KB Training

Do you realize the distinction between the two?

And how it matters?

I still recollect the first time I snatched a kettlebell.

It was a 32kg, and I completely neglected Pavel’s advice to Snatch outdoors .

Being a young , pride-filled 230 pound / 105kg Olympic lifter who’d recently earned qualification for the US National Championships, I thought I knew better .

I ripped the kettlebell up over my head like a bag of feathers and it paused momentarily bottom up.

Then, it fell and smacked me on the back of the wrist and felt the exact opposite of a bag of feathers!

My pride, and the hardwood floors of the apartment I was renting stopped me from releasing the kettlebell.

So, bruised, but unshaken, I tried another Snatch.

And I had the same experience .

Except I’d already sustained a goose egg on the back of my wrist from that first rep, which made the second rep nearly impossible to not drop . (Thankfully, I didn’t drop it.)

Which brings me to this question I got via email the other day:

“Hey just bought your program I really love snatches and have been using 16kg and got 95 In 5 min. Primarily been using half snatches vs the full. Will that be an issue?”

Now, I just told you about my first tangle with the Kettlebell Snatch.

It wasn’t until a few years ago I even knew the term “Half (½) Snatch.”

And that, as I explained in a recent podcast, is because the Snatch in Olympic Weightlifting, is when you lift the weight above your head in one motion and secure it over your head.

That’s it.

There's no “Half Snatch.”

You either Snatch the weight or you don’t .

Make or miss .

So the Half Snatch apparently is where you Snatch the weight, then set it down in the rack, and hike the kettlebell for another Snatch.

If I recall correctly (and I might not), we briefly experimented with it as part of the teaching progression for the Snatch in the “Taming the Arc” section at the old RKC somewhere between 2007 and 2010.

We ultimately eliminated it because, at that point in time, it was confusing. (I think it’s back in some of the Kettlebell Certs - but I’m not 100% sure.)

But, apparently, it’s a legit exercise variation common in GS - Kettlebell Sport.

I suggest it when using the Double Kettlebell Snatch, but I have just called it, “Lowering the bells more info to the rack.” LOL.

But, is it “an issue” like Joseph asked in his email?

One of the current justifications for using the Half Snatch, besides helping you learn to “tame the arc” for the Snatch, is to save / spare your grip , so you can get more Snatches.

I think this is perfectly fine .

BUT…

It diminishes much of the overloaded eccentric (stretch) on the lat(s) - your Pull Up muscles - in the backswing.

This is because the stroke has been nearly cut in half .

Instead of the KB “dropping” from overhead to the “pocket” under your hips, it’s only dropping from your shoulder to that pocket .

As a outcome, you lose some of the “magic” of Snatches, like the Snatch boosting your Pull Up numbers - without doing Pull Ups.

The Half Snatch also lessens the load on your grip and your forearm musculature, which is also one of the other benefits of the Snatch.

And finally, it decreases the cardiovascular demand because of that shortened stroke - especially when you’re training for power endurance and trying to move that bell as dynamically as possible.

So, I think the Half Snatch is a useful idea for Double Snatch work because it spares the loading of the lower back from the awkwardness of a wide stance and two unwieldy kettlebells passing under the body…

And it can be a valuable idea - depending on the person - for learning how to tame the arc in the single Kettlebell Snatch…

But ultimately, if you want the total benefits of the Snatch, then you should Snatch.

And the “secret” to doing that is -

1- Train the SKILL of the KB Snatch using minimal reps and low fatigue

2- Train your Snatch STRENGTH using minimal reps and low fatigue

(Which also significantly boosts your trust to Snatch, by the way.)

3- Train your CONDITIONING by either using medium reps and medium rests, or higher reps and medium rests.

I’ve mapped out this progression for you inside “The King-Sized Killer,” which is the program Joseph referred to in his email above.

At the end of the day, whether you Half-Snatch or Snatch is up to you.

Personally, I only Half-Snatch when I’m using [heavy] Doubles.

Hope you found this useful .

Stay Strong,

Geoff Neupert.