step 1 - watch the webinar

step 2 - Practice the lift and learn the following teaching points for each phase of the lift

Start position

1. Gripped the bar using a grip that is wide enough so elbows are positioned just outside of the knees, using an overhand hook grip (thumb around bar).

2. The feet beneath the bar, with the bar directly above the ball of the foot (directly above the usual location of the first shoe eyelet).

3. The shins and ankles close to the bar.

4. Hips higher than the knees.

5. Neutral spinal posture.

6. Chest out.

7. Shoulder blades pulled back and down and positioned slightly in front of the bar.

8. Elbows locked outwards.

9. Head up.

10. Weight evenly distributed towards the fore feet.

The first pull

11. Inhaled and tightened all muscles whilst in the start position.

12. Extended knees (posterior knee drive) whilst maintaining a neutral spinal posture with the chest up.

13. Kept arms straight.

14. Shifted weight towards the rear aspect of the feet.

15. Kept the bar close to the shins throughout the first pull.

The transition

16. Extended at the hips to bring the torso into an upright position.

17. Re-bent both knees pushing them under and in front of the bar.

18. Shifted the weight forwards ensuring weight is evenly distributed over the midfoot at the end of transition.

19. Finished in a jump position with the bar brushing against the mid-thighs.

The second pull

20. Extended explosively at the ankles, knees and hips using a jump action whilst performing an intense shoulder shrug.

21. Kept the bar close to the body (almost scraping the torso) throughout the second pull.

22. Completed the second pull with full extension of the hips, knees and ankles (triple extension), a shoulder shrug and straight arms.

The catch

23. Began to flex at the elbows at the highest point of the second pull, keeping the bar close to the torso (elbows point out and backwards slightly).

24. Transferred body weight downwards whilst rotating the elbows and wrists around the bar.

25. Landed in a slightly wider front squat position (to allow a greater depth of catch) with bar supported on the anterior deltoids and elbows pointing forwards.

26. Evenly distributed weight towards the rear aspect of the feet.

The recovery

27. Lead with the chest.

28. Driven upwards by extending at the ankles, knees and hips.

29. Kept neutral spinal posture.

30. Exhaled as an erect stance is achieved.

The jerk drive

31. Started the jerk drive from the catch position (bar resting on anterior deltoids and elbows pointing forwards, with ankles, knees and hips flexed in a quarter squat position).

32. Explosively extend at the ankles, knees and hips (triple extension) using a jump action.

33. Used the acceleration caused by the lower body extension (triple extension) to allow the elbows to start extending.

34. Passed the bar close to the face.

The jerk catch

35. Simultaneously split the legs when at full extension, explosively sliding them to a lunge position.

36. Simultaneously with the lower body movement, continued to extend at the arms until the bar is above the head and arms are straight.

37. Finished the jerk catch with the front foot flat on the ground and the rear ball of the foot in contact with the ground.

38. Finished the jerk catch in a lunge position with the feet displaced to top left and bottom right (or vice versa) of an imaginary cross shape with the learner’s centre of gravity immediately bisecting the centre of the cross.

The jerk recovery

39. Drove off the front foot, bringing it back in line with the centre of the cross, whilst maintaining a shoulder width stance.

40. Brought the back foot to the centre line, maintaining the shoulder width stance.

41. Maintained full arm extension throughout the recovery.

STEP 3 - clean & jerk ASSESSMENT

Option A - Purchase and attend a Storm Fitness Academy assessment day.

Option B - Video your demonstration of a safe and effective clean & jerk with a voice-over describing each phase of the lift with teaching points. Upload your video to your Google Drive folder. You can record the video as many times as you need to and only share the recording that you are happy with. If you are not sure how to upload a video to Google Drive, check out the video here.

IMPORTANT - We only need to assess you on one of the Olympic lifts so if you prefer to demonstrate the Snatch you can ignore this step.