#1 Be ready when the bell lands.
You should be ready - a statue - when the bell lands overhead. You should be tight and in your standing plank position when the bell lands, not tightening up as the bell lands. Just like the clean and swing you are a statue before the bell gets to its final destination. That tension helps get it there. With the snatch it happens when the bell is around chest level...at that point the hips are done, you are a statue and the lats and arms finish the job.
#2 Try the drift, flick & guide on the descent.
Let your arm drift at the top. Then flick the wrist. Then guide the bell down. Don't try to throw it down or rush it.
#3 Keep the arc tighter than what's called for.
If you think you will want to go heavier with your snatches at any point then I recommend trying to keep your arc as tight as you can (without it being too tight of course). With the 26# I have this nice arc -- it's correct -- but if I try to do that with a 35# it feels so much heavier. So much heavier and so much harder. I had such a hard time with my snatch test for my recertification last year because of this... 100 snatches with 26# felt almost too easy. 100 snatches with 35# felt awful...and now I know why!
Practice keeping the arc tight with a lighter weight, from the start, and you'll be in a better place for the heavier. (Top photo is with 26#, bottom with 35#. These both look pretty good, but I am still working on getting the bell in just a little closer with that 35#!)
Join me for a Free Kettlebell Snatch Masterclass on Friday, April 8 @ 2 - 2:30pm to learn how to improve and safely perform the kettlebell snatch! Join me on Zoom for this free Masterclass where we'll talk about the correct grip and path of the bell, as well as the three stages of the snatch. Register here.