1. when roop worked with me, he said that you must organize yourself before you descend.  we hear more often to brace 20% in the torso and get into good alignment, but we don’t hear so much 20% *also* in the glutes. the glute tension will give a slight posterior tilt to your pelvis, thereby giving yourself a bit more room for the femur before it runs into the pelvis. so get in good alignment, then brace both torso AND glutes 20% and descend.

2. are you driving outward torque with your upper legs? as a consequence they should be rotating outward to create space between your legs for your hips/body to drop down into.

3. try different stance widths. if you go a little wider than shoulder width, you may be able to get lower. going too wide means it can get restrictive again, as is too narrow.  not that wider or narrower couldn’t be a good goal to shoot for – it just may mean that there is an optimal stance width for the mobility you have now.

3. when you reach your end point, where do you specifically feel tension or tight? those would be areas to smash. some areas you can feel (obviously smash those), and some areas you might not.  you might try some exploratory smashing all around the typical areas: anterior tib, posterior tib, peroneals, ankle, foot, heel cord, calf, flexor hallicus, hamstrings, quads, glutes, TFL.  if you smash and you don’t feel any soreness, then move on.  you may find some places to smash that you missed.