Rip:
How is it possible for so many supposed strength trainers, even those with doctorates, to be so far off when it comes to technique and training? I guess this is sort of a half-rhetorical question.
Before I discovered starting strength, my workout was based on a program put together by a Dr. John Berardi, which recommended not only squatting to just above parallel, but also intentionally shortening the ROM on the bench press by stopping 2-3 inches above the chest. His reason being that tall skinny guys tend to have long forearms, so bringing the bar to the chest puts "unnecessary strain on the shoulder." I find this ironic considering he recommends moving on to the hang snatch after just 8 weeks of training.
To make matters worse, I have a cousin playing on the farm team for Arizona Cardinals baseball. As a shortstop, they are pressuring him to take steroids to get his weight to over 220 pounds. His "strength" coach has a PHD, but for fome reason has him doing NO squats whatsoever, with the bulk of his workouts being of the higher volume, "core stabilization", explosive nature. (This is in the offseason, where his primary goal is to bulk back up).
When he was playing at the University of Miami, they still were doing short ROM bench press and "partial" squats.
I don't know much about strength training, but after reading your stuff, it seems like a huge portion of the coaching community has no clue what they are talking about. Seems next to impossible for someone to even try to find a personal trainer.