That is, unlike with a power or squat jerk in which bar position overhead must be remarkably precise, the split allows the athlete to quickly and relatively easily shift forward and backward, and even to either side, in order to better position the support structure under the weight. The split jerk is a good choice for just about everyone. New lifters are encouraged to learn, practice and train the split jerk until good reason is found to adopt another style. Shared Traits Conveniently enough, all jerk styles share every other trait beyond the receiving position.
The dip and drive motion is identical—straight down, straight up, and bar slightly backward as it moves into the overhead position.
Over time, each lifter will find the jerk style that will allow the greatest weights to be lifted and spend the bulk of his or her effort developing technical proficiency and strength in that style.
Greg Everett Olympic Weightlifting Technique. Please log in to post a comment. Thank you for this article. The squat jerk has always fascinated me in how smooth some lifters make it. Follow him on Instagram , Facebook and YouTube , and sign up for his free newsletter here. Read more by Greg Everett. Shop Catalyst Athletics Books. Historically, even those in the weightlifting press were taken by the development of the power jerk. Some magazine articles predicted this power-jerk style would one day rule.
The split would be relegated to history, just like it has been in the snatch and the clean. This all seemed logical. If the squat style worked better in the snatch and the clean, then surely it would also be superior in the jerk, even though one did not have to squat very low. Surely all of this is true? Well, this prediction of future power-jerk hegemony is now plus years old. What is the situation today? We find that most of the world is still split jerking.
True, there have been a few excellent exponents of the power-jerk style, notably Dimas and Kakhiashvili who have won world and Olympic titles while setting world records. The elite lifters who have mastered the style have given it legitimacy. Now every competition down to the local level always features at least a few power jerkers.
Dimas power jerking his way to an Olympic gold medal in So is the power jerk the way to go? Should more lifters be doing it? We will start with the depth of the split or squat.
In most athletes, if it's easier to achieve a low position with a jerk while splitting. It is difficult to squat more than a quarter squat with a heavy jerk poundage overhead. Therefore, this gives the advantage to the split jerk. Closely related to this factor is the height needed to fix the bar after the jerk drive. Here again the split comes out ahead.
This is because the lower you can split squat under the bar, the lower the height needed in the jerk drive. Another important consideration is the potential ability to recover a less-than-perfect jerk drive.
Leaving aside the fact that power jerks tend to drive the bar out forward too far, even a perfect vertical drive still gives the advantage to the split.
Because of the greater stability of the split, the lifter has more room to make adjustments and can more easily step forward or back in order to do so. The area of balance is significantly narrower in a power jerk than it is with a split.
Movement is more difficult without also dropping the bar or ending up bending the elbows during the chase after the errant bar. Another significant advantage of the Split Jerk is the ability to complete the lift even after some small technique mistakes.
A common and frequent mistake is a short drive, after which the bar is slightly ahead, and the athletes are forced to "catch it up". Many athletes do it successfully from the split position. In a power jerk, this is almost impossible. Speaking about the disadvantages of Split Jerk and the advantages of the Power Jerk, we must focus on the amplitude of dropping in a squat position with the barbell directly over your head. In split jerk, this height is limited by the depth of the lunge at which the athlete can stably balance under a heavy weight.
Athletes in the light and medium weight categories who power jerks, as a rule, work out the fixation of the bar in a deep squat position, which allows them to successfully lift the heaviest weights. In truth, if an athlete power jerks he must be ready to squat jerk, not only theoretically. An important advantage of the Power Jerk is simpler mechanics and coordination of the movement: the action is performed in one plane. The angles and structure of the movement have many similarities to the squat.
The split position has a more complex structure and a lot of technical variations both in the work of the feet and in the coordination of the whole body. Thus, if the athlete has a reserve of leg strength, then a squat jerk may be his best choice. If the athlete is agile and coordinated, he should concentrate on the Split Jerk. I would definitely not recommend a power jerk for tall athletes. It is unlikely that someone will explain to you exactly why it is better to split or power jerk.
History knows many world-class athletes who changed their jerk style several times. I will advise beginners based on the experience of the Soviet weightlifting school, which I consider one of the best. The most effective way to figure out which jerk style is best for you is to try everything.
In the first few years of training, inexperienced athletes should use in their program: the traditional Power Jerk, squat jerk, and also Split Jerk on both legs.
This will help develop coordination and flexibility, strengthen stabilizing muscles, and increase functionality.
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