The snatch is a movement in which you take a weight from the floor and lift it overhead in one smooth motion. It originated as a movement contested in Olympic weightlifting competition, with a barbell as the standard implement. However, variations with dumbbells and kettlebells can be performed by just about anyone who wishes to develop full-body strength and coordination.
Basics Of The Snatch
The snatch is a weightlifting movement in which you lift a weight implement from floor to overhead. In the full version contested in the Olympics, a barbell is used. You pull the bar off of the floor, driving with your legs and shrugging with your shoulders. As the bar passes along your body, you then pull yourself under the bar and allow the force of your first pull to send it overhead, maintaining a solid grip with the bar with both hands. You then catch the barbell with your arms overhead and your body in a full squat.
Many variants for the snatch exist. The two most common are the power snatch and the hang snatch. In a power snatch, you catch the weight in a partial squat. In a hang snatch, you do not lift the weight directly off the floor. Rather, you begin with the weight hanging in your hands just above your knees.
Similarities Between Dumbbell and Kettlebell Snatches
Rather than using both hands on a single implement, as in the barbell snatch, both the dumbbell and kettlebell variations use one hand on an implement. You can either snatch with one hand at a time, or with a bell in either hand.
With the weight held in one hand, your body must work to stabilize each arm. If you lift with one arm at a time, the forces on your body act asymmetrically, forcing you to stabilize your entire body. Additionally, the single weight can be much easier to get into the starting position for a hang snatch because the weight is limited to what you can hold with one hand.
The Dumbbell Snatch
The dumbbells snatch is performed in much the same way as a barbell snatch. You lift the weight from the floor or from the hang position, driving with your legs and shrugging with your shoulder. You allow your arm to bend and pull yourself under the weight, drawing it along your body and then locking your arm out directly overhead. Drive with your legs to return to standing.
The Kettlebell Snatch
The unique design of the kettlebell presents some technique changes to the traditional snatch. The overall path of the kettlebell's movement is the biggest change. Rather than following a straight line upward along your body, the kettlebell swings outward from between your knees and then back in a long arc that ends with it overhead. The shape of the kettlebell requires you to move your hand and arm around it as it is travelling upward to prevent it from crashing into your forearm.
At the start, you hold the kettlebell in almost the same position as you would a dumbbell in a hang snatch. Then, however, you swing the kettlebell back between your legs, like a football center snapping the ball to the quarterback. Keeping your lower back in a strong, neutral position, you reverse the movement and pull the kettlebell forward and up. As it travels to eye level, you bend your arm slightly and tug the kettlebell toward you. This slight movement will begin rotating the kettlebell over your arm. To end the movement, punch your hand forward and under the kettlebell, catching it on your forearm and locking your arm out directly overhead. To return to the start position, allow the kettlebell to roll over your hand as you swing your arm in forward arc and back between your knees.
Using Each Variation In Your Program
You may be asking "Which variation should I use?" The answer depends on your goals. Neither version is intrinsically better than the other, and both have their own technical demands.
The dumbbell snatch requires you to stop and lower the weight to the starting position with each repetition. At the start of each repetition, you must overcome inertia to move the dumbbell. Therefore, it is best suited for sets with low repetitions and heavy weight.
The kettlebell snatch is very easy to perform as a continuous movement, from between your knees to overhead and back. That makes it ideal for workouts that require a high volume of full-body activity. Sets with high repetitions and moderate weight will take advantage of the kettlebell's unique qualities.
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