How to Do a Better Pistol Squat

The pistol squat is an excellent movement that develops unilateral leg strength, ankle mobility, and athleticism. It’s a very popular movement that lots of athletes want to do, and as a result, often poorly rush the process and rely exclusively on momentum instead of strength.

When performing the pistol, it’s critical that you focus on keeping the weight over the midfoot, and not crashing down and bouncing up.

If you watch Coach Lenny below executing our middle progression for the pistol, you will notice that the band is there as an aid, not a slingshot. He stops his momentum at the bottom and squats the concentric with his strength, not speed bouncing out of the band. He always stays balanced over his midfoot.

So, when performing the pistol squat, think about the following.

1. Descend under control with your weight over the midfoot.
2. Brief pause at bottom to remove bounce.
3. Stay over the mifdoot on the ascent, and under control.

Once you become proficient you can start worrying about speed. But strength comes first. Always.

-Dave Thomas
@VirginiaDave