RE: rudder 'cheat' on snaps?
I am just beginning IMAC, and attended a judging school in Salinas not too long ago, and it was emphasized by the instructor that a snap starts as an accelerated stall.
If you don't load the wings you can't create an accelerated stall and then initiate autorotation. With a slower flight speed you will just have to use more elevator to get the aircraft to quickly load, and stall, the wings.