Erin Asks: How can I stop jumping forward on my clean? Lately, all my coach says is I am jumping forward due to shorting my third pull and bringing my shoulders to the bar. All he tells me is to pull longer. Is there a drill I can do to stop this? It’s starting at 80%. I don’t remember it being a problem before, but I have a new coach. Maybe it’s what my old coach meant with finish the pull? I’m frustrated and feel like I peaked 2 years ago. Had a disappointing Masters Worlds followed by the loss of my coach (Justin Thacker). And I just can’t seem to C&J well anymore. 

Greg Says: First, it’s not unusual to feel like a certain lift is regressing temporarily. This can be for a number of reasons, the most common of which is starting to overthink it because you’ve been given new corrections or cues, or for some other reason started to question your technique. A loss like you experienced can also create setbacks in confidence and focus, which contribute to more difficulty on heavier lifts.

The first thing to always keep in mind with a forward jump is that at the most basic level, you’re going forward because at some point, the combined bar-body system is out of balance toward the front. That may seem obvious when I say it, but it gets lost often in the quest for complex technical solutions.

Because you’ve had two different coaches telling you the same thing (yes, it sounds like they were referring to the same problem), I’m going to assume that’s what it is, at least primarily. The finish of the pull is a major potential source of balance problems—if you don’t extend completely, the bar is too far forward relative to your feet and pulls you forward; in a clean in particular, that problem is exacerbated by the lower contact point of the bar on the thighs, because it either stops there at point too far forward, or if it continues rising significantly, it stays too far away from the body.

A proper finish position has the legs extended vertically and the shoulders slightly behind the hips, which allows the weight of the trunk to help counterbalance the weight of the bar, which is stuck in front of the legs (rather than in the center of the body). So if you’re not reaching that, you’re out of balance.

Why you’re cutting the pull short isn’t obvious, but because this is a reduction in your previous performance and it only happens at heavier weights, I’d bet it’s a confidence issue. If you’re not confident, the natural response is to cut the pull short and rush under the bar because it seems like it’s a more reliable way to make it—the problem is that it’s the exact opposite.

So a few corrective suggestions. First, build up your pulling strength and confidence with heavy pulls and deadlift variations. Focus on complete extension with balance over the whole foot, and as a part of that, always actively bringing the bar back into your body, never moving your body forward to meet the bar.

Next, work on the pull under and turnover itself, both the mechanics and the confidence and aggression. Tall cleans, cleans from power position, or other high-hang or high block cleans. Focus on actively pulling the bar back into the rack position while maintaining the perfect front squat posture—never lean forward to chase after the bar.

Finally, you can do a complex of clean pull or clean pull to hold + clean to reinforce that pulling balance, further strengthen the pull, and gain confidence in your strength and positions.