By Cameron Sinclair ( This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it )

The Squat is the most simple and effective movement for rugby development. It is directly applicable to the tackle, scrummaging, tackled ball, and trains explosive hip drive, strong backs, a stable core, and powerful legs.

No equipment is needed for the unweighted, or “Air squat”. Once warmed up, turn the toes out, and sit. The feet point out in a natural stance that allows maximal depth, with the knees following the toes. 45 degrees is comfortable for most, but depends on comfort where the Femur enters the hip joint. Never squat with the toes pointing directly forward.

It’s only a squat when the hip crease drops below the patella, but many people don’t have enough flexibility to get to this point. Back muscles should remain flexed and not hunched - don’t allow the hips to tilt forward. Pointing the arms out in line with your forehead should correct this.

When adding a load, the mid-line of the external force (i.e. the bar) must always remain over the middle of your feet, no matter what phase of the squat you are in. This is easy with a bar, but also applies to squats with sandbags, medicine balls, children, or other players.

Bar position is one of the most common errors in learning the squat. The bar sits on the scapular (the blade-like bone on your back that slides along your rib cage) and not the neck. If you don’t have the flexibility in your shoulders to comfortably place the bar on your scapula, practice with a broomstick until you can.

The squat can and should be trained in as many different ways as possible – unweighted, for time, for weight, and with irregular loads and forces such as sandbags, dumbbells, medicine balls, or other people