Don't Race to the Bottom

Quick Google research revealed tons of resources on snatch balance. I went through about 10 articles, blog posts, Instagram posts, etc. from most “authoritative” figures in internet weightlifting community. Their first focus is on making the author look very knowledgeable about weightlifting. They create lots of variations, the drop snatch, the heaving snatch balance, the pressing snatch balance; talk about being fast and aggressive.

Typical instructional video shows a lifter's race to the bottom, shaking core, unstable shoulders, and lack of control  with weights that just look sometimes too heavy, but even lighter don't look that impressive, either. I call this exercise jumping down into overhead squat, or Snatch Unbalance, and I don't think it actually improves lifters' confidence with heavy weights. Good luck, barbell says, catch me if you can.

There is a better way...

Look, all of these nice people   gave away free content on snatch balance, trying to help  other people out of goodness of their hearts... Well, not exactly, they are actually working on promoting their own brand/gym and establishing themselves as experts in weightlifting field, in order to monetize later by selling seminars, or supplements. So, as experts, and influencers, they should be held to higher standard   than random guy at a gym  giving another guy some friendly advice.

But what if a "negative" person who criticizes and complains (aka Coach PapaYats) offers you simpler and better alternative  that actually benefits your lifting?

Video:

Let's go over main points from video again:

1. During dip and drive you only bending knees, other parts of the body stay frozen
2. Go into full extension of hips and knee. Ankle as well, but not that critical
3. Arms relaxed and don't start pressing until extension is finished
4. Don't jump feet, just slide
5. Go down under the bar
6. Elbows locked asap with internal rotation,
7. Try to time elbow extension together with heels retouching the floor
8. Catch at quarter, half, or near full squat (depending on weight), entire body above waist locked, frozen
9. Don't stop there, smoothly go down to bottom and up

So, what are the unique benefits of this approach?

• Learning to properly extend (for snatches, cleans, and jerks)

• Timing extension and reversing the movement

• Learning to receive bar as soon as possible (lockout of elbow, lower-mid-upper back)

• Learning to be in control of the barbell (little vague and hard to describe in words, I know, but you can see it in the video above)

• Less chance of injury  (shoulder especially) as compared to “internet” version of snatch balance

Training of kids

My tiny weightlifters (10-12 years old) actually do more snatch balances than back squats, since it's harder to pile up weights in snatch balance, and girls need more upper body strength anyway. I assist with lowering weights and I'm always right behind the child on heavier weights. Be careful, some kids have super mobility in this exercise, you could bring grip closer for those with super mobile shoulders. Kids will have a natural tendency to jump up with the weight, just reinforce feet staying on the floor by combining with push press.

Error correction

This exercise is relatively simple, but if lifter just don't get it, I suggest a few options:

• Dip and drive not straight - make them stay in the bottom of the dip for 10 seconds and correct manually, let them drive up form there. If still a problem, try push press with snatch grip
• Jumping too much - start in wider (squat receiving) stance and don't move feet
• Jumping too much, or not extending, or not locking elbows - Do one behind the neck snatch grip push press, lower to neck, do snatch balance. Follow 1 push press + 1 snatch balance until you get it right
• No control or shaking – less weight, do it slower
• Lack of flexibility – no magic, no overnight solutions, keep working on mobility every day

Programming suggestions

You probably expect me to add some magic percentage formulas but the reality is that you take every weight twice for three reps (2nd set should always be smoother than 1st) and keep going as heavy as you can with good form.  Occasional heavy single is alright to test your ego.

You can put it in your program on your push day as a second exercise, so after jerks on jerk day, or after squats on squat day. Short break between sets, maybe 90 seconds, it's easy to recover, and you don't want to spend 5 hours doing it.
Two examples:

• 50kg 3reps/2sets, 70kg 3/2, 90kg 3/2, 110kg 3/2, 120kg 1/2...feeling strong today...130kg 1/2 (2nd set always try better technically) (28 reps)
• 50kg 3/2, 70kg 3/2, 90kg 3/2, 110kg 3/1...weight feels so heavy today...100 3/1 (24 reps)

Or you can put them as addition to your warmup on any training day, something like that:

• 40kg 3/2, 50kg 3/2, 60kg 3/2, maybe a minute break between sets
   

Diagnose and take care of big problems

We often see a lifter snatch the weight to arms’ length, struggle a few seconds in an overhead squat position only to drop the bar in front, or sometimes behind. A coach sees this as lack of strength in overhead squat position and looks for a solution. Snatch balance exercise is prescribed. The lifter tries it for the first time and is able to lift only 70% of best snatch in snatch balance, well, of course, overhead strength was the weakness, right?

So you work hard on your snatch balance, and after a few months you can snatch balance 120% of your best snatch, and still keep missing snatches in bottom position with submaximal weights.

Most low overhead misses in the snatch are result of incorrect pulling technique,  and it’s very hard to hold a maximal lift if the barbell is away from the lifter, or has horizontal movement. So, before prescribing snatch balance, look for mistakes in the pull.