One of the most common issues I have found in weightlifters, especially any coming from a high school or college sport background, is a forward bar path in the jerk. Whenever I see a lifter throwing the bar forward off the shoulder, the first thing I look at is what is happening with their feet when they begin the dip portion of the movement. Instead of looking at all the flaws that can happen here, I will tell you what SHOULD be happening, and give you a simple drill to help ingrain the proper technique.
“Find the Heels”
After standing the clean and setting for the jerk, the athlete should take a brief moment to adjust how they are balancing their weight on their foot. The athlete should have their own bodyweight AND the weight of the bar centered over to ankle and slightly toward the heel. Once this balance is found, the athlete should “pin” or “push” the big toe to the ground. This helps to keep the athlete’s weight and the weight of the bar pushed over the rear of the foot.
When beginning the movement of the jerk the goal is to keep the weight balanced in the foot as described above. To do so, the torso and the weight of the bar should be dipped straight down over the ankles by the knees being bent and slightly pushed outward to stay in line with the feet. Continuing to keep the weight toward the rear of the foot, the athlete drives upward by actively pushing the feet into the ground to extend the legs. This creates a vertical drive and bar path.
The Wall Drill
This is an easy and quick drill that can be used as a warm-up for the jerk. With your back to the wall, set the feet 2-3 inches away from the wall. Then lean back until the butt, shoulder blades and head are on the wall. With all three of these point of contact staying on the wall, perform the dip and drive while keeping the feet FLAT and glued to the ground. Perform 2-3 sets of 10 reps, focusing on staying connected to the wall with the butt, shoulders and head and to the floor with the feet. Again, this is best performed as part of a warm-up for the jerk.
-Stephen Butcher
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