Many people advocate bench-pressing towards the belly now, some even call it a belly press.  I am old school in the sense that I still believe the power line in the bench press is just slightly below the nipples.  At the start of the bench press, I make sure that my lats and traps are tight.  When I know I am tight and I start the negative portion of the lift, I pull my elbows in towards my body and descend with the bar fairly rapidly.  Doing the negative portion slow wastes energy and makes it harder for the concentric action to be fast.  I make sure not to be out of control.  As soon as I hear a press command, I explode as fast as possible.  I do not push the bar in a straight line.  The shortest distance to a point is a straight line; benching back slightly towards my eyes I feel like I generate much more explosion.  The benefit I gain outweighs the slightly further distance I have to push the bar.

    Speed training for the bench press is very important; speed takes you right through sticking points just like any other lifts.  One must develop all the proper muscles.  While triceps are the most important muscle, it is important to train your pecs.   People can rip their pecs because their muscles, tendons, and ligaments can’t support the amount of weight they are attempting to lift.  Make sure your pecs are STRONG!  Train hard and smart, and go get a PR!