Single Leg Squats have always been a love-hate thing for me. I love the idea of them and the benefits they bring, but I just hate doing them. Which is the root of the problem.
Some of the benefits just to name a few are:
- Balance
- Getting into both hips
- Improve strength unilaterally
But and this is a big but, there is really only one truly valid reason anyone would want to become better at Single Leg Squats. And that reason is to be able to perform a Crane Kick from Karate Kid. If you are too young to have seen this movie or just want to see Martin Kove say the classic phrase “Finish Him!” for old times. Here is the video, you can just skip to the 43-second mark to see the good stuff.
Wow, that was a crazy climax, I was literally on the edge of my seat. Who could have seen that coming!?
If you look at the Crane Kick you will see that it takes a good amount of being able to stabilize on one leg and then be able to produce the power out of that stance leg to kick Johnny in the face. This ability would come with many hours of training yourself to get into your glutes and feel comfortable getting out of them in an explosive manner, just like Single Leg Squats. This pattern is also seen with jumping and landing, and with running. It is not just limited to Karate.
If your are looking to learn how to become better at the Crane Kick or just becoming a better athlete or even a more balanced individual overall then give my new post a read over at Stack.com on how to perform Single Leg Squats.
You can find it Here
Best
JW
