Crossfit Movement Faults and Corrections 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: A coach observes an athlete's knees caving inward during the bottom of a squat. Which cue is MOST appropriate to correct this fault?
- Push your knees out over your toes (Correct answer)
- Drive your heels into the ground
- Squeeze your glutes at the top
- Keep your chest tall
Correct answer: Push your knees out over your toes
Knees caving inward (valgus collapse) is corrected by cueing the athlete to push knees out in line with the toes throughout the squat.
Question 2: During a deadlift, an athlete rounds their lumbar spine at the start of the pull. What is the PRIMARY cause of this fault?
- Bar too far from the body
- Failure to establish lumbar extension before initiating the lift (Correct answer)
- Grip width too narrow
- Hips rising faster than the shoulders
Correct answer: Failure to establish lumbar extension before initiating the lift
Lumbar rounding at the deadlift setup typically results from not setting a neutral spine (lumbar extension) before loading and initiating the pull.
Question 3: An athlete performing pull-ups consistently fails to achieve full elbow extension at the bottom. This fault primarily risks injury to which structure?
- Rotator cuff
- Biceps tendon at the elbow (Correct answer)
- Thoracic erectors
- Wrist flexors
Correct answer: Biceps tendon at the elbow
Failure to fully extend the elbows at the bottom of pull-ups places chronic stress on the biceps tendon insertion, increasing injury risk.
Question 4: A box jump fault where the athlete lands in a quarter-squat position instead of standing tall is best described as:
- Hyperextension on landing
- Failure to reach full hip and knee extension at landing (Correct answer)
- Early hip flexion on the jump
- Lack of arm drive
Correct answer: Failure to reach full hip and knee extension at landing
Landing in a quarter squat rather than achieving full hip and knee extension represents an incomplete movement standard for the box jump.
Question 5: During a push press, an athlete uses excessive knee bend and treats the movement like a thruster. Which fault does this represent?
- Early arm pull
- Over-dipping in the dip phase (Correct answer)
- Pressing before the dip is complete
- Incomplete lockout overhead
Correct answer: Over-dipping in the dip phase
An excessively deep dip in the push press converts it into a thruster-like movement and reduces the efficiency of the hip drive.
Question 6: What is the MOST effective correction for an athlete who consistently shifts weight to the toes during a back squat?
- Widen the stance
- Elevate the heels on plates
- Cue to drive weight through the heels and mid-foot (Correct answer)
- Reduce the load on the barbell
Correct answer: Cue to drive weight through the heels and mid-foot
Cueing the athlete to maintain weight in the heels and mid-foot directly addresses forward weight shift and promotes proper squat mechanics.
Question 7: A coach sees an athlete's hips rise before the bar leaves the floor during a clean. This fault is called:
- Early arm bend
- Stripper pull or good-morning pull (Correct answer)
- Starfish catch
- Donkey kick
Correct answer: Stripper pull or good-morning pull
When the hips rise before the bar leaves the floor, the athlete converts the clean into a stiff-legged deadlift often called a 'stripper' or 'good-morning' pull.
Crossfit Movement Faults and Corrections 2
A coach observes an athlete's knees caving inward during the bottom of a squat.
Which cue is MOST appropriate to correct this fault?