Something I've seen in over a decade of coaching Athletes is when it comes to the Bench Press, coaches are quick to teach athletes the bare minimum and just walk away. While this might not seem as much as a detailed oriented lift as squats/clean/deadlift, it is actually one of the most form/technique driven lifts which can lead to some of the biggest injuries.
While the basic set up of hand placement and bench position is important, the elbows and the arm path are what really matter in this lift. Wonky elbows moving around and getting jacked up around the neck/head is not only an inefficient way to lift, but also a very dangerous way to lift. The good thing is, it's an easy fix and can be done in a few quick steps.
Step 1:
Tell the athlete to stand up
Step 2:
Tell them their bench sucks and get them angry
Step 3:
Tell them to push you
Step 4:
Scream "FREEZE" before they push you
Step 5:
Tell them to look at their elbows
Step 6:
Put them back on the Bench and watch how quickly they will now get the Mind/Muscle/Body connection now that they've seen it and you created a moment them will remember
FYI: Just make sure you scream freeze before they hit you, you just trash talked their bench and they're gonna be angry.
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