Coaching Correct Technique in the Split Jerk

You just cleaned a huge weight—but can you get it overhead? Hall-of-fame Oly coach Bob Takano explains how to correct errors in your jerk.

In the CrossFit community (and in the weightlifting nation at large), most of the effort is being put into learning proper technique in the pull—and justifiably so. Correct pulling technique is absolutely necessary for the performance of the snatch and clean.

Within an Oly Cert, we focus first on the snatch, and then the clean. The split jerk is the last movement taught, and although many athletes learn it easily, others are especially frustrated trying to jerk a weight that is easily cleaned. This is especially unfortunate because weightlifting meets are won with successful jerks.

There are several problems that plague many athletes who find it difficult to master the split jerk. Some athletes have only one of these problems, whereas the unfortunate ones may have difficulty with two or more. In this article I intend to explore these problems and their causes, as well as their remedies.