The power snatch is received in a partial overhead squat. Without the option of catching in a full squat, the athlete must pull the bar high and focus on a quick change of direction. Complete hip and knee extension followed by a fast turnover of the bar is critical.

"The snatch balance begins in a narrower stance, with feet directly under the hips—the pulling stance that is the starting position for the clean and the snatch (what Coach Burgener often calls the “jumping stance”). The snatch balance requires the athlete to initiate the movement with a strong dip and drive, then dive under the bar and move the feet to land in the slightly wider catching stance with the bar overhead—all explosively and in an instant." (CrossFit Journal, 2005).

The Olympic lifts train athletes to effectively activate more muscle fibers more rapidly than through any other modality of training. The explosiveness that results from this training is of vital necessity to every sport. Practicing the snatch teaches one to apply force to muscle groups in proper sequence — i.e., from the center of the body to its extremities (core to extremity). Learning this vital technical lesson benefits all athletes who need to impart force to another person or object, as is commonly required in nearly all sports.