Training in Sand

If their is anyone out their that has more detailed information of speed training in sand please pass your knowledge along. One of my weightlifting coaches is Latvian and used to lift for the Soviet National team back in the 70's. He told me that they use to weightlift and train on the beaches of the Baltic Sea. They would train their for several weeks in the summer and when they returned home they would see much improvement. I feel that lifting in sand would train those stabalizing muscles more than if you were to lift off a hard surface platform. Plus, if your lifting bare foot, its going to take some of those muscles you normally wouldn't use in a gym setting to support yourself on the sandy beach.

I have never lifted in sand before, but I have lifted on soft grass. The second you start to lift the weight off the ground (just say in a clean and jerk) your feet start to depress into the earth due to the weight of the barbell leaving the earth. This depression slows the force in which you are trying to create against the earth in order to perform an explosive movement, which is needed in the clean phase of the lift. This makes the lift that much harder to perform when done on a soft movable surface compared to a hard stable surface.