The Bulgarian Pull - Dave Webster (1976)

 Iron Man August-September 1976

(Editorial Note – there is a danger in overemphasizing one aspect of lifting at the expense of other equally important factors. Much has been said and written about the importance of the pull. Pull is I of course important, but we must not neglect other things equally important. Pulling technique is important but the power to execute that pull is equally important. It seems that we have recently developed several variations of the pull in different countries. Each country seems to add its own variations. We present in this article information about the Bulgarian Pull, which has become increasingly popular. The author has written books and courses with detailed techniques on Olympic lifting, two of which we have published and have for sale. His suggestions and analysis are worth considering carefully.)

For some years when I was regularly writing cine analysis articles for this magazine the resulting letters from all over the world kept my postman very busy. He was particularly overworked when I described certain techniques which I am going to describe I this article. BRITAIN MISSED A GLORIOUS OPPORTUNITY TO GET AHEAD OF THE REST OF THE WORLD. In 1960-61 when I advocated these techniques I was told that as a BAWLA coach I should toe the partly line with regard to teaching technique as the whole purpose of the scheme was to get a uniformity of methods.

Let’s go back to the beginning. At the 1960 games in Rome, Palinski’s world record clean and jerk was one of those fantastic efforts which stick in enthusiasts’ minds for many years. I w remember it a s though it were yesterday. I wanted to know what was so special about it; what made it so polished; so different, yet so right and beautiful to the eye of experienced observers.  I put my film through the Specto Analyser and amongst other things discovered that after the initial straightening of the legs as the bar passed his knees, he bent them again to put himself into a strong pulling position which imparted tremendous momentum  to the finish of his pull AND THIS IS WHAT THE BULGARIANS ARE DOING TODAY. This strong pulling position is crucial to their incredible build up of momentum which is the hallmark of the Bulgarian Masters of Sport.

It's not the only interesting aspect of Bulgarian lifting; their whole training regime, life style and lifting skills must be studied in detail to fully comprehend their phenomenal rise to excellence. Here we confine ourselves to the essential factors of the pull as demonstrated by superlative lifters such as Kristov, Platchkov, and their other champions.

The difference in the Bulgarian pull starts right at the beginning, for whereas the British system is to lift steadily from the floor, the Bulgarians pull with maximums speed.

At the same time they make great efforts to maintain correct positions. The angle of the trunk in relation to the thighs and legs is of great importance to the Bulgarian lifters. In the gym they do movements to build up this “off the floor” speed, combined with good body positions.

It’s some years since I studied the results of research by the Soviet Master of Sport, V. S. Avaneson. His finding showed that the faster the starting speed was, the less time was consumed lifting the bar in the snatch. Avaneson’s most recommended exercises tie up directly with the Bulgarian technique.

The Bulgarians avoid wrenching hard off the floor, which would tend to disproportionally raise the hips and would probably result in bending the arms too soon. Overcoming inertia in a mechanically disadvantaged position is not easy but the Bulgars try to build up speed as soon as possible and keep trying to increase speed.

 The shoulders are kept ahead of the bar and although it is not shown on films I am told that the top lifters try to push out their diaphragms at this point.

As the bar passes the knees, the knees are nearly straight, the weight seems evenly distributed over the entire soles of the feet. Now at this stage after the extension of the legs and the hamstrings being put on the stretch, there is a reflex action where the knees are re-bent. The way in which this action takes place is very important. The knees are pushed FORWARD so that they travel in front of the bar and the thighs and bar are brought together. It is essential that the re-bending action and the simultaneous movements do not take the bar backwards. The whole idea of the maneuver is to put the bar in the right direction, so remember that the Bulgars push their knees forward and get bar to thighs. The bar travels no more than 2” backwards. Those who merely allow the knees to bend will not get the right action.

The British and American emphasis in swinging the hips forward and upward and hyperextending the back is, in my opinion, completely outdated. Greater emphasis should be placed in achieving what I consider a new key position. In the past the recognized key positions in the pull have been (1) as the bar came off the floor; (2) as the bar passes the knee; (3) the position of full extension. I suggest that coaches should assess and emphasize the position of the bar midway between knee height and full extension (edit: this is pretty common now as the point where bar makes contact mid-thigh.)

Although the Bulgarians are the lifters most associated with this style the techniques are not by any means exclusive to them. Several Soviet lifters demonstrate these techniques very well and top Poles since the days of Palinski have used the positions but have not the bar speed of the Bulgarians.

There is yet another important aspect to be covered and this is the finish of the pull. To get maximum impetus, with the arms still relatively straight, there should be a shoulder shrug as the lifter fully extends.

The trapezius can add quite a bit to a pull and the great development of this region in certain lifters shows just how well they utilize the shrug. On the other hand, a great many lifters find it difficult to coordinate a shoulder shrug at the end of the pull. Persevere – It’s worth it.

All these maneuvers are to produce an effect which typifies the Bulgarian pull and the action from start to finish can be summed up in one word: ACCELERATION.

In summary – the Bulgarians are using maximum speed off the floor; they use the re-bending of the knees technique; they have excellent training techniques and schedules. All these things must be considered as contributing to their success, merely copying their pulling technique will not produce champions.