Kerri Asks: From what I've heard, you coach beginners with the same cues/ technique, and then as they progress, they develop their own ways of lifting (like you always coach split over squat jerk, different feet position, etc). At what point would you choose to try to correct them or let someone deviate from what you teach beginners and call it their own style of lifting.
 
The example I’m thinking of with myself is when I was taught snatch and clean, it was to start with your feet narrower than you catch. I feel a lot more comfortable and confident starting with a wider stance and not really moving my feet out at all, a slight slide if anything but barely any movement. I find that when I force myself to start narrower and try to land wider like that, I seem to over do it.
 
I'd say I'm a top beginner/ low intermediate lifter so recognize I still have a long way to go, but it seems counterproductive forcing my body to do something it’s uncomfortable and unconfident doing for the sake of lifting like everyone else? I really struggled with dropping under the bar in the snatch for the first 18 months of attempting to Olympic lift. I was introduced to the no foot movement snatch drill and literally changed my life—suddenly I could drop under and not just starfish and it just works for me, so I’m hesitant to go back to trying to move my feet more like everyone else does. Thoughts/ tips on individual style or incorrect lifting for my level (low level). Thanks!


Greg Says: There are a number of considerations here. The basic answer to the foot position question is no, you do not have to start narrower than you receive—it’s commonly taught because that’s what’s been proven to work best for the majority of lifters.
 
To the question of when you do allow lifters to move away from textbook technique and develop their own idiosyncratic style, it’s not a perfectly objective answer, but there are a number of important elements to keep in mind.
 
First, no new lifter does everything correctly. That divergence from textbook technique is not individual style, just a lack of ability. A critical question as time goes on is whether or not remaining divergences are representative of technical variances that are actually more effective for that lifter, or remaining errors that the lifter hasn’t yet corrected because they’re either difficult to correct, or the lifter simply isn’t trying to correct them.
 
If lifters are still demonstrating many technical errors, and especially if there is a lack of consistency in lift execution, regardless of how long they have been training, they are still beginners—they haven’t yet established the consistency that accompanies even basic proficiency. At that stage, the goal needs to remain working toward textbook technique, or close to it, until consistency is established—even if there are a couple remaining errors, as long as they’re always the same, it’s consistent and focus can be directed to taking care of them.


You talk about confidence and comfort—it’s important to bear in mind that neither inherently accompanies what’s correct or best for you, only what you’re presently accustomed to. With the foot position as an example, your body is going to revert increasingly with heavier weights to the position it’s most accustomed to—if you don’t have a well-developed squat position in which you’re strong, mobile and comfortable, your body isn’t going to put itself there in heavy snatches and cleans. This doesn’t mean that other stance is better for you, it just means you need to spend more time developing what is best for you.
 
Moving the feet in a lift can be a very technically difficult action, which is why for many beginners, not moving the feet feels better and produces better lifts. It’s also reassuring to continuously have the feet in contact with the floor, just like it’s more comfortable to step down off a box than to jump down. Again, being better at something as a beginner doesn’t mean that’s the best method for you long term—it just means you’re still learning, and that takes time and practice and consistent effort to make changes.
 
Now finally, having said all of that, my suggestion would be to look at the overall picture—what else is happening in your lifts. Are you not finishing the leg drive in your pull, and that’s why it’s so hard for you to move your feet? Are you imbalanced forward, so if you lift your feet, you get pulled forward and into a precarious receiving position, and therefore keeping your feet connected helps anchor you and minimize the damage? In other words, don’t give up on learning to move the feet yet—figure out why it seems so difficult, because it may be something that needs to be corrected, and by doing so, the foot movement issue will be resolved naturally. And finally, keep a long term perspective—don’t sacrifice your ultimate ability because you’re impatient for results immediately.