To the olympic lifting minded…
What factors determine the contact point? Is it simply feel or what? I watch a fair amout of film and more recently the olympics and discovered the contact point on the super heavyweights, for example, to be high, around the ASIS to be exact. Does anyone have any info on optimum point of contact?
Thanks
The contact point will change a little based on the length of arms as well as the length of torso and the height optained by the shrug from the drive phase. The major problem i see as far as the contact point is concerned is that lifters have extremely bad timing and they shift their weight to their toes to soon which shortens their hip extension and lowers the contact point.
Limb length and hand spacing.
I contend that the closer the contact is to the hip joint, the more force can be applied during the explosion phase (since the lever arm is shortest). Of course there are many other factors to consider: starting position, stability overhead / at shoulders etc etc
David maybe I should clarify my point the force is applied in an upward vector if the pull and hip extension are coordinated. This will bring the contact point up toward the upper thigh if the heels stay in contact with the floor long enough for full hip extension. If the contact point with the pull are in the mid thigh range then the vector is moving out away from the body causing the bar path to move away from the center line an makes the catch difficult due to the outward projection of the bar an this usually forces the elbows down and the truck to lean forward slightly making the catch difficult. I hope this clarlfies my earlier entry.