Finishing the Pull!

Whether its at a Wednesday evening O.Class or during the Brugener Warmup (which is a warmup we use to develop the skills and parts of the Snatch! Yes there’s a reason why we do that!) or during a Strength set of Cleans or Snatches or during a WOD with those moves its very common to hear a trainer to yell (encourage is really what they’re doing):

“Finish your Pull!”

Spencer Hendel "Finishing the Pull" while Snatching Heavy from CrossFit.com

So what do they mean by that?

If you think back to the first part of the Brugener Warmup its Triple Extension: a slight dip followed by an explosive extension of the ankles, knees and hips. This dip and fast Triple Extension is where the speed and power are developed for both the Clean and Snatch. You’re taking the bar down to the Position of Pockets and then coming up to the High Hang. The elbows are to stay straight like straps or ropes up until this point in the drill and in the full lifts.

The Dip and subsequent Pull/Triple Extension is so violent that yours shoulders automatically shrug along with the ‘hip shrug’ you are creating, the bar becomes momentarily weightless and this is when you press yourself under the bar to receive the Snatch or the Clean.

So how are folks not ‘Finishing the Pull’?

Well the timing gets thrown off or you’re not aggressive enough opening the hips, or the hips just don’t fully open.

The elbows bend before the Triple Extension finishing -> “When the Elbows bend the Power Ends!”

Without good Triple Extension there is huge whole in your capacity to create Power, the bar path will be forward in an arc instead of straight up vertically and it will be very difficult to receive the bar in a good positions.

Some thoughts that might help you “Finish the Pull” could be:
1. Shrug your hips before the elbows bend.
2. Jump the bar up and slightly back.
3. You’re trying to hit only your shoulder blades against the wall.
4. You’re driving the heels of your stilettos into the sand.

One of these cues or movement concepts might help you “Finish your Pull” or there may be some other thought that works for you. The key is to work on the Progressions, the Parts of the Whole, these movements are very potent at improving fitness and strength, and they’re downright fun once you start to groove them but practice is essential. To improve them you need to work at them in a workout, a skill exercise or in a strength component twice per week.