Why Cassidy Looked Down

[The Berserker]

Hi Rip,

In a previous post, I noted that Hugh Cassidy squatted with his head and eyes down, but I didn't know why.
Well, by accident, I recently found the answer.

Cassidy looked down for balance and concentration.

In this video, Marty Gallagher and Captain Kirk teach the high bar squat.
At 6:35- Marty is asked where to look when squatting. He states that Cassidy taught him to look down.
At 8:12- Marty explains that at competitions, Cassidy would look out and there would be judges and people walking around and it would throw him off balance.
So, Cassidy began squatting with his head and eyes down for balance and concentration. The picture in Purposeful Primitive (pg36) looks a lot like a Starting Strength squat.

Ironically, in this same video, Kirk explains that he looked UP for balance.

I think the whole question of where to look depends on the back angle. For example, does anybody look down when front squatting?
The more vertical a back is, the more the emphasis is on leg drive.
As such, a vertical back benefits from looking forward, as this helps with balance (i.e. vertical back) and maintaining leg drive.

The more horizontal a back is, the more the emphasis is on hip drive.
Therefore, if one squats without a vertical back, looking down will improve hip drive as this helps with leaning forward, and creating what seems like a teeter totter effect- head is down and hips go up better.

Thought you might find this interesting.

Ps. I wasn't trying to piss you off earlier. I simply made an honest, but incorrect deduction from an observation. Just thought there might have been some interesting back stories...guess I was wrong.

[Mark Rippetoe]

Interesting.

[FatButWeak]

wait - Rip: is he right about the gaze when front squatting? Having never trained the front squat, I dont have an opinion.

Looking down during a proper back squat happens because my spine - including my c-spine - is neutral and packed, hence my once forward gaze is now looking down at the bottom of my squat. My cue (as a tall, lanky person who had no natural squatting ability) is to envision what position my back, spine and head would be in if I had to squat/carry a large, 200 pound sack of grain. In my mind, I see that person carrying the load and that's the proper lbbs position. Eyes down.

[Mark Rippetoe]

Front squat is not a hips-dominant movement, although heavy front squats also lead with the hips to some extent. The downward eye gaze directly affects back angle and therefore hips. Front squats therefore do not depend on a downward eye gaze.