Do you know the difference between the two?
And why it matters?
I still recall the first time I grabbed a kettlebell.
It was a 32kg, and I completely overlooked Pavel’s advice to Snatch in the open air.
Being a inexperienced , confident 230 pound / 105kg Olympic lifter who’d recently qualified for the US National Championships, I thought I had the upper hand.
I swung the kettlebell up over my head like a bag of feathers and it hesitated momentarily bottom up.
Then, it came down and struck 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 prevented me from letting go of the kettlebell.
So, bruised, but unshaken, I attempted 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 hold . (Thankfully, I didn’t drop it.)
Which brings me to this question I got via email the other day:
In case you can’t see it, here’s what Joseph asked :“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 run-in with the Kettlebell Snatch.
It more info wasn’t until a few years ago I even came across 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 absolutely 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 lower it to the rack , and hike the kettlebell for another Snatch.
If I am not mistaken (and I may 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 removed it because, at that point in time, it caused confusion . (I think it’s back in some of the Kettlebell Certs - but I’m not 100% sure.)
But, apparently, it’s a valid exercise variation practiced in GS - Kettlebell Sport .
I recommend it when using the Double Kettlebell Snatch, but I have just called it, “Lowering the bells to the rack.” LOL.
But, is it “an issue” like Joseph asked in his email?
One of the current motivations for using the Half Snatch, besides helping you learn to “tame the arc” for the Snatch, is to preserve your grip , so you can get more Snatches.
I think this is totally fine .
BUT…
It reduces 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 shortened.
Instead of the KB “dropping” from overhead to the “pocket” under your hips, it’s only falling from your shoulder to the pocket .
As a consequence , you reduce 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 lowers 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 smart 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 practical idea - depending on the person - for learning how to tame the arc in the single Kettlebell Snatch…
But ultimately, if you want the complete benefits of the Snatch, then you should Snatch.
And the “secret” to doing that is -
1- Train the SKILL of the KB Snatch using few 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 presented 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 particularly heavy Doubles.
Hope you found this useful .
Stay Strong,
Geoff Neupert.