Marked improvement

Lifting and getting better at lifting is fun, but there's a lot more to the sport than just getting stronger.  I'm strong and I am confident in my physical strength, but there are two crucial areas where I am not nearly as confident or strong.  My technique and understandings of the lifts are lacking quite a bit (I'm new!)and my mental training isn't as intense as my physical training(I'm lazy) ; those things need to change.  Some of them did this weekend.   Here's a video of how slow and in need of improvement (a nice way of saying awful) my snatches were on Friday....

On Saturday...one day later... my snatches got a lot better.  Ellyn invented a new training technique (?) to help me stay over the bar while I'm lifting instead of rocking back on my heels.  I'll describe it then show you a video.  Starting from the ground in a snatch position, solid with feet on the ground and tight back- Ellyn would actually push me to make sure my feet were solid and I was holding my breath-  Once I was set I would pull the bar to right under my knees and hold for two seconds, then move the bar up to right above my knees, hold for two seconds, and then go to my mid-thigh holding for two seconds and finishing with a snatch pull.  Sounds pretty simple- but if I had done this last week (without a pole) it would have looked a lot like the top video, but this weekend things clicked.  Here's a video of the pull and pause series and immediately after I'd do a full speed snatch. It shouldn't be hard to see the difference in speed and positions... if you're having trouble watch my feet.  

It was fun to snatch when it went how it was supposed to! Crazy thought, right?! Lots of things were made better this weekend. A lot of things were improved.  Tomorrow is the start of another week.  Another week closer to my first meet with a team.  19 days to be exact (that was for Kat).  Part of me is excited for the meet and part of me is nervous.  I think it all goes with the territory of being an athlete and being a competitor- but it's how a person/athlete responds to the nerves... practice the anxiety of the lifts in practice so you'll know how to deal with it in a competition.  

Random side note for anyone interested... I think tonight was the first time I put "snatch" and "improvement" in the same tag for the post and then smiled about it! Maybe I really am getting better! ;)