October 01, 2007
Continuing our series on the Olympic lifts, we focus this month on addressing a common problem for many CrossFitters: looping and floating under the bar. All three lifts--the snatch, the clean, and the jerk--must be fast, explosive, aggressive movements. Success in these movements requires the attitude of a junkyard dog. Unfortunately, we see too many CrossFitters pulling aggressively off the ground only to get passive in the pull-under (or drive-under, in the case of the jerk) and when they receive the barbell.
The problem
What is slow, loopy movement? It's movement that at first glance appears correct in its technical execution. It is in fact triple extension. It is in fact a jump, as we have taught. But what it is not is aggressive. It is a slow change of direction. Remember that what we are after is a vicious jump against the ground that creates momentum and elevation on the barbell.
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