Teaching Progressions the Olympic Lifts

Burgener Model

Grip and position

– Hook Grip

– “Scarecrow

Stance

– Jumping and Landing

Burgener Model

Sage Burgener

Casey Burgener

Olympic Lifting movements,

when taught systematically,

can create memory patterns

that transfer from small

weights to BIG weights

Teaching Progressions for Snatch

Snatch Jump and Snatch Lands

Snatch Skill Transfer Exercises

– Overhead Squats

– Pressing Snatch Balance

– Heaving Snatch Balance

– Snatch Balance

Snatch Drills

– Muscle Snatch

– High Hang

– Above Knee

– Below Knee

– From Floor

Snatch Jumps and Snatch Lands

JUMPING STANCE TO LANDING

STANCE Moving from the jumping stance to

the landing stance first by stepping

and then by jumping. The jump is

only high enough to allow you to

move your feet outward…don’t get

air. The jumping movement is upward

and is accomplished with a push

through the heels. You go onto your

toes when you want to maximize the

height of your jump but you push

through the heels if you want to

maximize the height of an externally

lifted object. For this jump, push

through your heels.

When you land Land with bent knees…you

must not come down on straight legs or you

invite injury to your knees, hips and back.

Upon landing on bent knees be sure your

knees track over your toes, your back is

arched (not rounded) and your butt is sticking

out backwards as if your were about to sit

back onto a chair. Remember to not go too

wide, just barely outside the width of your

jump stance, toes slightly out.

OVERHEAD SQUAT

With the bar overhead with a snatch grip and your feet in the landing

position slowly work your way down to the full squat position for

some OHS practice. It is a good idea to hold the bottom position for

awhile to make sure that the posture is correct. Head neutral, trunk

upright, hips below and between the knees and the barbell

positioned on locked elbows and wrists overhead a slightly behind

the ears.

PRESSING SNATCH BALANCE

The Pressing Snatch Balance begins with the bar on the shoulders behind the

neck in a standing position with the feet in the landing position, hands in a

snatch grip. Keeping the bar stationary, press yourself downward away from the

bar, very slowly, going all the way down to the full squat position with the bar

held overhead. Stand with the bar and then lower it to your shoulders and

repeat.

HEAVING SNATCH BALANCE

The Heaving Snatch Balance is much the same as the PSB only it is done at a

faster pace. Once again move yourself down under the bar, don’t press the bar

upward. Your feet remain in the landing position and you begin with a small

down and up movement quickly dropping yourself under the bar to the

overhead support position. Once again, stand with the bar then lower it to your

shoulders and repeat.

SNATCH BALANCE

For the Snatch Balance movement begin with your feet in the jumping position, go

down and up and then explode upward with your arms as you move your feet

outward to the landing position. The bar is still behind your neck and held in the

snatch grip and you still want to minimize your air time. Only lift your feet high

enough to be able to move them outward into the landing position. (Remember to

jump hard, jump low

MUSCLE SNATCH

AS IN ALL OLYMPIC LIFTING MOVEMENTS REMEMBER WHEN THE ARM

BENDS, POWER ENDS

Place your feet in the Landing position, with knees bent, and with the proper, snatch

grip, place the bar in front of you with your arms long and loose. (the barbell should

be in the bend of you hip.

Shrug your shoulders into you ears and then turn your wrists over and push up on the

barbell until it is in your, usual over head position. Try to move as quickly as you can

move correctly

SNATCH – HIGH HANG

Place the feet in the jumping position and stand with knees extended. Bend

your knee until you are back in the jumping position (Make sure you feel flat-

footed.)

Keep your shoulders upright, an arch in the back and your head and eyes

forward. Now JUMP and SHRUG, MUSCLE SNATCH and LAND You need to

extend the hip and move yourself upward as high as you can with the jump.

With a barbell you exchange the energy that elevated you into the air and

give it to the barbell and elevate it instead.

Make sure that when you LAND you are in the correct position with your feet

just a show width wider than you began.

Snatch from above the knee

From the high hang we bent our knees and back slightly lowering the bar,using

the eccentric slide, to mid thigh making sure the lats remained engaged and

keeping the bar up against the thighs. Keep your shoulders upright, an arch in

the back and your head and eyes forward. Once the barbell is in a position just

above the knee, JUMP! You need to extend the hip and move yourself upward as

high as you can with the jump. With a barbell you exchange the energy that

elevated you into the air and give it to the barbell and elevate it instead. LAND,

then SQUAT.

SNATCH – Below the Knees/Floor

Using the eccentric slide lower the barbell to a position 2” below the knees and

then mid shin which approximates the start position with the barbell on the

floor, in the same fashion as the other progressions: SNATCH!

SNATCH FROM THE FLOOR It is critical that you get in the proper starting position. (Refer to the Snatch

Chart and your coach for this position).The focus of the movement from the

floor to below the knees is barbell positioning and is done slowly. Do not try to

accelerate the bar from the floor quickly but rather stand with the barbell and

position it below the knees in a deliberate and slow movement, STAY FLAT-

FOOTED as long as possible. WAIT for the barbell to brush your thigh (this is

called controlling the first pull) for The 2nd pull that is the most powerful part

of the lift. And this is when you show your speed and power. You’ll have

tremendous leverage and power and it is here that you detonate your lifting

movement. From here you are fast and explosive first in an upward Jump and

shrug. Keep your arms long a loccked and only bend them to pull yourself

under the barbell into the final landing position.

Teaching Progressions of The Clean

Reverse Grip Front Squat

Straight Arm Front Squat

Front Squat with elbow drive

Grip and “Pop the Lock”

Review Jump and Land

High Hang

Above the Knee

Below the Knee

From the Floor

Snatch Drops

Keeping the

barbell in the

overhead

position the

The A

Muscle Snatch

Hook Grip and Spacing

Feet in Vertical Jump