As with any movement, having a great setup is essential. Always launch yourself into motion from the most ideal setup possible as no amount of strength or skill technique will compensate for a poor setup. Please spend the time to establish your starting foot position and commit to becoming consistent.
The finishing position is just as important to commit to consistency, regardless of which Olympic-style lift you are performing. This finishing position also marks how you will be receive anywhere from no load (or body-weight) to your personal bests. Having to adapt your finishing foot position for a specific lift or load will only introduce more variables, and thus more misses. Spend the time to nail down your finishing foot position, make it repeatable, and make deliberate.
The starting foot position is typically hip width apart (feet under hip). Toes are straight forward, or slightly turned out, in the starting position. The finishing foot position is typically wider than the start at shoulder width apart (feet under shoulders), with toes slightly turned out.
The transition between the start and finishing position is a swift jump and land. If the start and finish foot positions are not identical with every rep, the jump and land will be even more inconsistent. This leads to missed lifts, most often caused by an unbalanced take-off and landings that drive the bar to travel too far forward or too far back.
The starting position is trivial and essentially the same for most athletes, so here are some drills and tips for finding your ideal finishing foot position:
1. The goal is to first find the ideal finishing position that is the most comfortable AND powerful - maximize your mobility (range of motion), speed, and strength between the start and finish.
2. In finishing foot position, perform a body-weight air squat with arms straight forward and hands in front. Squat to full depth to test your range and form. This mimics the postural demands of the back squat. How does it feel to squat down, at the bottom, and coming up?
3. In finishing foot position, perform a body-weight air squat with arms bent, elbows up in front, and hands behind the neck. Squat to full depth to test your range and form. This mimics the postural demands of the front squat. How does it feel to squat down, at the bottom, and coming up?
4. In finishing foot position, perform a body-weight air squat with arms straight up, hands together overhead. Squat to full depth to test your range and form. This mimics the postural demands of an overhead squat. How does it feel to squat down, at the bottom, and coming up?
5. If any of the three variations of overhead squats feel awkward and vulnerable, continue to test different foot positions (width, angle) with these squats until you find something fitting. Perhaps the greatest enabler is mobility, so work on that if you can not find a comfortable finishing finishing foot position.
6. Mark your ideal positions with tape or chalk at the start of every session. Hit those markers from here on until you are consistent with every rep.
Diane’s Bio
Diane Fu is a rising star coach in the world of strength & conditioning and CrossFit. As an Olympic-style weightlifting specialist and in a field that’s been dominated by men, Diane has been on a mission to introduce the sport of Olympic-style Weightlifting to athletes of ages, levels, and abilities.
Coaching is a passion for Diane, and it has become an expression of her knowledge and experience she uses to enable others to perform better. Just like her lifting style, Diane's talent for coaching has a masterful sense of order and precision. Diane is the consummate teacher who brings everything she has to give in helping her athletes meet their potential. As with any sport, Diane is constantly learning about everything she can about weightlifting styles, theories, and methods locally and abroad to improve and perfect her body of knowledge and her work.
Diane currently works as a Strength & Conditioning Coach at San Francisco CrosSFit and is also the founder of FuBarbell -- a concept and lifting club established in 2011 to create an environment to bridge the gap between the Olympic-style weightlifting world and anyone interested in exploring this sport recreationally and competitively.