Teaching Cleans

Many kids dont understand how cleans/power cleans is a lower body explosive movement and try to "pull" the bar with the upper body. You can see that upper body pull when the break their elbows early. As Coach Burgener says, "When the elbow bends, the power ends." I was trying to explain this to one of my football players and decided to use the IPhone to help with some video.

Now there is a tiny difference between the first and second videos but the form is so much better.

I teach a clean progression of Jump Shrug, High Pull, Front Squat and Tall Clean all to reinforce technique for cleans. When a kid breaks their elbows early I remind them to get in a good high pull and drop under the bar. It's all about "Jump, "Shrug," and "Pull."