Kinematic analysis of the barbell during the snatch movement of elite Asian weight lifters

The purpose of this study was to describe the kinematic characteristics of the snatch technique from the viewpoint of barbell trajectory. Subjects included 6 elite male Asian weight lifters who participated in the first Japan International Friendship Tournament in 1993. Trajectories of the barbell-during snatch lifts in the competition were videotaped. Three vertical acceleration peaks of the barbell during the pull movement were observed and corresponded to the first pull, transition, and second pull phases. The angle of the resultant acceleration (ARA) of the barbell averaged 85° in the first pull and transition pull phases. In the second pull phase, the ARA was almost 140°, indicating that the barbell was accelerated anteriorly, away from the lifter. The results of this study suggest that during the first pull and transition pull phases, elite lifters pulled the barbell toward themselves to produce the needed vertical acceleration and that the resulting posterior movement of the barbell was controlled by the forward acceleration produced in the second pull phase.