March/April 2020 - 31

Perfect Form
" There are several options that we can utilize with our athletes to work around
movement issues until they are able to perform squats correctly and safely. "
10-pound plates under their heels.
This will automatically improve
squat depth and clean up a lot of
mechanics issues. However, this
should be viewed as a temporary fix
and coaches should work to remove
the need for it by improving mobility
and technique.
In terms of squat progressions, I
prefer to have new athletes master
the goblet squat before they ever
touch a barbell (photos 18 & 19).
Usually I like the athletes to reach a
minimum of 3x6 at 80-100 pounds
before progressing to a bar. I
frequently program goblet squats
even with my advanced athletes. I
also prefer front squats over back
squats, because it promotes better
joint positions and in my opinion is
more conducive and transferrable to
sprinting and jumping mechanics. I
also make sure my athletes master
the front squat before I allow them
to perform power or hang cleans.
I often have athletes come to me
whose coaches had them clean,
but never taught them proper front
squat technique -- this is a recipe
for disaster. Photo 20 shows proper
front squat technique. I do still
program back squats, but to a much
lesser degree than I used to. Photo
21 shows the position I prefer in back
squats. I have also incorporated
much more unilateral training, such
as split squats, rear-elevated split
squats, lunge verities, and single leg
squats. In my opinion, the battle over
unilateral vs bilateral is silly and we
should incorporate a mix of both.
CONCLUSION
I hope this article will help you
identify some common technique
issues in the weight room during
various squatting activities. Again,
this is certainly not an exhaustive
list and there are many nuances that
will arise, which is why each athlete
should be assessed and treated as
an individual and on a case by case
basis. The top priority in the weight
room is to keep our athletes safe and
healthy by instilling and perfecting
their movement technique. The
primary role of the weight room is
to facilitate their sport and to build
resiliency, not getting infinitely
strong. I am all about building
strength, but we must do it in a safe
and sustainable way. Remember,
most high school athletes will never
play a college sport, and many
college athletes will never play a pro
sport. We must consider their lives
beyond sport and help create good,
strong, and healthy movers for their
lives outside of sport as well.
If you would like to contact me
directly and discuss technique issues
or if you have a differing opinion
I would love to hear from you. My
Twitter and Instagram handle is @
danielflahie and my business email
is flahie68@gmail.com. Feel free
to reach out to me by any of those
methods. I am available for remote
training and as a resource to help
educate coaches on technique, help
develop training programs, and
create a safe and effective weight
room culture for schools without a
strength coach on staff. n
References
Brown, S.R., Brughelli, M., & Hume,
P.A. (2014). Knee mechanics during
planned and unplanned sidestepping:
A systematic review and metaanalysis.
Sports Medicine, 44(11),
1573-1588.
Dietz, C., & Korfist, C. Triphasic
training speed manual.
Dietz, C., & Peterson, B. Triphasic
training: A systematic approach to
elite speed and explosive strength
performance.
Dischiavi, S.L. Wright, A.A.
Hegedus, E.J., & Bleakley, C.M.
(2019). Rethinking dynamic knee
valgus and its relation to knee injury:
Normal movement requiring control,
not avoidance. Journal of Orthopaedic
& Sports Physical Therapy, 49(4),
216-218.
Floyd, R.T. (2012). Manual of
structural kinesiology (18th ed.).
McGraw Hill.
Horschig, A. (2016, March 25).
How hip anatomy affects squat
mechanics. Squat University. https://
squatuniversity.com/2016/03/25/
how-hip-anatomy-affects-squatmechanics/.
Maruyama,
M., Feinberg, J.R.,
Capello, W.N., & D'Antonio, J.A. The
Frank Stinchfield award: Morphologic
features of the acetabulum and
femur: Anteversion angle and implant
positioning. Clinical Orthopaedics
and Related Research, 393, 52-65.
Mee, D. (2017). What really causes
butt wink. Strength and Conditioning
Research.
Nielsen, R.G., Rathleff, M.S.,
Simonsen, O.H., & Langberg, H.
(2009). Determination of normal
values for navicular drop during
walking: A new model correcting for
foot length and gender. Journal of
Foot and Ankle Research, 2(1), 12.
Ruwe, P.A., Gage, J.R., Ozonoff,
M.B., & DeLuca, P.A. (1992). Clinical
determination of femoral anteversion.
A comparison with established
techniques. The Journal of Bone and
Joint Surgery. American Volume,
74(6), 820-830.
Somerset, D. (2017, May 6). Lateral
hip shift during a squat: What's going
on and what to do about it. https://
deansomerset.com/lateral-hip-shiftsquat-whats-going/.
training-conditioning.com
| 29
http://https:// http://www.squatuniversity.com/2016/03/25/ http://https:// http://www.deansomerset.com/lateral-hip-shift http://www.training-conditioning.com
March/April 2020

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of March/April 2020
