The No-Feet Snatch: What It Is, Why It Works, and How To Use It
If you jump forward in the snatch, that’s a problem.
Jumping back can be a problem too, depending on how far, but either of these issues need to be addressed.
There’s two main causes of the dreaded jump, but luckily there’s one variation you can train that solves everything - the No-Feet Snatch.
P.S. If you’re interested in learning the snatch, clean, and jerk, then make sure to check out my free Weightlifting101: Beginner Guide + 6-Week Program
What Is The No-Feet Snatch?
The No-Feet Snatch, sometimes called the No-Jump Snatch, is a variation of the snatch requires you to leave your feet planted on the ground throughout the lift.
Normally during the snatch, you’ll start with your feet in your narrower pulling stance, and as you extend at the top of your pull, you’ll then leave the ground and slide your feet out to your squat stance. This will allow you to have the most power in your pull AND the most stability in your squat.
However, if you struggle with issues like jumping forward at all, or backwards more than an inch to inch and a half, then you’ve one of two errors that needs fixing, which is where the no-feet snatch comes in.
The two errors are:
Shifting balance during the pull
Using horizontal hip drive instead of vertical leg drive
The goal during the pull for the snatch is to start with mid-foot balance, and maintain this balance throughout the pull. However, it is common for lifters to shift their balance back towards the heel as they pass the knee, which often looks like lifting the toes up when the bar is around the knee area.
When this happens, you will overcompensate for this shift backwards by shifting balance forward again to the front of the foot. This shifting of balance makes it really challenging to control the direction of the bar, often leading to the bar going forward away from the body. This is where you’ll see the jump forward.
Now, if you’ve done the Olympic lifts for a decent period of time, you know you’re not supposed to jump forward. However, if you don’t fix the root cause of the jump forward, then you may make the wrong correction. Most of the time this looks like the bar moving away from your body, and rather than jumping forward to the bar, you’ll pull the bar back to you with your arms, causing the bar to loop around leading to the jump backwards.
Why Does The No-Feet Snatch Work?
Now, the No-Feet Snatch doesn’t inherently fix the root cause, shifting of balance.
But it does fix the end result, the jump.
By forcing a more ideal end result, you are placing a constraint around your technique, and constraints are one of the best ways to fix technique. Constraints mean you have two options…
Do the lift correctly
Fail the lift
If you can’t jump forward or backward, you’ll have to figure a way out to snatch without that end result happening. You’ll instinctively make the micro corrections to your balance throughout the pull that historically led to the jumping error, and often see an improvement in your technique, even without addressing the root cause.
Additional Benefits Of The No-Feet Snatch
Beyond correcting the obvious issues like a forward jump, the no-feet snatch also fixes some of the less obvious mistakes you might be making in the snatch.
One of the additional benefits and reasons to use the no-feet snatch in your training is to help drill a longer, more aggressive and vertical extension in your pull.
Because you are forced to leave your feet on the ground, you’ll need to continue pushing through the floor, even as your arms begin to take over to pull you under the bar.
The only thing to keep in mind is that it can be easy to cut your pull short and begin moving under the bar too soon in the no-feet snatch. The goal of this variation, for this purpose is to exaggerate the finish of the pull, so make sure to do so rather than staying soft at the top of the pull and sneaking under.
How To Implement The No-Feet Snatch
Now, just because the no-feet snatch can lead to a better lift doesn’t mean it’s a fix all.
One of the biggest mistakes people make with the no-feet snatch is over using the variation. In my opinion, it’s best to use this variation as a teaching tool to help correct balance issues in the pull, but it should not become your new way to perform the snatch.
Use it to learn what to do in a normal snatch, then make those adjustments in your normal snatch as soon as possible. Don’t fall into the trap (like I have multiple times) of only doing no-feet snatches after you see some success with it.
If it fixes the end result of the jump, but doesn’t fix the root cause of shifting balance when you perform a normal snatch, then this variation wasn’t actually effective and you may need to find another more in-depth option like the Tempo Snatch.
You can use the No-Feet Snatch as a movement primer or as a heavier variation for technique work.
If you want to use it as a movement primer, then simply perform 3-5 sets of 1-2 reps with your normal warm up weights before finishing the rest of your snatch workout as written.
If you want to use this variation for technique work, you can either do 3-5 sets of 2-4 reps before your strength work like we do on our Skills and Strength days in the OlyStrong 5-Day Team, or on one of your high volume days. One of my favorite ways to do so is with an On-The-Minute Progression between 70-85% of your 1RM.
Hopefully this helped! If you ever need a free form check on your videos, you’re always welcome to join my free discord here and drop your video in the #form-checks channel.
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