Common Mistakes and Fixes

Even with proper programming, technical errors can limit your progress and increase injury risk. This lesson identifies the most common pistol squat mistakes and provides practical solutions to correct them.

Mobility-Related Mistakes

Mistake 1: Heel Lifting Off the Ground

What It Looks Like: The heel rises during the descent, shifting weight to the toes and compromising balance.

Why It Happens:

• Insufficient ankle dorsiflexion
• Tight calf muscles (gastrocnemius and soleus)
• Restricted anterior ankle joint capsule

How to Fix It:

Immediate Solutions:

• Use a small heel wedge (2-5 cm plate under heel)
• Hold a counterweight to shift balance forward
• Reduce depth temporarily

Long-Term Solutions:

• Daily ankle mobility work (5-10 minutes)
• Banded ankle mobilizations before training
• Calf stretching post-workout
• Deep squat holds with heels grounded

Drill: Wall Ankle Stretch

1. Stand facing a wall with toes 10-15 cm away
2. Drive knee forward toward wall while keeping heel down
3. Hold 30 seconds, repeat 5-10 times per leg

Mistake 2: Excessive Forward Lean

What It Looks Like: The torso tips far forward, chest approaches horizontal, resembling a single-leg good morning.

Why It Happens:

• Compensating for limited ankle mobility
• Weak quadriceps relative to posterior chain
• Poor thoracic extension
• Heavy free leg pulling center of gravity forward

How to Fix It:

Immediate Solutions:

• Focus on keeping chest up throughout movement
• Use a counterweight held at chest level
• Perform on a slight decline to reduce ankle demand

Long-Term Solutions:

• Thoracic spine mobility work
• Quadriceps strengthening (leg extensions, front squats)
• Practice with arms extended overhead as cue
• Strengthen hip flexors to keep free leg lighter

Drill: Arms Overhead Pistol Practice

1. Hold arms straight overhead during pistol attempts
2. This forces an upright torso to maintain balance
3. Start with assisted variations

Mistake 3: Free Leg Dropping

What It Looks Like: The extended leg sags toward the ground, sometimes touching down.

Why It Happens:

• Hip flexor weakness or fatigue
• Tight hamstrings limiting hip flexion
• Focus on working leg causes neglect of free leg

How to Fix It:

Immediate Solutions:

• Point toes aggressively (engages hip flexors more)
• Consciously push the free leg forward
• Use fewer reps per set to avoid fatigue

Long-Term Solutions:

• Hip flexor strengthening (hanging leg raises, L-sits)
• Hamstring stretching for free leg extension
• Practice holding leg extended while seated

Drill: Seated Free Leg Hold

1. Sit on the ground with legs extended
2. Lift one leg 15-30 cm off the ground
3. Hold for 30-60 seconds
4. Build endurance for maintaining leg position

Strength-Related Mistakes

Mistake 4: Knee Valgus (Inward Collapse)

What It Looks Like: The knee of the working leg collapses inward toward the midline, especially during the ascent.

Why It Happens:

• Weak hip abductors (gluteus medius)
• Poor neuromuscular control
• Overactive adductors
• Fatigue late in sets

How to Fix It:

Immediate Solutions:

• Focus on driving knee out over toes
• Place a visual target outside the knee to aim toward
• Reduce difficulty to maintain control

Long-Term Solutions:

• Hip abductor strengthening (side-lying leg raises, clamshells)
• Banded exercises to reinforce proper tracking
• Conscious practice of correct alignment
• Address any leg length or hip mobility asymmetries

Drill: Banded Pistol Practice

1. Place a light resistance band around knees
2. Perform pistol progressions while pushing against band
3. Creates external feedback for proper knee tracking

Mistake 5: Unable to Stand Up from Bottom

What It Looks Like: Athlete descends successfully but gets stuck at the bottom position.

Why It Happens:

• Insufficient strength in deep knee flexion
• Loss of tension at the bottom
• Lack of stretch reflex utilization
• Balance lost at the transition point

How to Fix It:

Immediate Solutions:

• Use a touch-and-go technique on a box
• Employ a slight bounce (controlled, not bouncing)
• Reduce range of motion temporarily

Long-Term Solutions:

• Bottom-up pistol practice from seated position
• Pause squats at parallel and below
• Slow negative training to build strength through range
• Improve ankle and hip mobility for better bottom position

Drill: 1.5 Rep Pistols

1. Descend to full depth
2. Rise only 1/4 of the way up
3. Descend back to full depth
4. Stand all the way up
5. Builds strength at the sticking point

Mistake 6: Collapsing Arch (Foot Pronation)

What It Looks Like: The arch of the working foot flattens and rolls inward.

Why It Happens:

• Weak intrinsic foot muscles
• Poor awareness of foot position
• Attempting to compensate for other limitations
• Fatigue

How to Fix It:

Immediate Solutions:

• Consciously grip the floor with your toes
• Maintain tripod foot position (heel, big toe, little toe)
• Practice barefoot to increase awareness

Long-Term Solutions:

• Foot strengthening (towel scrunches, marble pickups)
• Short foot exercise practice
• Single-leg balance on various surfaces
• Arch-supporting exercises

Drill: Short Foot Exercise

1. Stand with feet flat on ground
2. Without curling toes, draw the ball of the foot toward the heel
3. This raises the arch and activates foot stabilizers
4. Hold 5 seconds, repeat 10 times

Balance-Related Mistakes

Mistake 7: Falling Backward

What It Looks Like: Athlete loses balance backward during the descent, especially near bottom position.

Why It Happens:

• Insufficient ankle dorsiflexion
• Center of gravity too far back
• Fear of going deep
• Weak core stabilization

How to Fix It:

Immediate Solutions:

• Use a counterweight held in front
• Practice with a wall behind for security
• Hold a door frame or rack for light assistance

Long-Term Solutions:

• Aggressive ankle mobility work
• Practice rocking back and forward at bottom of squat
• Core strengthening for rotational stability
• Improve confidence through progressive exposure

Drill: Rocking Pistols

1. Lower into assisted pistol position
2. Intentionally rock backward slightly
3. Use core to rock back to balanced position
4. Builds confidence in the deep position

Mistake 8: Excessive Wobbling Throughout

What It Looks Like: Constant side-to-side or front-to-back wobbling during the entire movement.

Why It Happens:

• Insufficient single-leg balance development
• Moving too fast
• Weak ankle stabilizers
• Lack of practice

How to Fix It:

Immediate Solutions:

• Slow down the movement dramatically
• Use light finger touch on support
• Reduce range of motion temporarily

Long-Term Solutions:

• Daily single-leg balance practice
• Unstable surface training (balance pad, BOSU)
• Eyes-closed balance work
• More frequent practice with easier progressions

Drill: Single-Leg Clock Touches

1. Stand on one leg
2. Imagine standing in center of a clock
3. Reach other leg to touch 12, 3, 6, and 9 o'clock positions
4. Maintain balance on working leg throughout

Technique and Execution Mistakes

Mistake 9: Rushing the Movement

What It Looks Like: Athlete drops quickly into bottom position and tries to bounce out.

Why It Happens:

• Using momentum to compensate for lack of strength
• Lack of body control
• Impatience or ego

How to Fix It:

Solution:

• Enforce a 3-second minimum descent
• Practice pause pistols at the bottom
• Reduce to easier progressions that allow control
• Focus on quality, not quantity

Drill: Tempo Pistols

• 4 seconds down
• 2 second pause at bottom
• 3 seconds up
• Master controlled tempo before adding speed

Mistake 10: Inconsistent Depth

What It Looks Like: Depth varies between reps and sessions; sometimes deep, sometimes shallow.

Why It Happens:

• Fatigue affecting range of motion
• Lack of depth awareness
• Changing technique between attempts
• Not using consistent targets

How to Fix It:

Solution:

• Use a box or target to standardize depth
• Record videos to monitor consistency
• Stop set when depth decreases
• Establish a minimum standard and maintain it

Mistake 11: Breath Holding

What It Looks Like: Holding breath throughout entire movement, face turning red, losing core stability.

Why It Happens:

• Concentration on movement causes forgotten breathing
• Attempting to create stability through breath hold
• Not understanding proper breathing pattern

How to Fix It:

Proper Breathing Pattern:

• Inhale before descent or during early descent
• Brief breath hold through deepest portion
• Exhale during ascent or at top
• Breathe between reps

Practice:

• Consciously practice breathing pattern during easier progressions
• Count breaths out loud during sets

Creating a Troubleshooting Plan

Self-Assessment Protocol

1. Record yourself performing pistol attempts from front and side
2. Watch for the mistakes described above
3. Identify your primary limiting factor
4. Select 1-2 fixes to focus on

Priority Order

Address issues in this general order:

1. Safety concerns first: Knee valgus, foot collapse
2. Major limiters: The issue preventing progress
3. Technical refinement: Smaller improvements

Implementation

• Add corrective drills to your warm-up
• Include targeted exercises in your program
• Practice correct technique at easier progressions
• Retest and record progress regularly

Conclusion

Identifying and correcting common mistakes accelerates progress while reducing injury risk. Most pistol squat errors stem from mobility limitations, strength imbalances, or rushed progression. By systematically addressing these issues, you build a pistol squat that is both impressive and sustainable. The final lesson covers injury prevention and recovery strategies to ensure your training remains healthy and productive.