The Kettlebell Snatch

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ByCrossFit September 27, 2019

The kettlebell snatch teaches the basics of powerful hip and leg extension, which is then transferred into the upper extremities. The position of the hips and spine, as well as the concept of midline stabilization under load, is shared with many other powerful lifts, such as the barbell deadlift, clean, and snatch. The kettlebell snatch offers a less technical gateway to other dynamic weightlifting techniques and serves as a valuable conditioning tool.


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Comments on The Kettlebell Snatch

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Chris Hiles
September 30th, 2019 at 10:55 am
Commented on: The Kettlebell Snatch

"simply seeing "snatch" with a KB implies cycling between the legs as shown, whereas snatching from the ground is specifically stated."

Is this written in any rules or regulations anywhere, or just your opinion?

I too was immediately confused when I watched the video, as I would always think that each rep of any Snatch (barbell, KB, Db) should begin from the floor.

It only matters in how we name the exercise, but the terms are difficult enough to learn for new people coming into CF without us not being able to correctly label fundamental movements.

Thanks in advance.

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Adrian Bozman
September 30th, 2019 at 5:24 pm

Hi Chris,


As I mentioned, the convention comes from kettlebell sport where max-reps are contested and the kettlebell can't touch the platform. There's a lot of details here: https://aka-sport.org/rules-and-regulations . Hope that helps!

-Boz

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Jorge Aguiar
September 28th, 2019 at 10:46 am
Commented on: The Kettlebell Snatch

This is NOT a KB snatch. It’s a single arm KB SWING.

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Js Smith
September 29th, 2019 at 12:55 am

I think a swing is a complete arc and the bell doesn’t move around the hand. The snatch, however, has a period where the arm isn’t straight and the bell moves around the hand. IMO the video displays a snatch, in a regular gym style, from a hang position vs a competition style, from the floor.

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Adrian Bozman
September 29th, 2019 at 2:26 am

Hi Jorge,

JS is correct, the movement shown is a Kettlebell Snatch since the bell moves around the hand and finishes in the overhead lockout.


As for the naming convention (IE hang snatch or simply snatch) typically KBs are the opposite of the barbell; simply seeing "snatch" with a KB implies cycling between the legs as shown, whereas snatching from the ground is specifically stated. I believe this convention arises from the rules of kettlebell-sport which contests max-reps and does not allow the athlete to put the weight on the platform during the effort. Hope that helps!

-Boz

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