• Place physioball between lower back and wall
• Begin in stance slightly wider than shoulder width
• Lower with control until tops of thighs are parallel to the floor. Keep knees behind toes
• Drive up into start position

Sets/Reps: 3 x 10-12 reps
Benefits: “Squats are one of the most beneficial exercises for a younger athlete, but I see them performed incorrectly so often. This exercise has all the benefits of a squat—strengthening the glutes, quads, hips and upper hamstrings—while teaching the athlete how to sit back, drop his hips and keep his shoulders up and back, without forcing him to support a load across his back.”

The Big Picture: “This is a great way to introduce an athlete to squatting. Perform it early in the training cycle. If you start an athlete with a bar on his back, his shoulders and core might not be strong enough. A young athlete’s early experiences greatly affect how hard he’ll work in the future. If his first experience is painful, he won’t want to keep at it.”