The No-Hook, No-Feet, No-Contact Snatch may just SOUND like a shitty snatch, but it’s actually one of the most valuable variations for non-beginners.

This variation is essentially a combination of three other variations. Each of these has its benefits, but when combined they can be highly effective. Let’s break down each of the components for a better understanding of why this variation can be so damn cool.

Now, this is a great exercise for non-beginners but if you are a beginner, then check out my free Weightlifting101: Beginner Guide + 6-Week Program!

No-Hook

The No-Hook portion of this variation means that the lifter is not allowed to use hookgrip, a technique used by weightlifters to help use less of their arms and eliminate grip strength as a potential limiting factor. However, while many use their arms too much, just as many do not use their arms enough. In the snatch, the legs should launch the bar up, and your arms must pull your body down and keep the bar close.

By removing your hookgrip, it is harder to hold onto the bar, however, this will force you to use your arms more in the turnover, leading to a faster lift and stronger overhead position.

No-Feet

The No-Feet portion of this variation is a much more common variation to see in your training program. This variation is a great tool if you have jump-related technique issues. Whether you have a jump forward or an excessive jump backward, it’s often due to a shift in balance during the pull. By removing your ability to leave the ground, you will solve the jump issue. But the bigger picture here is that you will also be forced to make micro-corrections to your balance during the pull that led to your jump issue.

Another benefit of the No-Feet Snatch is you will be able to feel a longer push through the ground to get height on the bar before pulling under the bar. One major key is to start with your feet in your final stance or squat stance, rather than in your normal, narrower pulling stance, otherwise, these will feel like shit.

No-Contact

The No-Contact portion of this variation is usually what trips people up, and is often the one they need the most. There is no doubt that in a normal snatch, to move the most amount of weight possible, you NEED bar-body contact. However, many people make technique errors using that contact, often by throwing the hips forward into the bar causing the bar to move away, or loop around. Either way, the lift will feel much harder because of it.

By removing this contact, you will be forced to keep the bar as close to your body as possible and create a near-perfect bar path to have any shot of a successful lift. This will help you understand the way your body needs to move with the bar, and then when you add contact in, it should only be a small amount to give the bar some extra oomph, but not enough to throw the bar path off.

Implementation

The nature of this drill is that you won’t be able to move nearly as much weight as you would for a normal snatch, or one of the three variations, but combined, this variation is fairly weight-limiting. For this reason, I recommend using this as a movement primer before normal snatches, or before no-feet snatches.

Movement primers are simply lighter drills or variations that can help you move better once you move to the primary exercise. Typically I’ll program these for 3-5 sets of 2-5 reps. For this variation, I like to stick with doubles as the no-hook is fairly limiting, so keeping the reps low and pushing the weight is when this variation is most valuable.

Another option is to program this as a light drill to do before strength work like we’re currently doing in the OlyStrong 5-Day Team. This program has two dedicated Skills & Strength days, where the primary focus is lighter technique work for one olympic lift and then getting strong in the squat and press as this will drive long-term performance in the olympic lifts more than anything else. In this case, I still do the same rep scheme and weight, but don’t then transition into a heavier snatch or snatch variation.

Hopefully, this clarified some things for you and maybe even gave you a lightbulb moment with your technique. 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. 

By the way, I’ve got a free beginner weightlifting guide and a 6-week program! If you’re new to the olympic lifts, then check it out here!

And if you’re looking for a weightlifting program designed to help you set PRs, improve your technique, and get strong af, then check out a FREE WEEK TRIAL of my 3 & 5-Day OlyStrong Team at the link below!