For Coaches: Teaching the Snatch to Beginners
Updated: 24 hours ago
A PVC pipe for everyone. An empty training bar waiting at the side. Bumper plates stacked but not yet loaded. Sixty minutes on the clock.
That's the setup for the first snatch lesson I run with beginners, and the point of it is simple: nobody touches weight until they own the positions. The snatch is the most technical lift most CrossFit athletes will ever learn. Taught well, it builds speed, mobility and confidence. Taught in a hurry, it builds habits that take months to undo and shoulders that complain.
I'm speaking partly from experience here. When I first learned the snatch, I was impatient and loaded the bar far too soon, and I spent a long time afterward unlearning an arm pull I'd grooved in those early weeks. So when you see me hold a strong, athletic beginner on a PVC pipe for a whole hour, that's why. Below is the lesson as I run it right now, block by block, with the reasoning behind each piece. I'm still a growing coach, and coaches with more years on the platform may teach it differently. Take what fits your athletes and gym and leave the rest.
IN THIS ARTICLE
The Hour at a Glance
Time | Block | Goal |
|---|---|---|
0 to 10 min | Warm-up and overhead screen | Find who can safely hold the bottom position |
10 to 20 min | Grip, stance and key positions | A shared language for the lift |
20 to 35 min | Top-down progression | Learn the finish and turnover first |
35 to 45 min | Receiving the bar | A stable catch in the overhead squat |
45 to 55 min | Putting it together | Full snatch with PVC or an empty bar |
55 to 60 min | Debrief and homework | One cue and one drill to take away |
Minutes 0 to 20: Screen, Then Build a Shared Language
After a general warm-up, have everyone perform a few overhead squats with a PVC pipe at a wide grip. Watch from the side. You're looking for three things: the pipe staying over the middle of the foot, the heels staying down and the lower back holding a neutral position at depth. Athletes who can't yet reach that position still take part in the lesson, but their receiving position will be higher, typically a power snatch, and their homework will include mobility work.
Then set the grip. A common approach is to find a width where, standing tall with straight arms, the bar sits in the crease of the hips. Mark it with tape or by noting the knurling. Use a hook grip once athletes are comfortable, and warn them it'll feel uncomfortable at first. It did for me too.
Name the key positions and have the group hold each one with the PVC: the start (bar over the midfoot, shoulders slightly in front of the bar, back flat), the knee (bar just below the knee, same back angle), the hip (bar in the hip crease, torso upright, knees soft) and the overhead (bar locked out over the back of the neck, armpits turned forward, active shoulders). Say the names every time. A group that shares words learns faster.
Minutes 20 to 35: Top-Down, Because the Finish Matters Most
The top-down approach is one I learned from more experienced coaches and courses, and it's what works best for my beginners so far. Teaching the snatch from the top down means athletes learn the most important parts first: an aggressive hip extension and a fast turnover under the bar. By the time you reach the floor, they already know where the lift is going.
Work through this sequence with PVC, 3 to 5 reps of each, and correct in between:
High pull from the hip: extend hips and knees, then pull elbows high and outside, keeping the bar close
Muscle snatch from the hip: the same, but turn the bar over into the overhead position without re-bending the knees
Power snatch from the hip: extend, then move the feet quickly to a squat stance and catch above parallel
Snatch from the hip into a full squat
Hang snatch from mid-thigh, then from just above the knee
The fault to watch most closely is the early arm pull, where athletes bend the elbows and try to lift the bar with their arms before the hips have finished. It's the exact fault I fought for months. Cue "long arms, then jump," and bring them back to the hip if the pattern breaks.
Coach's cue: Position before speed, every rep, every day.
Minutes 35 to 45: Teaching Them to Catch
Beginners often pull well and then fear the bottom. Give that fear respect by building the receiving position deliberately. Start with the overhead squat, slow and controlled, pausing for two to three seconds at the bottom. Progress to a drop snatch or snatch balance from behind the neck with PVC, which teaches athletes to move under the bar rather than wait for it.
I love this part of the lesson. There's usually one nervous athlete who hesitates on every drop, riding the pipe halfway down. Then, on some rep, they commit, land in a solid squat and look up surprised. That look is the lesson working, and I make sure to tell them what they just did right.
This is also the moment to teach bailing, before anyone lifts anything that could require it. With an empty bar or PVC, practice missing behind: push the bar back and away while stepping or jumping forward out of the way. Then missing in front: push the bar forward and step back. Only teach this with bumper plates and with enough space around every lifter, and make it a rule that nobody holds onto a lost bar. On platforms, set spacing so a dropped bar or a stepping athlete can't reach a neighbor.
Minutes 45 to 60: Putting It Together and Sending Them Home
Now take the lift to the floor. Have athletes perform a slow first pull from the floor to the knee, pause, and then complete the hang snatch they practiced earlier. Gradually remove the pause. Keep the load at PVC or an empty training bar for everyone in the first session, even your strongest members. Strength isn't the limiting factor today; positions are.
In the final five minutes, gather the group. Give each athlete one personal cue, based on what you saw, and one drill for homework, such as three sets of five PVC overhead squats with a pause, or hang muscle snatches. Remind them that some wrist, shoulder or hip tightness is normal while mobility improves, but that sharp pain or pain that lingers is a reason to stop and, if it persists, see a physiotherapist.
Coaching Notes for the Weeks That Follow
Plan several more sessions before athletes snatch with meaningful load in a class workout. Add weight in small steps, only while positions hold, and return to PVC or the empty bar whenever a pattern breaks. In class, give beginners a clear alternative, such as a hang power snatch with a light bar or a dumbbell snatch, rather than letting them improvise.
Respect the details, and don't rush the athlete to your timeline. A beginner who spends a few extra weeks with an empty bar builds a lift that holds up far better under load than one rushed onto plates in week one. I'd know.
Keep Building Your Coaching Toolkit
Teaching the snatch well is one of the most satisfying jobs in coaching, and I'm still getting better at it with every group. Structure the hour, protect the positions and let speed arrive when it's ready.
If some of your athletes want to take their training further than class allows, ATHLETESPHERE offers individual coaching that can work alongside your gym. And if you'd like to talk about coaching, programming or how we could support your members, get in touch with me directly.
Your turn. I'm still learning as a coach too. If you run this differently in your gym, share it in the comments below. I read every one and would love to learn from you. If it was useful, tap the heart so more coaches find it.
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Further reading: USA Weightlifting
Coach Fritz Bautista · Head Coach, ATHLETESPHERE
CrossFit Level 2 Trainer (CF-L2) ✓ · CrossFit Programming Certificate · MBA · Digital Marketing Certified · Coaching athletes from all walks of life online
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