How to Improve Your Footwork, Speed and Stability in The Snatch

2. Footwork

Think quick, balanced feet. In the sport of Olympic Weightlifting speed is king. If our feet are stuck in quick sand or unbalanced, we will not provide our body the opportunity to transition into the deep squat receiving position we just mentioned, allowing for greater stability (more on that later).

How far you move your feet depends on your start (pulling) and receiving (position).

The receiving position should be consistent across all squat variations and lifts (Snatch and Clean).
A great exercise for teaching and learning the correct footwork and the speed at which to move them to simply stand tall in a fully extended position and drop into your receiving position. No external load is needed. Just work on speed of the transition (from extension to squat). If you think you are moving fast, move them faster.

In addition to being able to move fast with your feet, also work on landing flat footed and balanced, versus on your toes (heels or inversion) which can pull you forward and once again limit stability. The takeaway is ensure foot speed and just high enough of the floor to allow for that movement to occur rapidly between the two positions – “jumping out and under (down)”.