Secrets of the Squat Snatch

Book excerpt: Why learn the secrets of the squat snatch? The answer is obvious if you’re an Olympic-style weightlifting competitor—or a coach, fan or history buff of this sport. It’s the most authoritatively endorsed book ever written on this lift. But did you know that the squat snatch is not only the best single test of strength, speed and coordination. It’s also the single best exercise to develop these empowering attributes. According to Dr. Allison Brager who is a neuroscientist, as well as a competitive CrossFit athlete and author of Meathead: Unraveling the Athletic Brain: The Secrets of the Squat Snatch is the complete tool kit for athletes and their coaches who strive to elegantly channel—while enhancing—their explosive neuro-muscular power through this standard Olympic lift. You can, and ideally should do a lot of other exercises, but the one you’ll get the most benefit from for time spent is the squat snatch. This book, therefore, is a must read if you’re a CrossFit trainee,An athlete who wants to excel in another active sport,Anyone who wants to enhance his or her explosive neuro-muscular power for any good and just purpose. I’m Dr. Peter T George. My weightlifting buddies know me as Pete George—that’s the name I’m listed as in the Olympic record books. I was blessed to have been coached by Larry Barnholth. He was the legendary coach who figured out how the squat snatch should be performed to achieve maximum poundage with stability. He then produced champions who broke records in the snatch with the squat style when most of the world’s lifters were using the split style. In 1950 when Larry was besieged with enquires for his “secrets” to mastering this lift, I helped him write and publish the first edition of this book. TOMMY KONO AND DAVE SHEPPARD were the first two purchasers of the Secrets of the Squat Snatch. After reading it, both went on to beat official world records on this lift. In fact, Tommy was declared by the International Weightlifting Federation to have been the greatest weightlifter of the twentieth Century. How much credit should this hip pocket manual get for their worldwide successes? No one can say for sure, but Dave personally told me that it was very helpful to him in perfecting his nearly flawless style. Tommy had very carefully and neatly marked up the ideas he wanted to remember in his copy to the extent that the Stark Center for Physical Culture and Sports at the University of Texas obtained his original copy to preserve in their archives. I hope they’ll display it or a copy in the room they have dedicated to him in their museum. Tommy’s phenomenal success as a weightlifter is even more impressive when you consider he never had a personal coach, although he obtained as much information as he could acquire from Larry Barnholth in their several meetings and through their postal correspondence. Tommy was my close personal friend for over 60 years. He stayed active on the world weightlifting scene—officiating, coaching and writing—until very near his death in 2016. He kept urging me to republish this book. He claimed there was none simpler for a beginner to quickly learn the squat snatch nor one more authoritative for the experienced lifer to perfect his or her style. I’m sorry I did not publish it sooner, but it is for the above reasons that I have dedicated this Vintage Edition of the Secrets of the Squat Snatch to my dear friend and Olympic teammate Tommy Kono. If you fall into any of the categories in which this book can advance you toward a more powerful, capable you, please scroll to the top of the page and click the “buy NOW” button.