JFIFC    $ &%# #"(-90(*6+"#2D26;=@@@&0FKE>J9?@=C  =)#)==================================================W" }!1AQa"q2#BR$3br %&'()*456789:CDEFGHIJSTUVWXYZcdefghijstuvwxyz w!1AQaq"2B #3Rbr $4%&'()*56789:CDEFGHIJSTUVWXYZcdefghijstuvwxyz ?w3,e##]$x`8#ҝqXdMN5wOIh-txQw PAmb!O @I;mf;xɄ`N0O5c%a #|dH-I:\yld5L/dedTȷFwӯJQb챿 \J*U+O]ZDL8]Bv=:W%՚I ,I?J4i9is@\/GQd99m3Hեx ̠ &.|1|b$ V.-rV )%RCnRCYڲedB[#C&Ƣi dl1Q0y*qڻDho~EL1HDx,]P\IJE8BjTgZm2[I+1=;  rBR@00#ҹY[C7r0;tCB7WjEmlz;mc"6#F~(OC 64cT5Ψ[̨[v=_Z߬. ^y8MtI1Re^Ia^ !y|:fӬ\ q2~?N+OCDIG0ZոgkA*QʰPTEiGhCU+VXH̠[9kqc˧uhcK`wKN$:.-I+9Ajʲ}kSуOKPD)p3Zs[2Mط?ы[4():'XMP zScoD9\ שTY=c2yڬ9PG,`赝8宭:.+jVMsng?+ubuFS%{E&%Grr2rs8̚.{vBL~썧 JߓSx"ExYvETȬgC-Q- 6wN(jZo.xtil@FG5 d";K'CqI\ ]}I\KrhVr]NM+#IP%$vzvMݾ>Zwct2HQIJ'PUTH:q`#I%+ ds\>c5#5KwP6< 1-."Upw*PvR jm.VIX5~\M[OwŤ%TkZf#8GAexO YArd20rkԭxM'1Fſ ZH_'~}5oui2KfpXܓ0jh;Aa8ȟ{upXw(/v sm ustQ3wqӞ2~Jq;;Mm*`2{k+u. .H ҹ[{Y RKHrE{-exn88P09j ؿkfE f}FYT,gbӵƿ!eU (Xx53OssϴK&Ҡq!.֑t{*2nCC:*: Cm;!Dsǵn-uqQ捾t=>ҦHt^8&Vg nSǸrWђ~*Ҵ֊;?vEAz;fif]ǿ{@vs:9u┕ u5=T`wivR{|Yo{smYvr3&_MS@~7\Pܖ@{ 'm5rN4Hq5FIC=5na9bU@ulԫ"\^jWP]-.>U| 1JE 2>ôX֭-DI,6:u_öQFL3Z! _s\3rqմBv w'YT.ptcu[#Kr)j64$`wV0s~i$A= O]HG]E#m\1@uŒ܃VJe8[T(ԓz1O ِJ(2{m'<)Qv}:(6:83=(bo c=SϐQ.d(P\yJ8袗Q%d*5n9pz(& .Jq(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.&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 comm