The squat is one of the most important primal movement patterns you can do. Whether you're picking up a pencil off the floor at work, or if you're picking up an opponent for a take-down in an mma fight, the squat exercise is one of the most applicable you can train in reality. That being said, it's one of the exercises I see done incorrectly time and time again. As beneficial as a squat can be, it can also be very dangerous if proper bio-mechanics aren't implemented in the exercise. Failure to do a squat correctly most commonly leads to either lower-back or knee injuries. It's important to understand that the squat should incorporate all of the muscle-groups on your leg, especially the Gluteus Maximus. The Gluteus Maximus, either through imbalance because of tight hip flexors, or through lack of awareness, seldomly are activated in the squat. As I have mentioned before, the Gluteus Maximus is the powerhouse behind most of your body's movements in nature, so it's extremely important to learn when to use them.
In this video, I teach you how to do a basic squat to improve efficiency and prevent injury. Enjoy :)