JFIFC    $ &%# #"(-90(*6+"#2D26;=@@@&0FKE>J9?@=C  =)#)==================================================" }!1AQa"q2#BR$3br %&'()*456789:CDEFGHIJSTUVWXYZcdefghijstuvwxyz w!1AQaq"2B #3Rbr $4%&'()*56789:CDEFGHIJSTUVWXYZcdefghijstuvwxyz ?~TPzҁYSIJ)v{Rg&O|HBlKvʦz#҄i+.kxG5?*K .],RcUr})¸_ O5ťp*AdЊM4Zi!Nr?Jh=.#qkDgj=pQ(JQZQz'dQN[aE-%%5:QE0200r1֜b01ҤJ xF:D>fI:E}&=Ԓq={ҤYO9=M1KۛV܌qy͔%2N}k!Ign+ E!9+ gRKCz#fsv6 +EU `vUѮ[Niϯ.[̙c 8_{chжXn?{5ioj@QڶNIݘ֬B dV} @Gzk \5U. p#֬+U*lM.i PJԌԊj!F:b_bJĚ>\ǒOZdXǃVmR񊤀D֥*7)v/9FS/4Q`vL0эƀqA;RLDLb}zՂF4n09PBXy15-YZ)9fUU&wpqgV6FAV1wfhhěbzc54K=5 Ro@;Kj#5ĩ+kriz6LcHU9w[IӇn8;*W=R yX;:b¢UccdgIoPZ1$Qms/=qң5-rᆩb}z̛+5KR;ie7A뎣uF;h.ozTlcOKu~gu1d)݉9*ޱqDeƒ1b n_%ƈc/8Sx&%*.$*j[=|ѝEj%vamsw`w?:zaFUSֲ|U,X#&g[?\Vh{IΛgk nh)s3NQJ?r? έ`oM[t<2;ZsNW3K;^QHQxZ1"(HҋʂIr6Ӊ*z*dRW-*|<"U LgJ KYݜ9@ Q6r<1CFc ?|Uls+9]O%2+E$քJ..> .'rю09>ʹmSHҬu V5AqĖTx1+,oմ1sq/hQ+) ʛk E3i tiV:P)m /smk;h.T)`wg8 Q,Yfrԟ\U+ԻMtZ}hfV VE"3֪h:{&T=;ȹ#l)[=ko5ǁdRz]Qh wcԚtn&`>R%_$ٝ8ƩiW0k˹᜕PINj[9v xYp#A VsrOiwee8k)s PHQV-*{T[F4"$s]Pa+~sJو8J2ݎzEu dH\换X~3B|,}2'(E,GH#E0qҞyF9$FbŽy,UpuFG\MUq ,F@[#}` #r3^K}9&wFG+#=s]#=GJ]N%9FjoZȌ30*iM+?tQQM2:zҊ)RvvDأ:E33gyF4QX˩IRw;<q\cQE(ʬG(d on the floor.&nbsp; His knees are back and not extended past the toes.&nbsp; The athlete is at a perfect parallel position.&nbsp; His eyes are focused on a point which helps the lower back and upper body position.&nbsp; If you said one of the major problems in figure 2 and 3 was the head position, I wouldn't argue.&nbsp; Notice the difference in the chin position of figure 2 and figure 6.&nbsp; The athlete pictured is my son, Matt, while he was in the 8th grade.&nbsp; At this time, he weighed 125 and Parallel Squatted 225 pounds. </P> <P align=center><STRONG>PRE-SQUAT TECHNIQUE</STRONG></P> <P align=left><STRONG>A. Grip:</STRONG> There are two technique guidelines to consider when establishing a proper grip on the squat.&nbsp; First is thumb position.&nbsp; Should you have your thumb around the bar or in back of the bar as illustrated in figure 7?&nbsp; About 60% of power lifters have the thumb in back while 40% of power-lifters prefer their thumbs around the bar.&nbsp; Both styles are acceptable, but I prefer to coach my athletes with their thumbs in back of the bar.&nbsp; I feel this style is superior as it tends to prevent slippage of the bar.&nbsp; Sometimes athletes will have a problem in keeping the bar on the shoulders.&nbsp; Sometimes the bar will actually slip off the shoulders and slip down the back.&nbsp; The bar seems to be more secure with the thumbs in back; but if an athlete, after trying both styles, really prefers to have his thumbs around, I don't object.</P> <P align=left>The second grip guideline to consider is the width of the athlete's grip.&nbsp; This is another one of those secrets which can give you an edge.&nbsp; At clinics, I ask everyone to pretend they have a bar on their shoulders and to get a "very narrow grip".&nbsp; Then, I ask everyone to sit tall, spread their chest and lock-in their lower back.&nbsp; Next, they are asked to take a wide grip and lock-in their lower backs.&nbsp; Now I ask, "Which grip makes it easier to lock-in the lower back?"&nbsp; It's unanimous!&nbsp; It's the wide grip.&nbsp; Make sure you use the lines which are grooved into most Olympic bars about four inches from the inside collars.&nbsp; Use these lines as reference points.&nbsp; An athlete might put his first finger on each line with his thumb behind the bar.&nbsp; Now, he is properly balanced with a wide grip and has some assurance that the bar will remain secure on his shoulders.&nbsp; He is now ready to place the bar on the shoulders.&nbsp; </P> <P align=left><STRONG>B. Bar Position:</STRONG>&nbsp; A very common mistake for athletes who squat is placing the bar too high on the shoulders.&nbsp; In fact, many athletes place the bar right on the neck.