Combating Negative beliefs about explosive lifts

RLB49 -

I guess that I am a member of the anti-Olympic lifting contingent, but for different reasons. We don't do Olympic lifts because:

1. I don't feel that I am good enough at Olympic lifts to coach the technique correctly
2. The VAST majority of my kids don't need to do explosive lifts. They just need to get lean and strong. IMO, Olympic-style lifts really don't achieve either of those two goals.

Here's some other thoughts on "explosive" lifts:

1. ANY lift can be done explosively (think speed bench/speed squat/speed deadlift)
2. The learning curve with speed squats/speed bench/speed dead lift is much lower than with Olympic-style lifts. Rather than spending weeks or months trying to teach a kid how to power clean correctly, I would rather get going with box squats.
3. Because speed squats/speed bench/speed dead lift is not as complicated, more weight can be used.

Just my thoughts.

you can do safer explosive lifts like

jerk press
push press
db squat jumps

we still do cleans
snatch

teach them with dumbells first, work our way up to the real thing

this year, at a new school, with young kids that had NEVER lifted before

we only got to basic cleans, and we are getting the idea, but I have kept their weight down, it is more of a down the road help

my main thing is squats, chains, powerlifting type stuff, but we do have explosive phases within our offseason

Men,
even though we may have differences in some lifts, I appreciate your responses and respect your opinions. I'm wondering why nobody has jumped in to defend cleans, etc.?
I'm with the thinking that if I could only do one lift it would be the squat. I know what they did for me and I'm a believer until the end on this one!
I got thicker in my neck, wider in the chest and my legs were like tree trunks when I dedicated to it.
I guess that since I have competed in cleans, etc. I feel that I can coach the heck out of them. I even video tape a kids for and have them come in to evaluate this technique vs. may video, or competions.
I understand the time investment, but I really believe that at some point the time invested pays off big time.
Our philosophy is that frosh do NOT add weight they use the bar and 10's MAX. smaller kids just the bar, and this is done at the end of the work out. We only care about form.
Sophs can only increase weight if their form improves, then they are not allowed to ever max or get close to maxing. We only care about form!!
Juniors/Seniors after having 2 years of practice are the only ones who are allowed to get heavier, and they still are watched like a hawk/videoed, etc. As soon a form changes they are not allowed to increase until form improves. I
AND it is a great site to hear a senior who is able to look for problems and help work with the younger kids.

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Originally posted by: RushLB49
Men,
even though we may have differences in some lifts, I appreciate your responses and respect your opinions.

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RushLB49 -

Based on the contributions you have made to this site, I would say that your athletes are very fortunate to have you as a coach. Your weightroom philosophy is solid and you sound like a coach who is experienced and well-qualified to teach the Olympic lifts.

Like Coach Easton always says, you have to go with what you know!

GCTIGER,
thanks. I appreciate it.
I noticed that you are in Cincinnati. Do you play Colerain HS? I saw their coach speak and it sounded like his team was LOADED w/ talent!

Rush,I am coming to your defense.If we wer to do only 1 lift,it would be the power clean.It is explosive,and works the whole body.The best lift for football is the power clean.It has and always will be a part of the weight workout.One accident should not deter the lift.How many days/lifts have occurred without an accident?One injury in the game of football and we should stop playing the game?POWER CLEAN!!!!!!!!!!

Rush,

A story about explosive lists. About 5 years ago a bunch of our players went to a college camp together that runs the same offense that we do. Between sessions in the afternoon they would go and lift together using the BFS program. Since it was a Wedensday they were doing cleans and dead lifts. Several players from a another very talented conference school were also at camp and lifting at that time and had their shirts off doing curls and looking in the mirror. Our players got a real mental edge from that and it helped us beat that team during the regular season.

One of the rules in our weightroom is "No Curls Allowed in the Squat Rack".