

Written by Max Aita

The most common questions I receive from new coaches and athletes are usually along the lines of: “What are the best accessory exercises for Snatch and C&J?”, or “I have <this> problem; what exercise fixes <this>?”, or “What is the difference between Exercise A and Exercise B?” The answer to those questions is almost always, “Well, it depends…” In order to get the answer to those questions, we need to first understand what it is we are looking at when we look at weightlifting technique. In this article, I am going to show you a method I have developed that allows me to breakdown weightlifting technique into its most essential components. I will show you how those components are trained, utilizing commonly-used weightlifting exercises. With this method, we will also be able to organize our exercises in a way that allows us to more quickly and accurately decide how to plan them in a training program. There are essentially three main components that make up all successful lifts. All three interact with each other and depend on each other to allow for a successful lift to occur. In the diagram below, we can see this collection of the three components, called The Technique Triad. Technique Triad Components 1. Trajectory of the Barbell/Athlete 2. Relative Height of the Barbell 3. Time to Fixation Trajectory of the Barbell/Athlete is defined as a trajectory that results in a suitable position for the athlete to fix the barbell in the receiving position without violation of the technical rules (i.e. without elbow re-bending/pressing out, elbow contact with the thigh during the lift, remaining within the competition platform during a the lift, etc).

A straighter pull is generally desired, as long as it still maintains the essential characteristics of good barbell trajectory. Relative Height of the Barbell is defined as the height the barbell reaches at the apex of its upward movement. This is measured relative to the lifters actual height. The height of the pull is largely result of the lifters motor potential.

and is likely higher than most lifters of his qualification. Gor Minasyan pulls the bar to an impressively high relative height Time to Fixation is defined as the time it takes the athlete to move into the lowest point of fixation from the instant the athlete stops imparting vertical force to the barbell. Lowest Point of Fixation is defined as the lowest point the barbell is capable of being fixed by an athlete. These positions are: Snatch = bottom of the overhead squat

Clean = bottom of the front squat

Jerk = bottom of the split