Why do I jump forward catching each lift, shouldn't I be jumping back?

[GuiltyCol]

Hi Mark,

I bought the World Class Coaching DVD's for Snatch and Clean, which claim that they have observed that the best lifters have a very slight backward jump at the top of the pull. I don't seem to be able to replicate this, instead I jump forward a few inches each time. Is this something I should be worried about?

You can see a 2 minute, nearly side on, video of my last training session on my Crossfit blog here where the forward jump is very noticeable.

Many thanks for your time.

[Mark Rippetoe]

There are two elements of error that are contributing to the forward jump, which is an artifact of a pulling problem. First, your snatch especially is hitting the second pull way too low, in the middle of your thighs as opposed to your lower belly. This may be due to a narrow grip (at your height, your grip should be almost sleeve-to-sleeve) or a tendency to start the jump too early in both lifts, before the back angle is vertical enough to produce a sufficiently upward jump so that you don't jump forward. Early means that you didn't wait until the bar was high enough before you jumped. You can see that if your back is too horizontal when you jump, the force will be partly directed forward instead of all upward.

Second, if the bar heads forward off the floor, as it clearly does in your clean, the forward position of the loaded bar would obviously have a tendency to pull you forward after the jump. Fixing these two things -- aiming higher/waiting longer for the second pull, and starting the bar off the ground in a way that gets in back in balance over your mid-foot -- will have you jumping back, or at least placing your feet back into your starting footprints. And sometimes lifters can just think about jumping back, and the mechanical corrections that will make this possible get done by the body itself as it solves the equations below the level of specific analysis.

[GuiltyCol]

Thank you very much for your time and considered reply Mark. Much obliged.