Knee pain has troubled many people, but you may not know that with correct squatting exercises, it will greatly reduce pain and discomfort to the knee.  There are two types of squatting exercise, full squats and partial squats.  How should we practice these exercises?  And what are the proper postures for these exercises? 
 
Full squats, also known as deep squats, refer to when a person’s lower legs are parallel to his torso, his whole body drastically drops to the bottom, and his buttocks reach to their lowest point.  Partial squats refer to when the person’s body lowers down halfway, and the upper or bottom of his thighs are parallel to the ground. 
 
Studies show that full squats can excel energy most substantially, fully stretch the muscles, and play a unique role in promoting strength in the ankles, knees, and hip muscles, especially the ability for taking off.  Weightlifting athletes must do full squatting movements, and as a result, even though some of them are not tall, they can jump and dunk baskets.  However, full squats place high demands on a person’s technical ability. 
 
Partial squats are more realistic in daily life, are relatively easy to do, and most athletes have adopted this method.  In addition, to those athletes who have relatively poor flexibility, partial squats are safer and more practical.  It is worth noting that while people are doing partial squatting exercises, when they stop at the angle at which their thighs are parallel to the ground, the degree of load-carrying is much greater than with full squats, and the resistance associated with getting up is also very great. 
 
Both methods have their advantages, and people should make their choice based on their own conditions, exercise habits, as well as the requirements of the sports they are doing.  Naturally, if you want to become an all around athlete, you should consider doing both. 
 
Technical requirements for full squats:
Both feet stand slightly wider than your shoulders, knees are just above the toes, head up, shoulders back, back arched.  When squatting, the joints of your ankles, knees and hip should simultaneously bend to squat down, until the upper or lower of your thighs is parallel to the ground.  Descent should be done slowly, and should stop when your thighs are parallel to the ground, then through the contraction of your knee and hip muscles, raise your body up again.  The movement of getting up can be done slightly faster, and the whole process should maintain the normal physiological curve of your spinal joints.  If the core strength of abdominal muscles cannot support you, or if an inverted arch of the lumbar spine causes your body lean forward, you should stop immediately.  If your Achilles tendons are too tight for you to be able to squat to the degree that your thighs are parallel to the ground, you can use wood chips to elevate your heels. 
 
Technical requirements for partial squats:
The starting position of partial squats is basically the same as for full squats.  In order to open up the hips, so that the pelvis maintains a good position, when squatting down, your feet should point outward.  Keep your shoulders back, arch your lower back, and keep your torso straight while descending.  Buttocks stick to the back of your lower legs, so looking from the side, your legs and torso form an almost parallel line.  When reaching the lowest point, the knee and hip joints are at the maximum bending angle; when getting up from a squatting position, you need to use strength from your thighs and buttocks to kick your body up – descending slowly, but rising fast.  Even though the feet are pointing outward while squatting down, your knees should be directly above your toes.
 
In addition, other methods include the “forward lunge squat,” the “side-step squat,” and so on. 
 
Squatting exercises can be done freehand or with weights, such as dumbbells or barbells to increase the load.  One should have a definite goal in mind, and the amount of exercise should be based on your goal.  The general principle is that it is best to do at least three sets of squatting exercises each time, and each set is no fewer than 10 squats.  If you are squatting with the correct weight, your muscles will feel a little sore.  If you want to enhance your muscle endurance, you can increase the number of squats to fifteen per set.  If you want to develop your muscle strength to the maximum, you can increase the difficulty of movement by adding more weight or doing single leg squats.