As an advanced lifter, technique is, without a doubt, the most important factor when it comes to breaking records.
Your technique needs to be spot-on. If you're one inch too far forward or one inch too far back, you will miss the lift. The heavier the weight gets, the more unforgiving your body is when it comes to falling out of the technical position.
How many times have you really missed a weight due to strength?
Now compare that to how many times you missed a weight because of some slight technical issue.
You can argue the point that it's a muscular breakdown or imbalance that is causing the technical breakdown and this is true in many cases, but not as many as most think.
From what I can tell, lifters in the beginning and intermediate stages put a lot of focus on making sure their technique is right and if there is a break down, they learn what to do to fix it. As the lifter progresses to more advanced levels, many of the simple things begin to be taken for granted so as the weights go up, they become stronger, they slowly began to compromise their technique in small ways that go unnoticed.
Their technique will never become a complete disaster, but when you are an advanced lifter moving maximal weights one slight break down can be the difference between a white or red light. I was around elite and pro lifters for the past 20 years and can say EVERYONE has technical issues. Even those you think have perfect technique, can have issues if the weight gets heavy enough, if they're over-trained, injured or worn-out. Technique becomes your "assessment tool" for advanced lifters.
I should also note that one technique isn't always the best for everyone. There are certain things that are standard, but every lifter will have their own technical style and this needs to be accounted for when assessing if there's a break-down or not. This style may be different due to limb length, body structure and injury history.
To get to the point, regardless of your level of competition you MUST focus on your technique at all times. Every time you do the lift from barbell to max weight, you must practice and focus on your technique. While there's no such thing as perfect, you must strive to get as close to it as you can.
If you really want to see this in action, find some videos of any elite or pro lifter. Doesn't matter if they're raw, full gear or single-ply and look at their technique. Then, go find some videos of beginner or intermediate lifters doing the same lift.
Now ask yourself what comes first: the strength, or the technique?
Now, some will say the stronger you get, the better your technique will be (and I agree), but this is true only to a point. We all know lifters with outstanding technique who can out-lift others that are stronger than themselves, but that is only because the stronger guys' technique is flawed.
