Short, simplified tips & tutorials.
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Jerk
This particular tip describes why coaches use the ‘get your head through’ or ‘head through a window’ cue. This cue is used to promote better placement of the bar in the overhead position which generates a stronger position. Is this cute enough, no… it is only a small piece of the puzzle. The primary responsibility of this cue is the directional effort of the body. Placing the ‘head through’ is an amazing cue that I use personally in my training.
Hitting our chin with the barbell during the Jerk is not fun and is something we all try to avoid. How we go about avoiding it is important. This video provides a simple trick I use with my athletes to clear the path of the bar without jeopardizing technique. The worst thing the athlete can do is whip his/her head back in an attempt to avoid the chin. I instruct the athlete to rotate the chin up (looks like nose up) slightly. Elevating the chin clears the path of the bar before the Jerk is even attempted, and allows the athlete to drift onto the heels a little better...which is the preferred way to execute the Jerk.
Here is the full video regarding the fault of disconnecting the bar from the body during the dip and drive of the jerk as I promised last week. When athletes first learn to perform the Jerk, they are cued to go fast. This poses a problem for coaches with athletes who dip so fast they lose contact with the bar.
I teach my athletes that they do not have to dip quickly. In fact, they should dip slow and controlled. What needs to be fast is not the dip, but the reversal direction into the drive. Losing contact of the bar will only make the bar feel heavier and could cause pain as the body collides with the barbell on the drive up.
One cue I use is; "let the bar take you down" into the dip. Doing so tends to cause better control. When cues fail, I try these drills. They are certainly not the only ones that exist, just the ones I often use.
To conclude my "Texbook" series, I wanted to discuss the Jerk. Here we have a Jerk I would refer to as texbook, not because I think it's "perfect." As I've said multiple times, there is no such thing as "perfect" since that term is only relative to the individual. I will however refer to this lift as textbook, in that it has principles that are widely accepted. From the set up, to the Dip & Drive, into the overhead receiving position, this Jerk is a great example to follow.
Here is what I call a Textbook C+J. I am not suggesting it is a “perfect” lift, there is no such thing. I feel a “perfect” lift is relative to the individual athlete. We are all just a bit different. One size does NOT fit all. So long as a person’s technique meets my 3-point criteria; safe, efficient, and comfortable, then it is a good lift. This video shows an athlete I train whose technique I felt was very “textbook”, in that it just happens to correlate with many books, articles, and curriculum of various certification courses. You will notice how I breakdown all the positions as she lifts
Proper Execution of The Dip & Drive and Split Distribution
Camargo’s way of teaching the Jerk
