Key positions for the Jerk

1. STARTING POSITION FEET: hip width apart, flat on the floor TRUNK: upright, chest held high, hips square to the front and directly under the shoulders ARMS: elbows held high securing the bar on the chest HEAD: chin tucked in In this position the lifter must recover sufficiently from the heavy clean. He must be able to breath freely. Pause long enough to be certain of control when doing the jerk.

2. THE DIP FEET: must remain flat on the floor TRUNK: must maintain it's vertical position as in key position 1. HIPS: must tuck in during the dip ELBOWS: must be kept up supporting the bar on top of the chest HEAD: chin tucked in Make certain the elbows don't drop during the dip allowing the bar to roll forward. The hips are kept tucked in to keep the trunk vertical

3. THE DRIVE FEET: high on toes ARMS: starting to come into play punching vigorously upwards at the top of the drive HEAD: straight ahead The upward drive is an essential and vigorous part of the jerk. Can be practised as an assistance exercise. Drive hard; don't merely dip and split.

4. RECEIVING POSITION FEET: a short split, front foot flat on the floor, rear foot on the ball of the toes, pointing fore and aft TRUNK: upright, shoulders and hips in a vertical line of support ARMS: strongly locked tight, pressing hard against the weight HEAD: natural alignment between the arms Make sure the body is solid under the weight. Fight against the barbell; a lot of determination is necessary. Recover with the rear foot first.