Head straight forward to slightly up. I do it all, free weight back and front, smith machine and leg press machine, no hack at my gym. I like to move my foot position around when using the smith and also like to put them out farther and closer together than a normal free weight squat. Always mixing it up. The squat is the one lift i'll sometimes stop and help someone with if they look like they are going to hurt themself. Other than that tho I gave up on that long ago.

Head up at the ceiling. I also like to change foot position each set. Not locking out at the top has made a dramatic difference to my quads. That constant time under tension smokes the quads.

Well Pmob. I am one of the unfortunate ones who CAN not squat or deadlift any longer due to lifting very stupid many many years ago when I thought I was the unstoppable one. So now I have to just do the basic leg workout on the press machines etc. Even though I can lift some good weights on the various machines, its not like the SQUAT and all that the SQUAT does for the entire body. To me it was a all around exercise that worked MORE then just the quads and you felt its once completed. So on this issue, I have to take a step back and just compensate what works for me now in my later years just to keep going. Very good write up I will say buddy..

Hey mate as you have said there are many ways to squat. I use them all. smithmachine, hack squat, front and rear. Unfortunately if you are dismissing any one of those you are limiting your options for stimulation. For those of you that are against smithmachine squats well try this. Obviously get under the bar and place your feet about 30cm (1 ft) in front of where you would normally place them (this is now becoming a sissy squat with a smithmachine). Then as you lower you lean back into the bar. It won't go anywhere. Do a set of 20 reps and if that's not getting you then I don't know what will. As for squats I look up, cause you go where you look. If you look forward then there will always be a tenancy to move forward. Also I use partial reps when squatting, as well as pulsing. Use the lot of these as they all put a different stress on the muscle. an example of partials and pulses. Do a set of 21's but for quads. If you don't know what that is then read on. Do 7 top half squats then 7 bottom half and finish with 7 full squats. Just an example of how you can use partial movements and still benefit.

Well mechanically what seems to make most sense is you drive your elbows under the bar which brings your chest up so I think you need to look up a bit to keep that chest high and upper back tight. Ones body may follow their head, ie control the head in wrestling control the body, so looking down May cause you to lose upper back tightness and roll your chest and delts forward.

I like the smith for front squats.

When I barbell squat I do it towards end so I am fatigued and don't try to get ballsy on the weight. I am a body builder not a weight lifter so I am more concerned with blood flow. Also got herniated disks. Boo

I remember my power lifter camp coach. Before you even begin to start the squat your while body should be sore just trying to keep everything tight.

Knees follow toes
Drive knees out
Sit back into squat
Break at hips before knees
Weight on heels
Upper back tight
Elbows drive under bar
Chest high
Abs tight
Lower back arch

Took me weeks just to do a damn squat with good form!

looking up at the wall about 7ft from the ground

I like to look to the ceiling for mine

if I keep my head back (and look up) i can do squat with greater stability...I fall forward if bend my head forward
I'm 6.3 .. i had difficults when i started to train .... i worked to improve my flexibility for years ... it helped just a bit .. now i can not go under parallel squat with frontal and just above parallel with back squats ..
my conclusion is: everybody can improve the flexibility, but each of us can go down in a different way.
each has the own (natural) depth.

I look straight forward in the mirror so I can watch n make sure I am keeping a good form while squatting.

Straight ahead, sometimes left and right when I see a big booty passin' by

def straight forward but looking up at the ceiling on a free weight squat rack....my chiropractor said tilting yr head up or down is bad on the neck supposed to look straight ahead

hi bar squat position i do head forward. Power stance i do slightly back (chin up). who the heck does head down!?

Piss on a smith machine! I go head up and go down slightly below parallel. When I do my heavy sets I go barefoot, seems to be a little more stable. I used to take the time to show the new guys the proper way to squat and the importance of doing them the right way. I I ever got from them was a bunch of excuses so I don't waste my time anymore.

No Smith machine, just free weight. Head looking straight out, but bends when I squat down. Angle of degree for knees is 90 degrees.

If you look at the Human Body and how the neck performsn in relation to the spine - you will see that any time you bend down or over you limit risk of injury if you keep your head fixed in a plane. ie Looking ahead only.

straight ahead..

my head is angled back a bit so im basically looking up a bit

I do smith machine squats but I look straight ahead and go as deep as I can go. then I super set with frank zane leg blaster which I have built on my own personal leg press machine. I have pretty nice set up at my house

i look up slightly but try to stick my chest out and up as far as i can, and close my eyes and think about nothing but pushing in my legs as hard as i fukin can into the ground, works every time, until i open my eyes and there blood shot as hell!!! haha beast mode!!

Half squats I feel work wonders for my legs. Especially a couple of sets after my leg workout. honestly I feel it more in my legs when I only do half than whole.

Head back and angled slightly up about 15 degrees with a low bar placement

I always have my head up. Poor squat form runs rampant in my gym. My buddy was bragging how he hit 365lbs for reps which I didn't believe so I told him to prove it. He would slightly bend his knees and would bend over so he was using a lot of back as well. I showed him the little trick where you put your toes against the wall and squat down without touching the wall, he couldn't even do that without weight.

my coaches way back in high school always had us put the bar below our traps and look up at the ceiling

I go as low as my hips allow me.

Here, check out this link, ive found it helpful for improving my squat

http://www.schwarzenegger.com/fitness/post/top-6-best-squat-tips

Yes it's an old school trick for guys with tight hamstrings and who aren't very flexible, you can get powerlifting shows that simulate the same angle on the heel as you can imagine some of them powerlifters weighing 18 stone + aren't going to be able to bend over and touch there toes.
My mate is quite a big guy and isn't very flexible and has only been training for a year or so he uses the plates under his heels because his hamstrings are really tight i keep telling him to work on his stretching, some guys aswell tell me that they use it because it puts more tension on their quads.

Excellent! I look straight ahead and get that mind muscle connection. Nothing like seeing those viens wrap around my quads!!!!!!

head back brotha...and i dont even try to teach people proper form anymore. i just get death stares when i do cause they feel insulted

I like having my head forward but slightly up.

I never use the smith machine either

Good question!

I think the head should be in whatever position feels natural to keep balance. Looking straight forward would be the best angle for the neck not only for balance but for the spine alignment, forcing yourself to look at the ceiling in my opinion puts the neck in an unnatural position.and should be avoided if possible.
This is just my opinion, everybody's body mechanics are different.

Also half squats have their place when applied by an experienced lifter, time under tension is the main factor in building muscle not the range of motion, but in saying that I don't agree with a beginner loading up the bar and only doing a partial repetitions and sacrificing range of motion for poundage

Head up, looking straight ahead in the mirror. I used the smitch machine for a while, i think it helped build strength and help me get better form. But now i do straight barbell squats just slightly below parallel. And for my last set i go pretty light and go as low as possible for 20 reps! Woot lol