What is more basic than putting weight on your back, lowering the bar, and standing back up? Now go to a gym and listen to a coach shouting a million commands—head up, elbows forward, sit back, etc.—at some purple-faced kid who is performing a very nice good morning.

Guys are visual creatures. So why not give your lifters visual ques to improve their technique? One of the biggest problems with novice squatters is the bar path, primarily with the bar going forward. If they could see themselves going forward in real time, then they would be able to make the proper adjustments.

Here is a simple and affective way to improve the bar path:

  1. Simply stretch a band from the top of your rack to the bottom.
  2. Have your squatter start with the bar against the band and his feet centered to the band.
  3. Lower the bar while keeping the bar against the bands.  He will immediately see when the bar comes away from the bands and be able to correct it on his own.

Do this during box squats and the box sway will go away. The first move will be up instead of forward.

Give it a try.