JFIFC    $ &%# #"(-90(*6+"#2D26;=@@@&0FKE>J9?@=C  =)#)==================================================h" }!1AQa"q2#BR$3br %&'()*456789:CDEFGHIJSTUVWXYZcdefghijstuvwxyz w!1AQaq"2B #3Rbr $4%&'()*56789:CDEFGHIJSTUVWXYZcdefghijstuvwxyz ?c!y= YUPy%G !y',]ܓ#yGhV*Q]No^SBH)c۴徜@-;\6Iob̸U튵-#72YnQGEs6{wM8UMQٍ[`3bj0\ױpܴiGmC!*88z*尩aZ.i#kobfBs֒xfhdmک {Tji{BG9cV"{T \epnw" Bue*4 @ٞ=f(.!TS=9rzMu).g' =+kAia*c`uqvy5~ `[AʣGbMdj+"؇ۡ_~q9I"9 !QSl-p%wN| ,[:ŁU35mv*GpMr9>' 웧$Ѧkis+U "did I3 m^[ B ݚ|3o H=Mt|,*ՃÍ<aNUAVdj[G +#~@JjW-i`=Pw^$bF(tžd-eL3[:,}(J7 cfj!R[x {i}ư--u_ƸQJ)4sVۙcYU!S _wwp-m;t-!ǷZ%~k2<Ơ {\5$ǟ+GWTKo_`hi;39$1hDz4-q$u—zo;=kKbŶRj#Vhi1֚B=Wt#7p*Yݑ%Q$TloNkiE9#oh]Ka,~CWKv!{Hcxp[)?θ9wtBt 4]u8I G9rʒZLS9 <\UwP@i=7ֲ< %HkOSBo4X?<QqsnZVIwlvHvLOg>:/j: .$klӍI9+2wUI/,[+3\ZI E#)Udm]6ۙbZ2ihWֵ6U4g47'O)vҩCv[H`I O&m!Ͽrv9]c?W'?xSaXH[!#8Yv=J(c&mŽJ2nd}8@#'8}ƣERlU8؎4}LU QEppO)VT"qE6ddƸȤgP= "*Dy|u<.}OPrA-$|SEq1U2#( the upper body has too much forward lean.</P> <P>Figure 6 shows the perfect low power position.&nbsp; The athlete has his feet&nbsp;close to the Squatting Stand. His feet and heels are firmly planted 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.&