I spent the weekend in Houston helping lead a CrossFit weightlifting trainers course with Josh Everett, Ursula, Amie Taylor, and Matt Bruce. One of the things we focused on all weekend long was putting yourself in specific positions for power application. It is critical when lifting to intentionally focus on putting yourself in the most powerful positions possible. There is no better example of this fact, in my mind, than watching Matt Bruce lift. In fact, at lunch Matt and I did a snatch-off and both worked up to 125kg. Granted Matt has been retired for a little bit and that is literally the only reason I was able to stay in the same ballpark with him but one thing that he has not lost is his speed. His speed comes from power application and very specific positions throughout lift. I took both of our top snatches and did a six minute comparison showing these positions and the strength and stability that Matt had as compared to my lack thereof. Take a look at this video. It is six minutes long but well worth the time spent watching it. Mainly just to see how much stronger and stable Matt is, even in his retirement state, then my long lanky body.
Matt vs Spencer Snatch Comparison