Olympic Clean Question

**MikeMartial** · 07-23-2008, 11:40 PM

I'm just learning the Olympic clean, so bear with me if this is a complete noob question.

Regarding foot placement after the catch into the squat. I seem to be jumping back about 2-3", and into a wide squat stance. The width doesn't bother me a lot, but the jumping back does. This doesn't seem to be affected by the amount of weight.

My question is, is this a bad habit I should be rectifying now? Am I compensating for improper technique elsewhere? I have a feeling I'm trying to get under the bar too fast, so I'm dropping wide. I just don't know why I'm dropping wide and back.

For the record, this doesn't happen on my power clean at all.

magicman531 · 07-23-2008, 11:43 PM

well im no expert on them, but from videos i usually only see them spreading their feet outwards. not really jumping backwards at all.

**Cap'n** · 07-23-2008, 11:44 PM

You shouldn't really be jumping backwards. You really just want to stomp your feet possibly a little wider than where they were at starting position.

Try with light weight and really think about where your feet are going. Drill it and do X, you'll fix it soon enough

**MikeMartial** · 07-23-2008, 11:59 PM

Good vids, MM. Appreciated.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Cap'n

Try with light weight and really think about where your feet are going. Drill it and do X, you'll fix it soon enough.

Sound advice, I'll have to do this. I'd like to know why I'm doing it, but if I can fix it quickly, I'll be just as happy. Ripp doesn't address it much in Starting Strength, but he's just referring to the power clean version.

**Cap'n** · 07-24-2008, 12:02 AM

Are you sure that you're not doing it during power cleans as well?

If you were, I would think you might be pulling the bar back instead of up, causing you to hop backwards to correct yourself

**MikeMartial** · 07-24-2008, 12:06 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Cap'n

Are you sure that you're not doing it during power cleans as well?

If you were, I would think you might be pulling the bar back instead of up, causing you to hop backwards to correct yourself

Yeah, not doing it with power cleans. I though it might be an over-exaggerated back pull, but it's just happening on the Oly cleans. I must be jumping too wide (and maybe too high), and that's why I'm going back.

**Cap'n** · 07-24-2008, 12:08 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MikeMartial

Yeah, not doing it with power cleans. I though it might be an over-exaggerated back pull, but it's just happening on the Oly cleans. I must be jumping too wide (and maybe too high), and that's why I'm going back.

You wouldn't happen to have a camera so you could video tape it and have us critique it, would you? That would make it a lot easier to figure out the issue

Vedic · 07-24-2008, 12:22 AM

You need to pull up in a direct line to where you dip right under it. The line of the bar should never leave one straight line.

Vedic · 07-24-2008, 12:26 AM

You get the CF journal right? Get this one - The Power Clean, by Mark Rippetoe, From Aug 06 CFJ

Vedic · 12:36 AM

http://media.crossfit.com/cf-video/C...struction1.wmv

YouTube - Power Clean