All the issues you're having are likely technique related. The absolute best thing you can do is find an olympic weight lifting coach and work with him for a few sessions so he can correct any simple issues. For example, if you have a Crossfit facility near you, they often have "elements" courses (~3 classes, $200) which teach all the basic Crossfit lifts, including the olympic lifts. High schools, colleges and other fitness centers may have olympic coaches as well.
If you can't to do that, you can record a video of yourself and post it online for critique. Not many of us are olympic lift experts on this message board (with the notable exception of Koing), so you could also post it on the Crossfit message board. I'm also new to olympic lifts, so take my advice below with a grain of salt:
Originally posted by: RESmonkey
1. Why is it harder for me to powerclean as opposed to hang clean?
Just to check, let's make sure you have the terminology correct:
clean (aka squat clean): bar is pulled from the floor -- explosive motion is caught in a full squat (below parallel) -- stand up right
power clean: bar is pulled from the floor -- explosive motion is caught in a partial squat (above parallel) -- stand up right
hang clean: bar starts in the hang position (in the arms while standing upright) -- explosive motion is caught in a full squat (below parallel) -- stand up right
hang power clean: bar starts in the hang position (in the arms while standing upright) -- explosive motion is caught in a partial squat (above parallel) -- stand up right
So, I'm assuming you're asking why the power clean is harder than the hang power clean? The likely response is that something goes wrong with your technique when you have to pull the bar from the floor instead of from the thighs. There are many possible reasons, but probably the most likely one is that you start your jump/explosive motion too early when pulling from the floor. You should only start the jump when the bar has passed the middle of your thigh and it's possible that when you pull from the floor, you're starting your jump when the bar is only at your knees. Another possibility is that you aren't keeping the bar in contact with your thighs when you pull from the floor. Without a video, however, it's impossible to tell.
Originally posted by: RESmonkey
2. When hang cleaning, should the back be perfectly straight? I tend to use back a little.
this is a decent guide to the power clean. You should be throwing your hips forward, not pulling with your back. Practicing the Romanian deadlift may help learn this motion.
Originally posted by: RESmonkey
3. Before jerking the weight up, I see everyone have their feet shoulder width apart. I tend to my right foot forward and my left back (small split) and then jerk into full split.
here is a good guide to the olympic jerk. My guess is that to get the maximal leg drive to push the weight upwards, you want your feet parallel. Leg drive is king here, so don't sacrifice any by starting in a staggered position. Moreover, I would guess you're starting with a small split so you don't have to move your feet as far to get into the full split. This is probably an indicator that you aren't doing the split quickly/aggresively enough, so just practice doing it more quickly.
Originally posted by: RESmonkey
4. Why is it that I can jerk heavier weight than clean? I can probably rep 135-145lbs jerk splits, and only rep 115-125 hang clean.
This just indicates two things:
1. Where your strengths were before you started doing olympic lifts. If your jerk is stronger than your clean, that usually means your shoulders, traps and upper body are more trained and developed than your legs, hips, back, etc. If you continue training the C&J with the max weight you can handle with your cleans, you'll eventually even out.
2. It may also be an indicator (especially judging from the questions above) that your technique at the clean may not be optimal. With better technique, your clean might easily increase 20lbs and catch up to the jerk.
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