It’s Technique Tuesday where we talk about a movement we’re doing tomorrow, WHY we’re doing it, and other fun facts and tips like common faults and scaled progressions!
Movement: Pistol Squat
Description: Start balancing on one leg. Perform a single leg squat (hip crease below knee) and return to standing without the other leg touching the ground.
Primary Movement Pattern:
Physical Skills Developed:
Tips, Tricks, and Fun Facts:
The pistol or single leg squat builds on the foundational squat movement pattern by isolating a single leg and adding a big measure of flexibility and balance to the list of requirements (and developments).
The pistol squat builds strength in the quads, hamstrings, glutes, calves, and core – and flexibility in the hips, knees, ankles, and spine. It also develops full body single leg balance!
Once you have a technically sound normal air squat to full depth (hip crease below the knee) with good endurance (20 in a row), it makes sense to start working on the pistol squat progression.
Setup:
- Start balancing on one leg
Initiation:
- Initiate the movement by shifting the hips back before you start bending your knee
- With control, lower your body until your hip crease is clearly below your knee.
- Maintain balance with your weight in the middle of your foot, and your non-working leg not touching the ground
- Push the ground away and return to standing with full hip and knee extension balancing on the same leg.
Progression:
- Make sure you have a technically sound normal air squat to below parallel
- Toe spot single leg squat. Use your back toe for balance while keeping most of your weight on your front foot.
- Ankle spot single leg squat. Use your back foot on your ankle to aid in balance and strength while working down to full depth (hip crease below knee)
- Pistol to a target (box/bench/plates). Do not “sit” on the box. Maintain control and barely tap the box. Progress to lower targets while maintaining control throughout the entire movement.
- Pistol off a box. Performing a single leg squat off one side of a stable box allows development of balance and strength in the full range of motion without as much flexibility requirement to keep the non-working leg off the ground.
Common faults:
- Initiating with knee bend instead of hip shift – This results in a non-ideal position on the way down with the knee too far forward.
- Heel coming off the ground. This can be caused by initiating with too much knee bend, or by limited ankle mobility. Keep the heel on the ground and work to the limit of your flexibility.
Check out our social media for the slow motion video with commentary and have one of our coaches check your technique tomorrow!
Dean