If you’ve seen kettlebell lifters doing high-volume snatches in kettlebell sport then you might have wondered why some lift the foot, or rather lift the heel off the ground, and more importantly, whether this is correct.
If you’re doing Hardstyle snatches, where the focus is on power, i.e. strength and speed which involves heavy weight and fast low reps, then the answer is no it’s not correct to lift the foot. You want to remain grounded and use more force generated by the muscles rather than adjusting the body to be more efficient for pulling.
If you’re doing sportstyle snacthes, where the focus is endurance, i.e. lasting longer cardiovascular and muscular-wise, then the answer is yes it’s correct to lift the foot if that’s what the lifter wants to use.
How Does Lifting The Foot Help With Snatches?
To analyze how lifting the heel of the foot helps with kettlebell endurance snatches, let’s list some facts:
- The lifting of the heel is done on the same side that the weight is.
- The lifting of the heel allows the pelvis to shift.
- The non-lifted side remains the same while the other side of the pelvis is moved higher.
- The pelvis becomes slanted.
- A slanted pelvis allows the spine to easily move away from the weight.
The benefits are that it allows an additional range in the pull, and that pull is initiated from the heel, pelvis, spine, and from the arm to the weight. It also creates a shift of body weight which is in a better position to resist against the pull of the kettlebell (resistance).
With kettlebell sport there are many little nuances that can mean a whole world of difference in efficiency. Get started with your kettlebell sport journey today.
