June: The Jerk

While most, if not all, competitors have experienced it, there may be no worse feeling, in all of weightlifting, than missing a jerk, especially after an ‘easy’ clean.

            Two Time Olympian Wes Barnett, who only missed 4 competition jerks in his entire career can attest to the empty feeling that a missed jerk leaves behind. “It is like you let everyone down.”

            With this in mind and with the expert input of the USAW’s Coaching Education Curriculum the USAW Community Development Training Site would like to present thoughts on the Jerk itself. Key Points, suggestions of a teaching progression, the  identification of common errors and possible corrections.

 

  1. I) Commonly accepted body positions for the Classical Split Jerk
  2. A) Body Position

                                    1) Straight and ‘tight’

                                    2) Head is forward and ‘neutral’

                                    3) Feet are in alignment and in the ‘pulling’ position

           

 

                       

  1. B) Barbell Position

                                    1) Bar ‘rests’ on the anterior deltoids

                                    2) The grip is, actually, relaxed

  1. C) The “Dip”

                                    1) Drop Hips, as if sitting into a chair

                                    2) The Dip is short, shallow, straight and quick

                                    3) Maintain contact during the dip

  1. a) Do not allow the bar to get ‘separation’ from the

                                               shoulders

  1. D) The “Drive”

                                    1) As soon as the athlete ‘dips’ and feels that they are

                                    ‘flat-footed’ (This is often referred to as Jerking “off

                                     the heels”) The athlete drives upwards right back

                                     were they came from.

  1. E) The Split

                                    1) The feet move an equal distance fore and aft.

                                    2) The front foot should move One and One half shoe

                                     lengths from the starting position

                                    3) Both feet should land at the same time

                                    4) The Knee of the front foot should be behind the tip             

                                     of the shoe and the foot flat to the platform. (The shin

                                     should be perpendicular (90′) to the knee joint)

                                    5) The rear leg is slightly bent

                                    6) The rear foot is on the ‘ball’ with the heel ‘up

                                    7) The original ‘pulling position’ lateral distance is

                                     maintained. This means that the feet drive straight

                                     forward and not ‘wider’ or more narrow in width then

                                     their starting position

  1. F) Recovery

                                    1) Front foot comes ‘back’ a half step

                                    2) Rear foot comes ‘forward’ a half step.

                                    3) Front foot comes ‘back’ into alignment with rear

                                     foot.

 

  1. II) Key Points

            Once the lifter has recovered from the clean, they should step their feet back into line until they are approximately in their ‘pulling’ position. This position, sometimes referred to as the ‘vertical jump’ position has been found to be most efficient for exerting upward force through the body and into the barbell. The barbell should rest on the shoulders and upper chest.

            It is essential that the lifter GET SET for the jerk in the most methodical manner possible.  Many athletes take a deep breath before jerking so that they inflate the chest cavity providing a solid ‘platform’ that supports the weight during the dip and drive phase of the movement.

            Arm position, prior to jerking is also ‘worthy of note’. The barbell should NOT be gripped tightly and, in fact a slack grip should be adopted  

            IF the lifter grips the barbell tightly the arms and shoulders may tense up and the lifter will tend to push the barbell away from their shoulders which will cause a re-action of pushing themselves away from the barbell, ending up behind it and losing the jerk out in front.

            A lot of discussion has been about, exactly, where to place the elbows and without getting into all the possible variations it is suggested that when the grip is relaxed, the elbows will go, comfortably, to where they should anatomically. Now this will cause each lifter to look different but if the basic Bio-mechanics that govern The Jerk are adhered to it will not create any concern.”

            WHAT IS IMPORTANT is that the elbows do not change position when the dip occurs. This is true for both ‘fingertip’ Jerkers or traditional Jerkers

            The DIP is, without question, the most important phase of the jerk.  When a jerk is lost it is usually lost here. This is when the lifter exerts maximum force on the barbell before moving into the receiving position.

            Keeping the body completely vertical the athlete bends the knees. “Drop your hips as if you are sitting into a chair.” This makes you both flatfooted and ‘sets’ the weight back and not forward. The athlete should feel the weight on their heels. The dip is quick and shallow. If the athlete dips to deep the weight will shift forward and a forward lean will result in a total disaster.

The speed of the dip is also of importance because if it is too fast the athlete will lose contact with the shoulders. Too slow and the athletes knees will get driven forward and the barbell will follow right along.

            As soon as the athlete dips they should ‘drive out of it’. The result of this is similar to the process of blocking in both the high jump and the long jump. The quick turn around of momentum will cause that force to be exerted onto the barbell and assist in the lift being successful. (In jumping blocking helps turn horizontal momentum into vertical momentum.)

            Contrary to popular belief athletes do not drive the barbell up very far, nor should they try to. What they should strive to do is STEP THROUGH THE JERK. The lifter drives, with leg extension, up into the toes before splitting the legs both fore and aft. The athlete should not push with their arms against the bar (because in reality MOST athletes are jerking weights that are in excess of their body-weight) as this will result in them being pushed away from the barbell. To jerk well the athlete must drive with their legs and wedge themselves under the barbell. Once the athlete lands and is in proper position NOW they push against the barbell with their arms. This action is swift and dealt with authority and as such will accelerate the lifters descent under the barbell into the final receiving position with the hips and shoulders in alignment and the elbows locked out.

            When the feet land they should not stamp hard onto the platform. If this does occur the force is transferred back into the lead leg and causes it to straighten. This will, in the domino effect, cause the rear leg to be pushed out of its correct position and now the athlete is scrambling to try and save the lift.

            The recovery should be controlled and unhurried. IT IS important the athlete recovery front foot back first. When the athlete does this it pushes the barbell back into the shoulder girdle and onto a bone support position. If the athlete recovers back foot forward, first, the jerk can be lost forward after all the work has been done.

Jerking weights is an extremely complex skill. More and more in elite competition we are seeing vital, if not critical, jerks lost, there are many theories as to why. In my way of thinking the athletes are finding it very hard to hold weights overhead in the split with the shoulders, hips and arms in one line. Developing shoulder strength equal to the athlete’s hip and leg strength is a challenge that coaches and athletes must meet”.

 

 

III) Teaching Progressions

            When Zygmunt Smalcerz first became the Coach of the Resident Program he noticed that the athletes needed a lot of attention on the area of the jerk and developed a very effective set of teaching progressions that have become an integral part of the athletes training

The Jerk Progressions begins with the Press followed by the Push Press which is the press with a dip and drive. The third progression is the Push Jerk. The lifter begins the power jerk with the bar held on the chest and shoulders similar to the front squat. From this position, the legs are bent smoothly. When the athlete has lowered the bar slightly, the downward “dip” ceases crisply and the lifter drives the bar upward with the legs. As soon as this impulse is delivered to the bar, the lifter descends and the arms push upward against the bar, driving the body downward under the bar and locking the arms out rapidly.

A series of footwork drills, developed by Senior International Coach Artie Dreschler, have been developed to assist the athlete in progressing to the Split Jerk. These drills teach correct positioning and balance for receiving the bar.

 

 While practicing the footwork drills, the athlete can become comfortable with driving the bar over head by practicing Push Jerks.

The footwork drills contains four stages Split without Dip (pre bend)

Purpose: To ensure that the athlete is driving from the dip in a balanced position and not traveling forward in the split.

The athlete begins by standing with their hands on their hips and feet in the proper position. From this position, the lifter bends the knees slightly and pauses. The lifter then drives up and into the split position. The coach should ensure the lifter is properly balanced with weight distributed evenly.

Split with Dip (counter movement)

Purpose: To ensure that the athlete can mimic the dip, drive and receiving position.

The athlete begins by standing with their hands on their hips and feet in the proper position. From this position, the lifter dips and drives into the split position. The coach should ensure the lifter is properly balanced with weight distributed evenly.

 

Split without Dip with Stick Overhead (pre bend)

Purpose: To teach the correct torso position and bar placement overhead.

The athlete begins by standing with the bar overhead. From this position, the lifter bends the knees slightly and pauses. The lifter then jumps into the split position. The coach should ensure the lifter is properly balanced with weight distributed evenly and the bar properly placed overhead.

Split with Dip with Stick Overhead (counter movement)

Purpose: To teach the correct torso position and bar placement overhead.

The athlete begins by standing with the bar overhead. From this position, the lifter dips then drives into the split position. The coach should ensure the lifter is properly balanced with weight distributed evenly and the bar properly placed overhead.

 

 

 

 

 

Transitioning From the Footwork and Power Jerk Practice to the Split Jerk

Once the lifter has mastered the footwork and has learned to drive the bar up with the legs, the lifter is ready to begin practicing the complete split jerk. Coaches may have the lifter begin a set with one or two reps of the footwork exercise and then have the lifter attempt a split jerk for three reps.

Once the athlete is performing the jerk correctly, the initial footwork can be eliminated from the set and the athlete can practice the jerk.

 

Once an athlete has mastered the fundamentals they may use more of Coach Smalcerz advanced jerk movements to address more complex technique issues.

The most common Jerk Exercises used by the Resident Team are charted below

Press in Split
Starting Position: Barbell in the “catch” position of the clean

Athlete is in split jerk position

Movement: Press the barbell into a straight overhead position
Key Points: Proper position with the chest and head in upright position
Benefits: Warm-up exercise that teaches the athlete proper positioning. Also teaches the athlete to push against the bar in the split.
Weight: Very light weight 30-40%
Reps/ Sets 3-4 Sets/ 3 Reps

 

Jerk Step
Starting Position: Barbell in the “catch” position of the clean

Athlete is standing erect

Movement: Athlete steps forward quickly and effectively until they achieve the “Catch” position

The athlete returns to the erect position to finish reps

Key Points: Proper position with the chest and head in upright position
Benefits: Teaches the athlete proper landing position and distance
Weight: 40-60%
Reps/ Sets 3-4 Sets/ 3 Reps

 

Split Clean from Blocks
Starting Position: Barbell on the Blocks
Movement: Athlete performs a clean and lands in a split jerk position
Key Points: Focus is on the landing position
Benefits: This exercise is very beneficial for athletes that are not “stepping through’ the jerk and leaving their front foot ‘short’ of the preferred position and if the athlete has a tendency to lean backwards in the receiving position of the jerk and if the rear leg is too straight at the knee.
Weight: Up to 75%
Reps/ Sets 3-4 Sets/ 2-3 Reps

 

Jerk Behind + Jerk
Starting Position: Barbell on the shoulders in clean grip
Movement: Athlete performs a jerk from behind the neck followed by a jerk from the rack position
Key Points: Typically, when an athlete jerks with the barbell behind their head they, naturally, point the elbows downward. The bar is positioned below where it should end up and this makes the dip, drive and the step through straighter. The hope is that a jerk from behind the head will influence the athlete to perform the same Dip, Drive, and step through is a similar manner.
Benefits: This exercise should be used for athletes that lose their positions and put the barbell out in front.
Weight: Up to 80%
Reps/ Sets 2-3 Sets/ 2-3 Reps