Daily Maestroism

DM #385

Monday, June 12th, 2017

DM #385: Goddamn I love the squat. Such a beautiful movement.
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I teach a lot of courses, to a lot of different people, and see a whole bunch of squatting. Chairs have really done a number on us. Like…for real.
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Given all the mobility and stability required to perform a squat, it's a great tool to use to see how well someone is moving, AND how AWARE they are of that movement. Someone could have all the mobility in the world, but if they lack body awareness that squat can look like ? with their knees collapsing, their back rounding, and lord knows what else. Conversely, someone could have tremendous inherent athletic capabilities but still not have the best body awareness, and it will show in their squat. Why? Because they stick to what they're good at (running, jumping, throwing, kicking, whatever) and never truly explore all their movement.
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When you've got true body awareness and have really explored your movement, you know that you've got that sticky ankle or that not so good thoracic spine extension. And if you actually care, you'll likely be working on it (to the extent that it interferes with the things you want to be doing ??‍♂️). These are the folks who either have a good-looking squat or can tell me WHY their squat looks like it does. They also know about their shoulder limitation or elbow issue. Movements unrelated to that squat pattern but still very much part of their general movement arsenal.
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So, take-home message? EXPLORE your movement. Connect with your body. Learn about yourself. Squatting isn't just for kids and folks in countries outside of the U.S. ?
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