Coaching Roundtable: Olympic Weightlifting for Throwers (Part 3)

The coaching roundtable on Olympic weightlifting started last week off by discussing lifting variations and lifting technique with some top Olympic lifting coaches. For this final part I thought it would be best to hear from throwing coaches and see how they actually implement Olympic lifting in their training plans. I was able to talk to two of the top coaches in America, Don Babbitt and Dan Lange, to get their input on the topic.

The Coaches

Don Babbitt has been the throws coach at the University of Georgia for eighteen years in which his athletes captured 12 NCAA titles, and 68 All-American honors. Chris Hill (javelin) and Jenny Dahlgren (hammer) also set NCAA records under his guidance. In addition, he has worked with athletes like Olympic champion Adam Nelson (shot put), Reese Hoffa (shot put), Breaux Greer (javelin), Jason Tunks (discus), Brad Snyder (shot put), Andras Haklits (hammer) and many other international champions.

Dan Lange has the honor of being the only living American to have coached an Olympic hammer throw champion. In 24 years as throws coach for the University of Southern California, Lange’s athletes have won 8 NCAA championships and 58 All-American honors. His most successful athletes have been Balazs Kiss, 1996 Olympic champion and NCAA record holder, and Adam Setliff, who he worked with post-collegiatelly as he qualified for two Olympic finals in the discus. Lange also worked with Kevin McMahon for a season.

Part 1: Selecting the Right Lifts

Part 2: Lifting Technique

Part 3: Input From Throwing Coaches

Martin: What Olympic lifts are the most essential for throwers?

Don Babbitt: I think all the Olympic lifts have some value for the throws. They were key in the training for my elite throwers, from Adam Nelson in the shot put to Breaux Greer in the javelin.

As for the one with the most I would say the snatch and it’s variations (narrow grip, single arm, etc…). I think the length of the pull in the snatch does simulate the length of the pull in the throws, especially when done with a power catch. The way this power snatch is performed will mimic the focus and intensity in some ways that a thrower approaches a delivery of an implement.

The triangle coach Lange aims for in the Olympic lifts, as demonstrated on Wil Flemings Homepage

Dan Lange: In general we do power cleans and power snatch. I am interested in the force generated from the knees up, even though we are lifting from the ground. I am looking at the shoulder-knees-hips triangle. Everything we do is around developing the power in that range of motion.

Martin: Do you use some lifts more for some events? Why?

Don Babbitt: I use the pressing variations more for the shot put than the other throws (such as the push press, Jerk, and Neider press). There is a pushing and extension movement at the end of the shot that is not seen in the other throws which is why I use it. I tend to use both cleans and snatches for all four throwing disciplines. I mainly look at the Olympic lifts as a way to train the athlete to work off the ground, so I don’t get too particular with specificity of movement per a certain event. In the big scheme of things the lifts are not that specific (something like a pud throw may be much more specific in terms of movement for the hammer)

Dan Lange: In the Olympic lifts we have no real variation between throwers in different events, with the exception that hammer guys aren’t doing much upper body lifting. I have been anti-upper body strength for hammer throwers. Noah Bryant, for example, probably could have thrown much further in the hammer but he had too much upper body involvement in the throw. He wasn’t able to reach the level of relaxation that a pure hammer thrower needs in order to maximize their potential in the event. I generally find this to be a challenge when coaching multiple event athletes.

Martin: How do you approach technique for the Olympic lifts? For example, many throwers do only hangs. Others use variations specifically tailored to the throwing events. What is unique about your approach?

Don Babbitt: I don’t get too particular with specific things. I do like a power catch for both clean and snatch. I just want the throwers to stay on task. I tend not to use high pulls, unless there is an injury to work around because these can quickly degenerate (for the purpose of lifting more weight) into “low drops” instead of “high pulls” so the purpose of the lift is defeated. I will incorporate lifts from a hang from time to time, but I like the mix in the variations off the floor as well. I tend to see that too much time on hang cleans allows the thrower to “refine” their drop and catch with the weight so their performance goes up due to technique and not necessarily power development, which is why I like to mix it up. Just like mixing up throws of different weights. One thing I found out with the rhythm cleans is that people can lift more weight with them at the last pull since each pull can get higher. I had an athlete that could maybe single 180kg in the clean but could do 200kg for three with a rhythm clean. However, I do think there is value in all these types of variations so I don’t mean to be completely critical, but I am very careful to regulate that the lift does not morph over into something designed just to lift more weight, just for the sake of saying you lifted more weight. The issue is not just confined to the university athletes I coach but to the world class throwers as well.

Dan Lange: Like I said we’re looking for strength in that particular range of motion. Everything is done with this in mind and I have a few points we emphasize:

• When we do hang cleans we do them from the knees since it correlates better to the throws. Doing them from the thigh is decreasing that triangle.
• We also try not to drop too much. We will drop, but not to get big numbers. We only do it if I think it will help us get stronger from the knees up. I’m not personally interested in the numbers much at all as long there is progress. Either they are getting stronger or they are not getting stronger.
• I try to avoid the shrug at all costs. Olympic lifters are trying to get the bar an inch higher and sneak under it. We are not Olympic lifters. There is no other sport where the shrug is effective. For example there is no point in the throws where a shrug movement is beneficial. I tell my athletes to leave shrugging for the classroom.
• I don’t teach the jump off the ground. I want their feet to stay in contact the whole time. We try to get way up on the toes. It is just applying force as long as possible.
• Similarly I also generally try to teach just one pull in a straight line. There is no hip pop; no second pull.

Martin: Any other notes you think are important for throwers concerning Olympic lifts.

Don Babbitt: I will say in general, that I have seen that the top throwers tend to be stronger than lesser throwers in the Olympic lifts. This may not be necessarily true for the power lifts, so having said that I do think Olympic lifts do help develop the ability to throw farther than other lifting methods, and they can serve as performance indicators in some cases. There are lots of variation to these lifts as well, so use them when appropriate, they can be very effective. Try not to get caught up in the numbers game too much, by just focusing on amount lifted, it is also about quality of movement. Finally, look to what is happening in the ring to make your Olympic lifting decisions in terms of training, it all has to tie back to the throwing.

Dan Lange: I have tried different things with repetitions over the years. Right now I base it where the technique breaks down and work there. We work up for a max for the day. On the way up I see where we start to drop too much, shorten the pull or where the bar start to slow down. Then we will go down and do reps at that work area. The goal is to move that work area up and with it comes the general strength.