Mild asymmetry in ankle/hip

[John Higgins]

Hello, all; first, I'd like to express my gratitude for being confirmed as a forum member. The open and collaborative approach here is refreshing and exciting! I hope, in time, I'll be able to contribute. In fact, with luck, this very post will help other people out.

But today, I'm here as a seeker. For a couple of months, I've been dreaming of achieving the pistol squat, but I notice some mild - but problematic - dysfunctions and asymmetries which hold me back.

The first problem is the strange behavior of my ankles. In a kneeling, weight-bearing lunge, I can easily touch my knee to a wall that is 12 or 13 cm from my toes; I can reach even further if I am performing the test standing, thereby creating more torque. As I understand, this is considered acceptable, if not good.

When I squat, however, my ankle position becomes quite restricted. I can do a full squat with my heels on the floor, if I lean forward between my legs a bit or reach forward, but I cannot push my knees over my toes. I suspect this is due to my weight pulling my knees back as my center of gravity gets closer to the ground. I have attached a picture to demonstrate my position.

The first asymmetry is this: from a deep squat, or a close-stance squat, or even from sitting, I can quite easily lift myself into the bottom position of the pistol squat on my left. This is difficult or sometimes impossible on my right; when I do manage on my right, my left leg tracks clockwise across my body for some reason. In addition, stretching my calves is extremely difficult and requires great force (the common technique of wrapping a towel around the foot and pulling is useless for me), and stretching on my right feels different (I can feel the usual gastroc stretch in my left calf; doing it on my right, I feel little in the calf).

The second asymmetry is in the hip. I can quite easily sit with my butt square on the ground and my left foot flat, and bring my left leg flush to my body. My knee comes up just above my clavicle and makes a very convenient chin rest. Bringing my right leg into a similar position requires I pull with my arms, and is not easy. This definitely makes it hard to get my center of gravity far enough forward for a pistol squat.

I am hoping that there are some stretches, mobilizations, and exercises that will help me gain the necessary ranges-of-motion. However, I understand that not every problem can be solved over an internet forum.

I apologize for asking so much, so soon! Thank you in advance for the assistance.

[Kit_L]

Welcome. Your body sounds like mine.

I have an 18mm or so skeletal leg length difference; accordingly, each hip and its ROM is different. No problem; we just need to work that tighter side more.

Search the forums here for ankle flexibility, or just ankle; look here for example:

http://kitlaughlin.c...page__hl__ankle

The short story: if you need to lean forwards to hold a full squad then your ankles and/or hips are not flexible enough. If you search my YT channel you will find a range of much better calf stretches than the towel version you mention. Start here:

http://kitlaughlin.c...page__hl__ankle

This definitely makes it hard to get my center of gravity far enough forward for a pistol squat.

Precisely. Follow those links and once you've read them all, by all means post again with follow-up questions. Cheers.

[John Higgins]

Thank you! These look wonderful. How often should the ankle routine be repeated? I will try this for a few weeks and see where it takes me.

[Admin]

Twice a week, repeating them in that session until you've got all the movement that can be gained in that session.