Can You Focus Too Much On Olympic Weightlifting Technique?
When it comes to Olympic weightlifting, there are few things as important as technique. Get it right and you can move a heavy barbell from the floor to the overhead position in a matter of milliseconds. Get it horribly wrong and you can risk severe injury.
But is there such a thing as focusing too much on Olympic weightlifting technique? Can striving for technical perfection actually stop an athlete from testing their strength and pushing their limits?
That’s a question we put to head coach Mem in this edition of the blog…
Why is Olympic weightlifting technique important?
When we talk about 'good Olympic weightlifting technique', we're talking about arranging our bodies in the optimal positions to generate explosive power, drive the body and bar upwards and catch it in a strong and stable way.
Get these positions right and you're far less likely to compromise your muscles, joints and tendons. You'll also find it easier to lift heavier loads.
There are five technical points that it's necessary for every athlete to follow in the snatch and clean.
The weight of the athlete needs to be balanced towards the balls of the feet, shoulders covering the bar and in line with the knees — this helps to ensure a straight bar path as it moves up.
The bar needs to stay close to the athlete - the closer it is, the easier it is to lift.
The transition needs to be quick - there's no time to waste between the top of the pull and getting under the bar.
The athlete needs to be aggressive in getting under the bar.
The receiving position needs to be strong — for many athletes, this is trickier in the snatch as it requires strength as well as good elbow extension, hip, ankle and thoracic mobility.
Why nearly all athletes need to focus on Olympic weightlifting technique
It takes practice for an athlete to consistently execute the five technical pointers outlined above — as much as 10,000 hours if some experts are to be believed.
This is why the vast majority of Olympic weightlifters need to constantly work on their Olympic weightlifting technique, supplementing their lifts with drills such as snatch and clean pulls and other accessory movements.
The more you practice lifting with good form, the more it becomes ingrained in muscle memory so you don’t even need to think about it.
Are there times when Olympic weightlifting technique takes a back seat?
Not really. In a max-out session, you might expect to see athletes ‘grinding out’ one or two lifts as they push their limits. But weightlifters taking part in max-out sessions should be technically proficient anyway. In those sessions, they may need to think about one or two cues that are specific to them, but they should already have a solid technical base.
Can obsessing over Olympic weightlifting technique become a problem?
It’s incredibly rare that you need to tell an athlete to stop obsessing over their Olympic weightlifting technique. It’s more often the case that they’re concerned with lifting heavy rather than lifting with good form. This is common with new athletes who are physically strong.
But it can be a problem if you’re overthinking the technical details during a lift. Both the clean and the snatch are incredibly fast movements and if you’re trying to remember six or seven things as you’re moving the bar you’ll probably get something wrong.
But that’s where good coaching plays a part — it’s important not to overwhelm an athlete with information. Focus on one (or at a push two) pointers during each session. Nail that and then work on polishing something else. Rome wasn’t built in a day!
If you’re in need of technical pointers from one of London’s top Olympic weightlifting coaches, book a session at our Camberwell gym or check out our online coaching programmes.
