Why Do I Keep Missing Cleans in Front?
You pull the clean.
It feels pretty good.
You get underneath it.
And then the bar dumps forward.
So naturally, your first thought is:
“I need to pull the bar higher.”
Maybe.
But probably not.
Missing a clean in front can happen for several completely different reasons. And if we don’t figure out which one is actually causing the miss, simply trying to pull harder might not fix anything.
First: Is the Bar Actually Going Forward?
This is the first thing I want to know.
Film your clean from the side and watch the relationship between your body and the bar.
Does the bar stay close?
Are you balanced over your whole foot during the pull? Or do you see the foot pressure shifting forward or back?
Does the bar start moving away from you?
If the bar gets pushed forward during the pull, you’ve created a situation where the bar will probably end up forward at the end of the lift.
Now you have to chase the bar forward just to get underneath it.
This can happen because the bar drifts away from the body off the floor, but it can also happen because of excessive horizontal contact at the thigh.
The goal isn’t to smash your hips into the bar and launch it forward.
We want to use the legs to accelerate the bar up.
Weightlifting is a vertical sport. We want to limit the amount of horizontal movement/forces during our lifts.
Are You Meeting the Bar?
Sometimes the pull is perfectly adequate.
The problem happens while getting underneath it.
If you pull yourself under the bar and simply fall into the bottom of your squat, the bar eventually has to come crashing down onto you.
This is why I hate the cue "Drop under the bar" or "Beat the bar".
Instead, I want athletes to actively meet the bar.
Pull underneath and attack the bar high. Then ride the bar into the bottom of the squat.
Check Your Front Rack
Sometimes the issue isn’t the pull at all.
You might simply have a difficult time establishing a strong receiving position.
Ideally, the bar is supported across the shoulders with the elbows up and the trunk braced.
If you can't establish a front rack with the elbows high enough, we need to work on developing a better front rack.
Sometimes moving in the hands in closer on the bar can help this but it's not a permanent fix.
You Might Just Need Stronger Legs
This is the least exciting answer, but sometimes the clean is technically fine.
You just aren’t strong enough to stand it up.
If you receive the bar in a good position, your balance looks good, and then you slowly get folded forward as you try to recover, we might have a strength problem.
That’s one reason the front squat is so valuable for weightlifters.
There comes a point where no technical cue is going to replace stronger legs.
Diagnose the Miss Before You Fix It
Two athletes can miss the exact same weight in front for completely different reasons.
One pushes the bar forward during the pull.
One never establishes tension underneath.
One has a poor front rack.
One simply isn’t strong enough to stand up.
The miss might look similar.
The solution isn’t.
That’s why I don’t love immediately telling an athlete to “pull harder” every time a clean falls forward.
Before we add more effort, we need to understand what actually went wrong.
Film your lifts.
Watch your balance.
Watch the bar path.
Pay attention to where you receive the bar.
Then attack the actual problem.
That’s how we approach weightlifting technique at STS.
Don’t just react to where the bar ended up. Figure out what put it there.
Want to Improve Your Clean Technique?
At STS Weightlifting and Performance in Naperville, we coach Olympic weightlifters and athletes to understand their technique and develop the strength they need to lift heavier weights.
Learn more about olympic weightlifting at STS.