18 May 5 Ways To Improve Your Kettlebell Snatch

I remember a few years ago when I discovered the kettlebell snatch.

That was around the time I had decided I was going to train to become an RKC certified kettlebell instructor.

So, looking over the requirements for certification, one of the requirements was to perform 100 kettebell snatches with a 24kg (53lb) kettlebell in 5 minutes or less.

When I made my 1st attempt at this, it wasn’t pretty and I definitely had my work cut for me to get to that level of strength and conditioning.

After a lot of practice rounds, technique work, and relentless conditioning, I finally made the ‘snatch test’ a staple in my conditioning training.

Even today, the snatch test is never easy, but it is always achievable and an insanely effective 5 minute “all-out” conditioning experience.

With all the kettlebell snatches I’ve done through the years now, I know that the kettlebell snatch is ridiculous.

It’s so effective it’s ridiculous.

There’s no doubt, the kettlebell snatch is definitely one of the most physically demanding kettlebell exercises there is.

You could easily make an argument that the snatch is the king of the kettlebell exercises, but I have to say that’s a title that rightfully belongs to the kettlebell swing.

When people learn about kettlebells, they want to quickly find out how to snatch it.

But, when is it appropriate to start and how can you best optimize your technique?

The purpose of this article is to provide some common tips and guidelines for effectively learning the kettlebell snatch and then refinining and progressing your skills with this insane total body exercise.

The single arm kettlebell snatch involves taking the kettlbell from the ground, back between your legs, and then exploding forcefully with the hips to elevate the kettelbell up above your head in a clean, safe, effecient trajectory to a full “lockout” postion.

Once the kettebell is overhead, the kettlebell comes back down in a controlled drop between your legs (in the same manner as if you were performing a kettlebell swing and hiking the kettlebell back).

When done properly, it’s an intense cardiovascular conditioning exercise and outstanding for full body explosive strength.

Here’s the deal though.

Before you even attempt a snatch, the requirement is you MUST have your swing down rock solid.

It’s said that the swing is the foundation for kettlebell training and it is.

The swing sets the stage for proper programming of the kettlebell snatch with the “hip hinge” pattern and explosive hip drive.

By far, the biggest challenge with beginners is really getting down the motor control pattern of the hip hinge and the hip drive that’s needed for snatch power.

Here’s 5 key tips to improve your kettlebell snatch.

1-BUILD THE FOUNDATION WITH THE SWING

As I just mentioned, you must have your swing down 1st.  Let me tell you something I always say about my own training.

I’m still working on my swing.

Yes, I continue to practice and improve getting better with my swing.

I know that the better, more efficient, and powerful my swing is, the better my other kettlebell exercises will be.

This is the truth.

If your swing is NOT good and solid (safe and efficient), your snatch certainly will NOT be.

Remember this, if you want to go from average to elite, then continually work to master the fundamentals.

2-ALWAYS FOCUS ON HIP POWER

This is an important tip.

If you continue to get better with the swing, this will help you with the snatch, but you can’t ever forget to use the explosive hip drive with the snatch.

I’ve seen where someone has had a nice, clean, powerful swing, but then when it comes to the snatch, somehow the “explosiveness” in the hips is lost.

I’ve even experienced this.

The point is you must consciously be aware of powering your hips for maximal efficiency and optimizing kettlebell snatch performance.

If you want to develop a beautiful kettlebell snatch, then always be thinking about exploding forward with the kettebell to elevate the bell.

Don’t forget the terrible syndrome I mentioned before called “gluteal amnesia.”

The glutes and the hip drive are important components to an effective snatch.

Embed this into your brain.

3-KEEP THE BELL PATH CLOSE TO YOUR BODY

The most efficient trajectory of the kettlebell during the kettelbell snatch is keeping the bell close to your body (vertical as opposed to horizontal as with a swing).

As the hips drive forward, the kettlebell is pulled right up the body and not projected way out in front, as is the case with a swing.

The explosive hip drive should help you feel like the kettlebell “floats” up your body to a certain point and then it require an upper body “pull” to finish off and get the bell overhead in the full lockout postion.

From the backswing, once you initiate the snatch with with the powerful hip drive, the movement should be seamless in a clean trajectory closer to your body.

When the bell goes out too far in an inefficient path, it’s more work and it requires “muscle-ing” the bell up in a more “sloppy” technique.

For maximum efficiency, keep the bell close to your body.

4-AVOID “OVER GRIPPING” THE KETTLEBELL

Over-gripping the kettlebell is a common error when learning how to snatch.

This can be a disaster on your hands, especially with high rep snatches.

You want to make sure that you keep a nice, safe grip on the kettlebell, but be careful not to “over-grip.”

For example, when you perform a kettlebell press, one of the tricks is to squeeze the daylights out of the kettlebell to increase muscular tension for a stronger press.

The snatch is not done this way.

You need a “softer” grip because the kettebell will be changing position in your hand during different points in the snatch.

You are “repositioning” the kettlebell in your hand and it’s a technique that needs some practice (like everything else) to get in down properly.

The idea is to move your hand so that your hand comes around the kettlebell and it does not “flip” or bang your wrist as it comes overhead.

This is very important and the best way to explain this is visually, so I’ll have a video on this technique soon.

Again, understand that the grip is different with the kettelbell snatch and you want a secure, but looser grip here.

Over-gripping will cause more friction and more problems in the hand, so this is important to remember and work on the technique.

5-MOVE FAST AND FURIOUS!

Let me explain this one.

The kettlebell snatch is a ballistic, meaning it is a fast, explosive exercise.

You cannot do a barbell power clean slowly.

It’s fast and explosive.

The kettlebell snatch is similar in that respect, because you lose the efficiency and effectiveness of the exercise when you move through slower.

So, always think about moving ‘fast and furious’ through the snatch.

Of course, it should go without saying, this is not ‘jerky and sloppy.’

There’s a huge difference.

When I say fast, I mean fast and efficienct with proper technique.

If you know anything about me, you know I am all about safety and efficiency, so understand that ‘fast and furious’ is done with your best technique.

When you learn the nuances of the snatch, the speed and efficiency needs to be there to get the most from the mighty kettlebell snatch.

Hoping you understand my point here.

Learn to use that explosive hip drive and get the kettlebell up in a safe, efficient, fast, and seamless lift.

Move fast.  Move efficient.  This is ‘fast and furious.’

Now, of course there’s more to the kettlebell snatch than these 5 tips, but these are some things that I’ve found to be very valuable to enhance performance.

Let’s quickly recap the 5 tips:

1. Build from the foundation of the swing
2. Explode with your hips
3. Keep the bell close
4. Do NOT overgrip
5. Move ‘fast & furious’ with movement efficiency

Keep these things in mind, no matter where you are in your training journey.

These will help us all improve our snatch technique and achieve a better result.