Jeff Martin explains how and when to cue kids who are squatting in your box.
“Knees out! Knees out!”
If the workout has squats in it and you are in a CrossFit box, you will hear this cue—or you should hear it—being yelled out throughout the WOD. When we teach the mechanics of the squat, we discuss that the knees must be in line with the feet. This is the most efficient and safest way for us to squat.
Most of our kids begin squatting by letting their knees fall in. With teenagers, this can be due to inflexibility, weakness or just a lack of kinesthetic awareness. Whatever the reason, we cannot allow it to continue; it is neither efficient nor safe in the long run. But with a little focus work, these teens will have beautiful squats.
Before discussing the fixes, though, let’s discuss how and when to cue knees out.