Coaching Question - Hip Drive

[Daniel Cavallari]

Hey coaches,

Just a quick question that came up to me about the coaching method.
I have been looking at a bunch of squat form checks to improve my own here at the forums, and something came up quite often that intrigued me. In several videos, you coaches say "you lack hip drive" but I personally see no difference between videos who have hip drive, and videos who don't. How do you visually notice the hip drive? What do you look for?

[Steve Hill]

We look for hip drive.

[Steve Hill]

Now that I've had my fun, the best way, in my mind, to describe hip drive is the tendency for the hips to lead out of the bottom - then stay leading pretty much all the way up.

[Daniel Cavallari]

the tendency for the hips to lead out of the bottom - then stay leading pretty much all the way up.

As in, going up (not back or forward) all the way through the ascension movement, without the back angle collapsing?

[Steve Hill]

Yes-ish. Obviously at some point the back angle has to change, right? Otherwise the knees lock out and lifter is still bent over.

You guys just need to look at videos over and over and over until you can see it reliably. There is NO substitute for watching video or watching lifters on the platform. None. The hard work has to be done.

[chrisd]

Okay. so would a lack of hip drive could be seen if the back angle became much more horizontal , the 'good morning squat' ?

Or if the chest rose so making the back angle more vertical requiring extra ankle bend to maintain balance and then a sort of unfolding from the feet up, probably accompanied by a lot of back extension followed by flexion and not lifting a lot of weight.

Those are the extremes, but I guess a coach would have to look for less extreme versions of this.

[Daniel Cavallari]

Yes-ish. Obviously at some point the back angle has to change, right? Otherwise the knees lock out and lifter is still bent over.

Of course, I meant as in the hips not raising faster than the chest. It's starting to make sense now; the more videos I watch, the clearer it gets. Thanks, coach.

[Austin Baraki]

As in, going up (not back or forward) all the way through the ascension movement, without the back angle collapsing?

The back angle shouldn't be "collapsing," but if the lifter initiates the ascent properly the back angle will typically become slightly more horizontal, and stay that way for the majority of the ascent.

If the back angle immediately becomes more vertical out of the hole (and often even if it just stays the same), it's a sign that the lifter is prematurely lifting the chest, rather than doing what's known as "staying in the hips".

[Steve Hill]

Okay. so would a lack of hip drive could be seen if the back angle became much more horizontal , the 'good morning squat' ?

No, That would be TOO MUCH hip drive.

Or if the chest rose so making the back angle more vertical requiring extra ankle bend to maintain balance and then a sort of unfolding from the feet up, probably accompanied by a lot of back extension followed by flexion and not lifting a lot of weight.

Yes, this would be a total absence of hip drive. We call this "leading with the chest".

Those are the extremes, but I guess a coach would have to look for less extreme versions of this.

Yes. Which is why coaches require thousands of hours of experience, because the devil is in the very fine details.

[Steve Hill]

You've just been searching for a chance to use this, haven't you?

BTW, Tell the Jordanian that I love his purse.