it’s not a genetic thing. idk how it became a cultural thing.
I’m black american and i do it with great ease.

I was watching some videos of people in india preparing wheat and they
were squatting. I noticed how straight their backs are in the squat and
how effectively they are working while near the ground, seemingly
without tiring. Because I have a bad back, probably from a lifetime of
bending, and because I love to garden, I realized if I learn to squat I
can do a lot of work down near the ground without hurting my back.

So,
today I can squat for about 5 seconds with my left foot not totally
resting on the ground. I’m going to start doing the exercises and
hopefully in a few months will be able to work effectively from that
position. Also I remember as a child my mother teaching us to squat to
pee on the farm when we were away from the house or on roadtrips, back
in the day before there were readily available restrooms everywhere.

Oh I forgot;
Squatting is about more than just hip flexibility.

Your spine plays a vital role as well. As a general rule, you should be trying to keep your “chest up” when perfoming any squat.

In other words, if you want to remain stable in your squat, it’s important to not have a “kyphotic spine” (hunchback).
One more reason why the squat is so great: it will give you extra incentive to cure your “computer back”. It will do wonders for your health in general.

On the photograph, notice how the upper spine of the lady is held “up” and straight. NO ROUNDING OF THE SPINE ALLOWED, especially under such heavy loads.
Her shoulders are roughly in line with her ankles, her belly is allowed to naturally expand in the bottom positon (this is natural), yet her *deep postural* muscles are firm and holding her spine upright.
Notice that since her belly takes space, she has to have enough space between her knees for the belly to pass through. Some people have super-flat tummies, and can do very narrow squats. But that may not be you.

Now, if you are not carrying weights, of course you can get away with rounding your spine… BUT, it will be very difficult for you to remain in position comfortably.

Keeping the chest up is key to a proper squat. Especially if your torso is short. (less range of motion)

As you can see on the picture, a slight lean forward is natural for most people, and perfectly acceptable provided you don’t round your spine and keep your shoulders (the place where the weight would be) in line with and over the ankles.

Okay, digest all this info, and I hope it helps! You’re welcome.

http://www.catalystathletics.com/articles/images/squatAndOlympicLifts.jpg

Interesting! Thanks for the explanation.

Prepare to have your mind blown.

Asians and White/Black people are DIFFERENT. Crazy, I know right? What do I mean by that? I mean than on average, Asians have certain genetic traits, while other races have a different genetic make-up.

Where am I getting to? I’m getting down to the fact that no matter how hard you try to *copy* the “Asian” style of squatting… you might never be able to have the exact same form, no matter how flexible you get.

Now don’t get me wrong EVERYONE can squat. But depending on your unique characteristics, your squat is going to look very different.

For some reasons, Asians in general (the famous Asian homogeneity) tend to have narrow hips, with short femurs and relatively long torsos. Also, a certain type of hip socket is dominant in Asian populations. This makes it particularly easy for the Asian race to squat down in a straight path, with torso upright and narrow stance.

So instead of trying to copy the “Asian” squat… I would recommend you find the squat width, stance, feet positioning that suits YOUR racial/genetic characteristics.
Here’s an article which goes into big detail about what I’m talking about, in case it still doesn’t make sense.
http://themovementfix.com/the-best-kept-secret-why-people-have-to-squat-differently/

Last point about shoes: In weightlifiting, we use a special kind of thick heeled shoe to shorten the distance between the weight and the floor, as well as create a more upright shin path to lessen strain on various areas. However, it comes at a price: you will also over time shorten your calve muscles, creating stiffness.
I recommend that for most people wanting to improve their squat (weight or not) you should spend time stretching your calves and consider go heel-less in everyday footwear to restore than natural range of motion (although you’ll find it easier to squat with heeled shoes).

Good luck ladies and gentlemen; and SQUAT EVERYDAY!!! (try it in the bathroom, you’ll be hooked 😉 )

And as a bonus, here is a video of Ru Xiaojun, squatting ungodly heavy weights (pay attention to his long torso, short femurs).
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mmM-jR77SkY