

[Lavoisier]

Your legs look like they are too far apart when you land on the Snatch and clean. I could be wrong, but I think that's bad lol

[sirwazzles]

Clean:
It was pretty good. Some things you need to work on though are keeping the bar close to you as you bring it up. I noticed that you kept catching the bar lower and having to kind of row it up to the sweet spot. You don't want that. So next time you go to clean, try flexing your lats during the lift and see if that helps you keep the bar close to your body. If you ever fall forward when catching a weight it's generally because you "swung" the weight out in front of you rather than catching it in the right spot (or you just weren't strong enough, but that's obviously something you know when it happens). Also, what I was taught, is that you don't need to worry about the clean until the weight is at (more or less) knee level. Before just some advise is to focus on separating the bar from the floor (just deadlift, keep the back arched and flat, do not round, and you shoulders and knees should come up at the same pace) and then you try to clean it by pushing your hips through and pushing up with your legs. Also something that wouldn't hurt you is to try and catch the weight all the way in the bottom of the squat. You're trying to catch it at parallel or so, which you don't need to do. You should be able to touch your hams to your calves (ideally, you obviously have to be flexible enough) without falling over or anything. Also, when you first start off, keep the bar at/on your shens. It doesn't need to be out or anything, have it touching your shens.

Here's the best sequence I could find in picture form so you can actually seen what's going on, sorry it's not better:
http://functionalstrength.info/sitebuilder/images/c_j-635x451.jpg

Jerk:
Honestly, you're jerk looked good to me. So I don't really know what to comment about it. I think you could probably catch the weight a little lower, 'cause it doesn't look like you really dropped down much so the bar had to travel a ways instead of just staying virtually in the same place and you just dropping and splitting under it. Look at the picture in the clean and jerk sequence above. Notice how the weight doesn't really even move, he just gets under it. But other than that, keep up the good work. :)

Snatch:
The snatch worried me a little, 'cause I've done the same thing. You kind of let the bar get behind you, which is not a good thing. When that happens, don't try and save the weight, 'cause you can always try it again. If you do try and save the weight, you've going to get hurt. It's only a matter of how bad. And it could be pretty bad if you've not careful. When starting on the ground the bar needs to be slightly farther out from your body. Put the bar about right below your toes. So probably a few inches or so from the shens. If you don't do this you're going to bust your knees, which I've done a couple of times. You're butt needs to be slightly lower than the clean and jerk. Same principle of shoulders moving at the same rate as hips. And when you clean it, I guess, you're still doing it about the same. Just make sure you really lock your arms out when the weight reaches the top. And you need to be able to squat just as deep for the snatch as for the clean and jerk. And like said above, for both lifts actually, keep your legs closer together. They should be about shoulder width apart. And if they're not then they should be even closer rather than farther apart. You don't want them wide.

This is the best snatch sequence I could find, it's from the same site coincidentally, it's better than the clean and jerk one though:
http://functionalstrength.info/sitebuilder/images/snatch-643x447.jpg


Well, I hope I didn't forget anything. But overall, I think that was about the best I could explain and help you with the lifts. Good luck!!

[DtotheJtotheH]

Your legs look like they are too far apart when you land on the Snatch and clean. I could be wrong, but I think that's bad lol

Yeha I have a pretty wide squat stance due to my long legs to get down far enough, so i kind of tend to go back to that during my oly style lifts. I'll try to work on not bringing them, out so much.

[DtotheJtotheH]

Clean:
It was pretty good. Some things you need to work on though are keeping the bar close to you as you bring it up. I noticed that you kept catching the bar lower and having to kind of row it up to the sweet spot. You don't want that. So next time you go to clean, try flexing your lats during the lift and see if that helps you keep the bar close to your body. If you ever fall forward when catching a weight it's generally because you "swung" the weight out in front of you rather than catching it in the right spot (or you just weren't strong enough, but that's obviously something you know when it happens). Also, what I was taught, is that you don't need to worry about the clean until the weight is at (more or less) knee level. Before just some advise is to focus on separating the bar from the floor (just deadlift, keep the back arched and flat, do not round, and you shoulders and knees should come up at the same pace) and then you try to clean it by pushing your hips through and pushing up with your legs. Also something that wouldn't hurt you is to try and catch the weight all the way in the bottom of the squat. You're trying to catch it at parallel or so, which you don't need to do. You should be able to touch your hams to your calves (ideally, you obviously have to be flexible enough) without falling over or anything. Also, when you first start off, keep the bar at/on your shens. It doesn't need to be out or anything, have it touching your shens.

Here's the best sequence I could find in picture form so you can actually seen what's going on, sorry it's not better:
http://functionalstrength.info/sitebuilder/images/c_j-635x451.jpg

Jerk:
Honestly, you're jerk looked good to me. So I don't really know what to comment about it. I think you could probably catch the weight a little lower, 'cause it doesn't look like you really dropped down much so the bar had to travel a ways instead of just staying virtually in the same place and you just dropping and splitting under it. Look at the picture in the clean and jerk sequence above. Notice how the weight doesn't really even move, he just gets under it. But other than that, keep up the good work. :)

Snatch:
The snatch worried me a little, 'cause I've done the same thing. You kind of let the bar get behind you, which is not a good thing. When that happens, don't try and save the weight, 'cause you can always try it again. If you do try and save the weight, you've going to get hurt. It's only a matter of how bad. And it could be pretty bad if you've not careful. When starting on the ground the bar needs to be slightly farther out from your body. Put the bar about right below your toes. So probably a few inches or so from the shens. If you don't do this you're going to bust your knees, which I've done a couple of times. You're butt needs to be slightly lower than the clean and jerk. Same principle of shoulders moving at the same rate as hips. And when you clean it, I guess, you're still doing it about the same. Just make sure you really lock your arms out when the weight reaches the top. And you need to be able to squat just as deep for the snatch as for the clean and jerk. And like said above, for both lifts actually, keep your legs closer together. They should be about shoulder width apart. And if they're not then they should be even closer rather than farther apart. You don't want them wide.

This is the best snatch sequence I could find, it's from the same site coincidentally, it's better than the clean and jerk one though:
http://functionalstrength.info/sitebuilder/images/snatch-643x447.jpg


Well, I hope I didn't forget anything. But overall, I think that was about the best I could explain and help you with the lifts. Good luck!!

Thanks a lot man, tons of good pointers in there.

For the clean I think you are totally right about it swinging in front of me too much; I dont think I am extending my hiops enough. (maybe alittle over compensationg for how I used to use my back way too much). I try to not use my arms at all, but it's a hard habbit, as the football/track coach at my highschool told us that in cleans you want to row the bar up w/ your elbows pointed towards the sky as much as possible; I know better now, but still comes back to haunt me every so often.

I'm pretty happy you can't find too much wrong w/ my jerk. Only maybe my 3rd time doing it, so i just wanted to see if I was on the wrong track. I'll try to catch it a little lower though.

For my snatches, thanks for the critisisms. I'll do as you said and try to start w/ a the bar more over my toes than right against my shin. In the video I did get a little off balance, mostly because I was trying to catch it lower than normal for the video. I've been working on my overhead and front squats to get my catches a little lower so hopefully that can improve. I'll work on kepin my legs closer together for all of my lifts too.

Thabks a lot, again.

[Lavoisier]

Yeha I have a pretty wide squat stance due to my long legs to get down far enough, so i kind of tend to go back to that during my oly style lifts. I'll try to work on not bringing them, out so much.

I had that problem too, but i fixed it by jumping in a narrow stance and landing in a narrow stance, if that makes any sense.

[DtotheJtotheH]

makes sense, i'm going to work on my form a lot in the next couple weeks before adding anymore wieght.

[sirwazzles]

Thanks a lot man, tons of good pointers in there.
I've been working on my overhead and front squats to get my catches a little lower so hopefully that can improve.

No problem. Just passing on what I was told.

That's something I forgot, to give you helper exercises. :) Overhead squats with the bar are great. I actually always warm-up with those before starting with any weight on snatches. And I also do front squats after my workout with heavy weight (triples and doubles). But also as I warm up, I use light weight and do hang cleans from the thighs as well as just below the knees. And if you still need help with going deep you could try powercleans with light weight and then do a front squat as far down as you can go.

[DtotheJtotheH]

Don't really know anyone to help me, think it's just a matter of practicing untill I get back to where I was last year. I've been doing the overhead squats and front squats, I just have to get comfortable dropping under again I think. Good isea w/ the powercleans-front squat I'll definately do some of that to get uses to going low.

[sirwazzles]

Don't really know anyone to help me, think it's just a matter of practicing untill I get back to where I was last year. I've been doing the overhead squats and front squats, I just have to get comfortable dropping under again I think. Good isea w/ the powercleans-front squat I'll definately do some of that to get uses to going low.

Alright. You gotta do what you gotta do. Good luck!

[FullChris]

I have never posted in this forum before. However, I feel the need to now. Your lifts looked real good. Don't worry about where your feet are when you were catching...they were fine. I would work on your 2nd pull for both the snatch and the clean. Just as the bar clears your knees, you need to bend the knees again to get into a power position. Then continue your pull from there. I would maybe google those and see if you can find any pictures. I am sorry, I can't do it right now, but I will see if I can.

For anyone interested, I am working under one of the top weightlifting coaches in the US and World, Dr. Michael Stone, so I have learned quite a bit about what to do. I am still working on all of it myself!

I hope that helps!

Chris

[partymonster975]

It was better then I expected. for both you need to keep the bar closer to ur body. Also, when u start you dont need to explode right form the ground. i personally start to bring it up after It passes my knee and rly explode when its mid thigh or slightly higher. Make sure you dont thrust the bar forward with ur hips though, thats gonna cause you to miss the lift. You starting position seemed good. First you need to move your knees back and keep your back straight. Dont fully extend the knees back, just enough so the bar passes, once that happens you need to do somthing called the "double knee bend" where you rebend the knees kinda by moving ur hips forward and kinda moving ur knees infront of the bar. The bar should be at mid to high thigh at this point, now you EXLPODE. Keeping it close to you body and for the clean, make sure to swing ur elbows under as fast as you can and then ride the weight now. Even if you catch it high, ride it down.
This is an Awesome vid of AWSOME form. this is exactly what it should look like. Good luck.
http://youtube.com/watch?v=IrBypkeCLX8

[Big_fuzzy]

Has anyone mentioned full hip extension?

OP, watch Oly lifters, you see the bar smack into their quads, get that happening and you will triple your speed.

[John Prophet]

im no pro, but the main thing I dont like is that u JERK the bar off the floor. I think a slightly more controlled motion would be better. U dont really need to EXPLODE until the bar is past the knees.

That would also help u keep the bar closer to the body since youd be in more control as the bar passes the knees

ever see this classic video? http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-4228739669072629688&q=dimas&total=9951&start=0&num=10&so=0&type=search&plindex=0

notice how with, say, 160-170 kilo cleans he "eases" it off the floor.

here is another classic http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-2721593546084184630&q=chakarov&total=4&start=0&num=10&so=0&type=search&plindex=1 he comes off the floor even more slowly

[DtotheJtotheH]

Has anyone mentioned full hip extension?

OP, watch Oly lifters, you see the bar smack into their quads, get that happening and you will triple your speed.

Thanks. I noticed myself in the videos that My hips weren't extending enough. I'll try finding more about this double knee bend stuff the last few posts have been about.

[raffiki]

I'll try finding more about this double knee bend stuff the last few posts have been about.

Don't try to rebend your knees. It will screw you up. Push your hips back in the first pull, then drive them through on the second. Do that and your knees will rebend.

[KillahPriest]

You let your elbows drop in the clean and it drags you foward.

Try to keep the bar closer (in general), and extend your hips more.

You're just pulling it to your shoulders. I can't really see much of a distinction between the first and second pull.

[partymonster975]

Don't try to rebend your knees. It will screw you up. Push your hips back in the first pull, then drive them through on the second. Do that and your knees will rebend.

yea, dont try to rly do it, i'll happen by itself when the hips move in. A lot of coaches dont teach it since it does screw some ppl up, it worked good for me but my other coach was upset the other coach told me.

[DtotheJtotheH]

Haha, alright. It proabably would have made me think too much w/ the kneee bending. I've already been working on hip extension and it's feelin better, so hopefully i'm getting there. So we'll see. I'll have to bring a camera with me again in a few weeks and see if it's really better. Thanks all.

[raffiki]

Haha, alright. It proabably would have made me think too much w/ the kneee bending. I've already been working on hip extension and it's feelin better, so hopefully i'm getting there. So we'll see. I'll have to bring a camera with me again in a few weeks and see if it's really better. Thanks all.

It will be hard to see it directly from the side, because the plates will block your knees. About 45 degrees from the front works best to see everything.

[Chronicles]

i watched that video and still cant figure out how to get the bar to bounce off my quads. from what i saw he fully extended his hip and then bent his knees.