Tips and advice for beginners learning olympic lifts alone?

[brothavenya]

Hey guys,

I'm a total beginner at this point and I'm currently doing Level 1 by Catalyst. How important is it to have a coach when learning? Unfornately I'm in China and have no access to a coach here, as olympic lifting is still pretty underground here.

[Hawkpeter]

The problem with not having a coach is actually that you dont have enough experiments to run in order to test conjectured solutions because you are only one person.

I never had a coach, but I quickly acquired problems to solve by coaching multiple people who wanted to expand on their barbell and athletic skills.

If you truly don't have access to an in-person coach then you really dont have a choice. Its also worth mentioning that the sport is 'pretty underground' everywhere. Though some parts of the world have some good concentrations of quality gyms and decent coaches now.

[strapping]

Hey guys,

I'm a total beginner at this point and I'm currently doing Level 1 by Catalyst. How important is it to have a coach when learning? Unfornately I'm in China and have no access to a coach here, as olympic lifting is still pretty underground here.

Unless you're a super mega talent, coaching is basically mandatory.

China is currently the biggest powerhouse in weightlifting from a structural level, so if it's "underground" there, I think you'll find it's pretty underground anywhere. I train in a dusty converted garage, on one side neighbouring a dodgy stone factory and on the other side a brothel.

There might be people you can reach out to online who have contacts in China to ask where the nearest town or provincial training centres might be, often part of a sports school. There may also be universities with facilities. You could probably also get in touch with the Chinese Weightlifting Association to find any facilities near you.

There are a few stories of westerners (e.g. Larry Yang) who went to China and managed to find somewhere to train, so the best thing to do is ask around. The worst thing they can say is no.

The other option would be online coaching. I have my misgivings about online coaching, or rather particular online coaches, but between not having any coaching and having online coaching, online is a better option.