Positioning in the snatch is often approached by looking at the bottom position, torso, upper back, shoulders, elbows, etc. and for good reason. Often times we overlook the wrists and the role they play in position and stability overhead.
I have seen athletes with neutral wrists, fully extended wrists and everything in between. I’ve even seen a snatch without having their whole hand on the bar! So where should our hands really be?
When you look at your hand and turnover of the snatch, the bar should be over your forearm, just behind the middle of your palm. Your forearm is your base of support. You are much stronger when you can be supported by your natural skeletal alignment rather than relying on only muscle. In this position, your palm will be pointing towards the ceiling, acting as a solid platform to support the weight of the barbell.
The above position forces you to be between a neutral wrist (straight up) and an extended wrist (bent back and the bar is behind the forearm giving no structural support.
As far as keeping the hookgrip or not, this comes down to how much mobility you have in your wrist and forearm. Many people do not have enough mobility to keep the positions above with a hookgrip (usually women are the exception). I personally have small hands and sausage fingers so I am not able to keep my hookgrip overhead.
Check out the video below for more details with Coach Jake!
