Coaching Points

There is more to a Mike Burgener Olympic weightlifting seminar than shouts of “Yeah, burpees!” and “Yes, coach!” Throughout the weekend, Coach Burgener will periodically call a halt to the small group work to highlight a problem he’s seeing or to make sure everyone hears his answer to a question. Coach Burgener calls these interruptions “coaching points.” This video from Again Faster features three coaching points taken from a seminar held March 7-8, 2009 at CrossFit Old Town in Alexandria, Va.

The first coaching point concerns the importance of vertical hip thrust in the snatch. The movement should not be confused with the horizontal hip thrust seen in the kettlebell swing. Coaches should look for the down and up motion that creates the jump.

The second coaching point is about breathing. Coaches should ensure their trainees take deep belly breaths, squat, come back up and then let the breath out. Weightlifting belts are not advisable at low weights.

The third and final coaching point is about wrist flexibility. It isn’t unusual for people to have tight wrists, but becoming more flexible is important because of adjustments required going from the front squat to the jerk. Coach Burgener demonstrates a wrist flexibility drill with two very different trainees.

6min 43sec