How to Power Snatch | Tips from Crossfit Games Athlete Emily Bridgers

October 30, 2017

A power snatch involves taking the bar from the ground position to an overhead position as efficiently as possible, with as much weight as possible. This movement is a staple in the Crossfit and Olympic weightlifting worlds. Crossfit Games athlete Emily Bridgers demonstrates how to do a power snatch and shares some tips for improving yours.

How to Power Snatch

Setup:

Position feet so they are in line with your hips
Grab the bar wide and make sure your body is tight
Keep your back flat
Load hamstrings

After you get set up for the power snatch, it’s time to complete the movement. Visuals for both the setup and movement steps can be seen in the video below.

Movement Steps:

Pull the bar off the ground, moving it smoothly past the knees. Don’t yank the bar or use a rigid motion, the goal is to keep it smooth until the bar has crossed over the knees.
After a smooth pull past the knees, it’s time to get fast and aggressive. In this step, you want to pull and launch the bar vertically from the top of the knees to the hip pocket (or slightly below depending on the person).
Using high elbows, pull the bar up to the mid chest or sternum.
When you feel the bar go “weightless” after pulling it up high, launch the bar overhead and drop fast underneath the bar.
Catch the bar from underneath.
Stand up straight to finish the power snatch movement.

Tips to Improve your Power Snatch

Beyond competing in the Crossfit Games, Emily Bridgers is also a head coach at Crossfit Terminus. She has trained many athletes over the years to do movements like the power snatch. Here are some tips from Emily herself to keep in mind while doing a power snatch.

Focus on the high pull with the elbows. If you don’t get your elbows high enough, you may not be able to catch the bar up high. Instead, you will have to catch the bar down in a squat position, which isn’t necessarily terrible but the movement is no longer a power snatch.
When crossing the hip, make sure to keep the bar tight to the body. Keeping your elbows high can help prevent this from happening.