I'll take that

Dallas and I spent last Sunday working the barbell snatch with EvaClaire (EC) Synkowski, of CrossFit Boston. This was my first exposure to snatches, besides the 15 minute PVC tutorial I got at my Level 1 Cert. Dallas is way further along, but still hadn't received much formal coaching. We have been working our Olympic lifting a lot lately, though. It's Dallas' first love, and the 603 programming is going to have a heavy Oly slant. And I've found that I really like the explosive nature of the lifts - coming from kettlebells, I like to use my hips. So Dallas and I have been meeting once a week to work on the lifts, starting with my cleans.

Dallas has a plan of action to get me proficient with cleans, but he warned me that we can't enact the plan all at once. I can only handle a few cues at a time, a few corrections at a time, and certainly a limited number of lifts before I move past the point of improved performance and into burnout. So Dallas has me work on one thing at a time, and deliberately overlooks certain form flaws for the sake of the overall plan. I sometimes have difficulty being patient, because I like to learn everything - and do it well - all at once. But with a new movement - and certainly a movement as complicated as an Olympic lift - I understand that you have to focus on form elements a few at a time. So I kind of understood where he was going, and I was more than willing to play along and just do what he told me. But after training with EC, I really understand why good coaches create this kind of a training plan for their beginners.

EC had us warm up to the full snatch with a TON of assistance drills. She kept saying, "I know this is boring, but stay with me". Far from boring, these drills were getting our bodies and brains ready for the bigger pulls ahead. Working with just PVC pipe, we drilled the overhead squat, pressing snatch balance, heaving snatch balance, snatch balance and the full Burgener warm-up. This took almost an hour, and helped with both our confidence and muscle memory when we finally started working from the hang and the floor.

Once we put some weight on the bar, we took turns pulling two or three attempts while EC provided feedback. Her cues were great - she would review the cue, and then give us a few short words to help us remember. Like with keeping the bar close - she'd talk about why I wanted to do that, and show me how I could do that better, and then right before my next pull, she'd throw out one of her favorite Coach B. cues, "Feel the steel!" Those cues stuck with me, and each pull improved. But what really stayed with me were the comments she would make outside of specific cues. When we executed a solid lift, she would say things like, "I'll take that," or "Yeah, that'll do." She didn't say that on every attempt, but I seemed to hear it on all the lifts that felt good. That specific feedback brings me right back to my original point... a good coach has a long-term plan of action, and will sacrifice short-term elements for the sake of the big picture.

EC's comments conveyed a very specific message - what you are doing isn't perfect, but I'm happy with where you are for your current level of training. And that is as much as a good coach can ask for with a beginner and a new movement. I wouldn't expect to get all the finer points down right away, and I would hope my coach wouldn't expect that of me either. And yet I've had experiences with trainers in my past life (pre-CrossFit) that continue to provide criticism after criticism, in an effort (I assume) to do just that - make me perfect. It's is an impossibility, and all it does is frustrate both the trainee and the coach. I've also been trained by some who, in an effort to make me feel good about my efforts, provide nothing BUT positive encouragement. "Great job, that's perfect, yes!" Uh... pretty sure my third snatch ever wasn't actually "perfect", and unless you tell me what to focus on next, it sure isn't going to get any better. So that approach doesn't work for me either.

EC's feedback and comments struck the perfect balance between direction, encouragement and realism. I knew what I was supposed to be focusing on based on her cues, I was happy to be making improvements, and I felt like EC was happy with my progress... but no one was blowing air up my skirt, making me think I was some kind of snatching prodigy. And it helped me understand why having a plan - and keeping the big picture in mind - is the sign of a really good coach. Coaches like EC and Dallas will sacrifice some of the short term finer points to promote the big picture. They provide honest feedback to keep me encouraged and confident without falsely inflating my sense of abilities. And they keep me moving towards virtuosity by adding elements one at a time, in a careful and structured manner.

I'm posting my first attempts at the barbell snatch here, as a starting point to measure my progress. Hopefully a few months from now, I'll be able to post something that shows much improved form and heavier weights. But for now - just watch the video and admire my snatch. (Come on, I've been SO good up until now...) What I'm saying is, no feedback or criticism on my form, please. My coaches are good, and they've got a solid plan in place for me, and I trust them to get me there. So while this video doesn't show perfect technique... EC says she'll take it. And if EC will take it, I sure as hell will.