Hand & Wrist Position in the Snatch & Jerk

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The hand and wrist position overhead in the snatch or jerk needs to provide the most security and stability possible with the least strain on the joints.
Imagine your arm and hand like the post and cradle of a squat rack. The wrist should be extended so the base of the palm is directed somewhat upward. Position the bar in the palm, slightly behind the midline of the forearm. Then simply close your grip around the bar.
Grip tension should be only what’s necessary to maintain control. Excessive grip tension reduces the ability of the elbows to lock out completely and at maximal speed.
Holding the bar farther toward the fingers with extreme wrist extension places dramatically more stress on the joints and reduces stability. Such a position will also often cause soft elbows overhead.
This positioning is typically a compensation for limited shoulder mobility because it allows the lifter to move the bar farther back without opening the shoulder more. It can also result from never having developed the strength to support a better position, nearly always resulting in a dependence on wrist wraps even with light weights.
A neutral wrist position creates instability because the hand is equally prone to rocking in both directions rather than being pulled constantly in one direction. A neutral position also places more strain on the wrist and demands a more active grip just to keep the bar secure.
Experiment with minor adjustments to this basic position until you find what provides you the most stability and security with the least discomfort.
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[@LiamFiesta]

I swear you have an answer to every single question I have. Thanks for the info

[@saltband9246]

Thank you so much I have been dealing with pain in my wrist and my forearm so bad 😭😭

[@JammaKid123]

I was just thinking about this and lo' and behold, Catalyst just comes in and does me a knowledge. Thanks for sharing Gregg!

[@sebastiencosmos]

Your vidéos are very cool!!! Thank you from France 🫡

[@slideweasel]

Your videos are full of insight, thanks a lot

[@danielgoodwin5902]

Thanks, Greg.

[@LinglongPingPongChingChong]

thank you very much for this.

[@kilokave7962]

Love your videos, thank you.

[@howtosnatch]

I never considered being neutral makes it literally twice as hard. Thanks!

[@bartbtsful]

So hard to think about it during snatch. Mostly things are just happening after the second pull 😂

[@bryangoodwin3000]

So we don't just pick it up and put it over head? Haha JK. So many nuances to these lifts. That's why I love training olympic weightlifting! Thanks for these great vids!

[@addokittokautama1979]

Hello sir, I've been experiencing minor wrist pain (dull pain and stiffness) but it has no effect on my lift, and I don't feel pain when lifting, just the day after. Are wrist pain inevitable and I need to man up (I've been following @becomingtough , wkwk) or, there's something wrong with my grip/positioning and normally oly lift doesn't cause wrist pain?

[@CatalystAthletics]

Lifting should not cause pain - pain indicates something is wrong. It may just be some initial conditioning to something new - give it some time and add some grip and wrist strength work. Start with this - kzbin.info/www/bejne/rKfbmqCNfpZggK8

[@addokittokautama1979]

@@CatalystAthletics Thank you sir

[@Yupppi]

I always wonder if it's just an illusion, but it feels to me like the wrist position happens naturally when pushing the bar towards the roof. To be fair I don't think my wrist position has problems, but it's not that hard to think you have fine positions in lifting when you don't see and test where your body is.

[@CatalystAthletics]

It does happen naturally IF the bar is in the right place in the hand AND you're not intentionally trying to achieve a different position - and those things are often not happening for various reasons, such as poor instruction.

[@ahmads4873]

Goood advance 👌🏻💪🏻💪🏻

[@TheKupko]

I have wide grip for snatch, I'm holding bar similar as it is explained in video, but with heavier weights my wrists getting stretched and pinched or whatever, it hurts. Especially if I wanna hold bar overhead with snatch grip for a longer time (ohs, sn push press, complexes). So far it doesn't seems like my wrists are getting used to it

[@CatalystAthletics]

You may have to use a narrower grip if you can't condition your wrists to such a wide position. The reality is that not everyone is perfectly physically suited to the sport, so you may have to modify certain things to avoid pain.

[@TheKupko]

@@CatalystAthletics I have probably worst body (long limbs) for weightlifting and if I narrow grip I will pulverize my pubic bone, but thanks for answer.

[@CatalystAthletics]

@@TheKupko That's what I'm talking about - you're going to have to find less than optimal modifications to the lift to accommodate your proportions. If you go narrower, you can shrug up and back in the second pull to get the bar to contact higher, or bend arms slightly if you absolutely have to (also be sure you're staying over the bar long enough). In any case, at least one thing is going to be less than ideal. See this - kzbin.info/www/bejne/jXqwh4aQbL11r7s

[@ah7027]

@@TheKupko adjusting your hands shouldn't affect your pubic bone if you have a good technique. If it is your most likely making to much contact at the hips. But ya narrowing your grip will take some stess off of your wrists. So youll either have to improve your wrist strength/ flexibility or learn to snatch with a narrower grip.

[@dkcoolmed]

Thanks Greg. What’s your take on wrist wraps for stability and injury prevention ? Whether it’s useful or otherwise ,does it depend on lifter experience or percentage loading or individual variation in athletes ? Ps : you did briefly demonstrate wrist warmup in ur previous warmup videos.

[@CatalystAthletics]

I think they should be used only if truly needed. Some lifters start wearing them early in their careers with all lifts and the result is that they never develop the strength to support the weights they eventually can lift, meaning they're totally dependent on them. It's like wearing a belt from day one on even your lightest lifts - will your trunk get stronger? Yes, but not nearly as much as it would without the belt. So focus on training the correct, strong, stable position, and if you eventually reach a point where you're lifting heavy weights and you feel you can't reasonably support the good position without them, then put them on.

[@dkcoolmed]

Catalyst Athletics thanks Greg. Much appreciated.

[@david.holland]

What about this though, Greg? kzbin.info/www/bejne/hJqbnpKkipZ_edk What's the difference between the neutral grip and your recommendation if there is no extension?

[@CatalystAthletics]

Didn't watch it but to answer your question - there IS wrist extension in what I'm recommending. It's not maximal, and the critical point is that the bar is over the forearm, not behind it. Rewatch the video because I think you're misunderstanding what I'm saying - you definitely are if you're thinking I'm saying no wrist extension - I actually say it - "the wrist should be extended so the base of the palm is directed somewhat upward"

[@david.holland]

@@CatalystAthletics Thanks, Greg. I'm following you.