Biomechanical Comparison of Successful and Unsuccessful Snatches in Japanese Top-class Female Weightlifters

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to clarify the success factors of snatches in elite Japanese female weightlifters from the viewpoint of biomechanics. Data were collected at the All-Japan championships. The data in this study included successful and unsuccessful (due to a backward barbell drop) snatch lifts achieved using the same weights by the same lifter. This study analyzed the snatch motion and barbell trajectory of 11 lifters. The results revealed significant differences in the barbell backward and forward displacement and forward peak velocity, which were significantly smaller in a successful snatch lift than in an unsuccessful lift (p＜0.01). The COM forward displacement and forward peak velocity in a successful snatch lift were significantly smaller than in an unsuccessful lift (p＜0.01). Furthermore, there was no significant difference in the maximum barbell height between successful and unsuccessful lifts. Based on these findings, we concluded that maximum barbell height is not a success factor for snatches in elite female Japanese weightlifters. Decreased barbell forward and backward displacement in the second pull phase to catch each phase and decreased COM forward displacement during drop under the barbell increase the probability of success without a backward barbell drop in the snatch motion.