Before you can do the snatch, you must perfect the single arm swing. Like the 2-hand swing this is a hip hinge movement. There are two kinds of swing in kettlebell training, the hardstyle which is a powerful hip hinge-based movement and the sport or Girevoy style which is a less explosive, more fluid pendulum motion.
See this blog for more on the kettlebell swing (CLICK HERE).
The single arm swing is performed in a similar motion to the 2-hands swing but with the obvious difference being that you hold the kettlebell in one hand. A good way to build up to the snatch is to practice the singe arm swing and swap hands on each swing without setting the kettlebell down.
Swing the kettlebell up, allow it to travel through its arc beyond that point of zero gravity. As the kettlebell reaches around chest height, engage your trapezius (the muscle at the top of your shoulder). Ideally the kettlebell will swing straight up through the arc without you consciously flexing the arm at-all. However, I find that some elbow flexion is inevitable, especially with heavier weights. You can therefore, break the motion down into Swing>>High Pull>>Overhead Press. It's important to focus on the hip hinge movement and to breath with the hip motion. The breath should be explosive, like the movement. Spit the breath out as the hips extend and let the power of the hip motion generate the momentum of the kettlebell.
To avoid the kettlebell slamming into your wrist you need to do two things.
As you can see from the clip, there is a pause at the top in that lockout position before you flip the kettlebell over and allow it to swing back down into the hip hinge or hike position. I tend to lean my weight back slightly as I flip the kettlebell over and try to bring the kettlebell straight down rather than casting it away from me. Keep your weight into your heels and imagine you are standing in front of a wall and if you project the kettlebell too far forward you will smash it into the wall.
A few things to think about to improve your technique. As I said, the hip hinge portion of the movement is the the power generator, think of it as the engine. The arm and the kettlebell itself are relatively passive, think of the hips as the motor and the arm as a chain or belt that is being driven by the motor. Explode the hips and, as you exhale, squeeze your Glutes and brace your abs. This gives you stability, your arm and shoulder should be relaxed until the 'punch'. Lockout at the top, everything is tight here.
The simplest way to include the snatch is to set a timer for a set amount of time and do as many reps as you can in that time. Here are a few examples of how I might do this.
I usually include these as finishers at the end of a workout, or within a conditioning circuit. But feel free to experiment with how you include this awesome exercise into your routines.
Finally, the snatch can be used as a transition into other exercises. Snatch the kettlebell up and perform:
Here’s an example of a dynamic warm up complex using a snatch/windmill/OH squat.
That’s it, that's my breakdown of the hardstyle snatch, why not give it a try, film it and then tag me in your post to get some feedback? If you want to learn to use kettlebells or are looking for some workout inspiration why not try my 6-week kettlebell challenge? ==>CLICK HERE
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