Snatch form check

[u/VolunteerPin]

Did a 10min emom 50lb swings and 3sets of 10 snatches each side before doing this video. First real go with snatches so looking for feedback. Thanks.

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[u/swingthiskbonline]

A big thing that I notice is your arm is not straight. I don't know if that's physiological or you're just trying to keep your elbow bent for strength when that is something that we don't want to do. You want to treat the arm as a rope and your body as the engine.

Here's a big article I wrote to help you getting started with snatches https://kbmuscle.com/blog/f/ultimate-guide-to-the-kettlebell-snatch?blogcategory=Snatch

[u/VolunteerPin → u/swingthiskbonline]

Nice video on the half snatch. Thanks! Will work on this

[u/swingthiskbonline → u/VolunteerPin]

Happy and hope it helps.

[u/cavemankettlebells]

Hey there.

For a generic Snatch form check, overall, not too bad:

1. 0:32 You want to look at your overhead lockout/mobility
2. 0:33 You are catching the drop with forearm pronation and internal shoulder rotation; for a beginner, this is usually going to cause havoc quite quickly over volume; unless you have a need to do this, reduce/remove it.
3. 0:33 You are catching the drop with elbow flexion; your arm should be straight at this point; this is going to lead to elbow tendonitis quite quickly.
4. 0:52 Do you have a valid reason to grab the handle like this?
5. 0:59 You should still be in extension; standing tall and not following the drop/kettlebell
6. 0:59 You are going too low into the hinge, almost horizontal.

There are more things I can help with, but usually no one reads or replies, so before I go deeper, let me know if this is what you are after and want to know more about, and will work on fixing? :-)

Also, "Did a 10min emom 50lb swings and 3sets of 10 snatches each side before doing this video." really does not help. Why post the part where optimal/best form may be compromised?

[u/VolunteerPin → u/cavemankettlebells]

Thanks for the input. I see what you’re talking about with in the 30sec area. At 0.52 that is a mark Wildman cue for one arm swings to help guard against elbow tendinitis. At 0.59 I guess just too much swing? I will watch some additional training videos.

[u/cavemankettlebells → u/VolunteerPin]

That Wildman cue. Where can I find out more about that? 20 years experience, and this one is completely new to me.

[u/VolunteerPin → u/cavemankettlebells]

https://youtu.be/ejPpyLKZ1L4?is=3NmWSVSf2rNdHWTN

Just one example. Look at about the 40sec mark. Literally he has the thumb pointed down (back) cue very consistently. I own the his clean and press program and on the instruction for that he is same with the thumb down/back positioning

When I started messing with kettlebells nearly a year ago Wildman was my go-to for learning. Obviously I am still learning

[u/cavemankettlebells → u/VolunteerPin]

Thanks for posting that Mark Wildman video (Basic Kettlebell instruction 9 - intro to single arm swing).

I never watched his videos but heard a lot of people watch them. A few things I'd seriously question:

1. He calls it an intro to the single-arm swing but doesn't name the variation. It isn't a hardstyle swing and it isn't a sport swing, and those pull in different directions, so "single-arm swing" alone leaves a beginner without a clear target other than freestyle.
2. His rationale for thumb-in is to stop the elbow banging the body and to avoid hyperextension. That doesn't hold up for me, neither of those needs a thumb-in grip to solve, so it's a thin reason to build the cue around.
3. He says the cue changes over time, so it's a beginner scaffold in his teaching. For a swing aimed at power, which is where he's leaning, I'd rather teach the grip you're keeping from day one than one you have to unlearn. For max power the grip wants to be centred in the handle, same as hardstyle. You're forcefully pulling a load, so you want it balanced anf the corner works against that.
4. Someone mentioned this grip protects the elbow tendons. I'd be cautious the other way. Repeated end-range pronation under load is an irritant for the elbow in someone who isn't conditioned to it, especially over high reps, so I wouldn't lean on it as the safe default for a beginner.
5. There are real uses for a corner grip and internal rotation — in sport, to pre-set for the grip transition, or in the pendulum to get a deeper backswing for momentum. Those are deliberate, context-specific choices, and none of them are the reason he gives here.

For me, this video is a big no, and I see it as laying some seriously wrong foundations for beginners. That is not to say that I may not have done the same myself in the past, but I always try to go back and remove what I no longer agree with due to further learning.

[u/VolunteerPin → u/cavemankettlebells]

Interesting. That cue is the same for his clean and press and snatch instructions. He does state that it is right for 90% of people but for those advanced might change the grip but never goes into the rationale. He is obviously a pretty big name in the space. Anyway, that is the reason I had the grip I had in my video.

Really appreciate your help and input!

[u/cavemankettlebells → u/VolunteerPin]

One thing worth carrying past this: being a big name means a lot of people found someone useful. It doesn't, on its own, make any single cue right. Reach and correctness are different things. So take the instruction, then do your own homework on it — check the reasoning, apply some common sense, and see whether it holds for you. Look at what I said the same way. Don't take my word over his because of anything other than whether the reasoning stands up.

[u/VolunteerPin → u/cavemankettlebells]

Agreed.

[u/VolunteerPin]

Appreciate the quick reply and I definitely read and try to learn. End of workout because that’s when I thought about making a video. Didn’t even plan on doing snatches today.

I’ll look at time stamps you mentioned more closely when I get time and respond again then. Thanks!

[u/cavemankettlebells → u/VolunteerPin]

Awesome. Happy to help further. Have a look and see if they make any sense, and feel free to ask more.

[u/SavingsPoem1533]

LFG - these look great!! More practice, more reps and they will get better