Training guide
A skater squat is a single-leg squat with your other leg bent behind you: you sit back and down until your back knee touches a pad, then stand up on the front leg alone. The pad sets your depth, which makes it a good step towards harder one-leg squats such as the pistol.
It has barely been studied on its own. What we know comes from single-leg squats in general: they load the knee joint heavily at full depth, and with the free leg behind you the knee does relatively more of the work, not the hip. So the pad is your main dial, and "easier on the knees than a pistol" is unproven.
This guide covers the steps on the 3D figure, how to set the pad, your knees and hips, easier and harder versions, the skater squat against pistol, shrimp and Bulgarian split squats, and how many to do, and it says plainly where the advice is coaching practice.
Stand on one leg with the other knee bent and the foot trailing behind. Sit your hips back and down, tipping your trunk forward and reaching your arms forward, until your back knee touches a pad behind you, then stand up on the working leg alone. This is our move page's cue and a hockey conditioning book's.
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We found no study of the skater squat as it's usually coached. One muscle activity study of a twisting version found the glutes working at about 60 to 66% of their maximum. Most of what we know comes from single-leg squats in general.
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With the free leg behind, the standing knee did relatively more of the work and the hip less than with it held in front, as in a pistol, and the glutes worked less on the way down, in small lab studies. Leaning your trunk forward shifts work back to the hip.
One-leg squats load the joint behind the kneecap about twice as much as two-leg squats, and the load rises with depth: about 4.4 times body weight to 60 degrees of knee bend and 6.9 at full depth, against 4.7 for a Bulgarian split squat. The pad sets your depth, so start high.
No study compares them directly. The skater squat sets your depth with a pad and needs no leg held out in front; the pistol needs more ankle range and a stronger front of the hip. Neither has been shown to be kinder to the knee: at full depth both are among the heaviest kneecap loads.
3 sets of 5 to 8 each leg, 2 or 3 times a week, stopping 1 to 3 reps short of failure, with about 90 seconds' rest, as our pistol squat progression and pistol squat guide use. Move on when you reach 8 controlled reps. Strength improved with 2 or more sessions a week in the American College of Sports Medicine's 2026 overview of 137 reviews.
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A single-leg squat in which the free leg bends behind you and the back knee lowers towards a pad or the floor while your trunk tips forward; you stand up on the working leg alone. It's a step on our pistol squat ladder. The shrimp squat is the same shape with your back foot held in your hand, which takes away the counterbalance and makes it harder. It isn't a skater jump, which is a sideways bound, or a curtsy lunge, which keeps both feet on the floor.
The quadriceps and glutes of the standing leg do most of the work, with the hamstrings, the side-hip muscle (gluteus medius) and your trunk steadying you. The joints are the knee, hip and ankle of the standing leg, and with the free leg behind, the knee does relatively more.
Steady split squats or Patrick step-downs (the move page asks for these), 30 seconds standing on one leg without holding on (our pistol squat guide's balance test), and a knee that tolerates bending under load.
Longer legs and a taller trunk need more forward lean to stay balanced (our reading). Stiff ankles stop the knee travelling forward, so the heel lifts, as our pistol squat guide's ankle notes explain. Beginners may manage only a shallow range: NASM, the National Academy of Sports Medicine, says beginners may only squat to quarter-depth. People with kneecap pain need a higher pad.
From our skater squat move page, our pistol squat guide's ladder, NASM's single-leg squat cues and a hockey conditioning book. The pad and the support are coaching practice, not tested in studies.
Loading the 3D figure…
The movement on the figure: Skater squat
In 16 experienced squatters, force and stress behind the kneecap were significantly greater in one-legged than two-legged squats at every knee angle, about double at 100 degrees.
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In a modelling study of 20 healthy adults doing 35 exercises, peak load behind the kneecap was 3.1 times body weight in a low step-down, 4.4 in a single-leg squat to 60 degrees, 4.7 in a Bulgarian split squat, 5.1 in a lunge and 6.9 in a full single-leg squat, among the heaviest measured. The load on the tendon below the kneecap ran from 2.5 times body weight in a low step-down to 4.3 in a full single-leg squat. In two-leg squats, kneecap stress rose as the knee bent further. No skater squat was tested.
A skater squat to a high pad is a shallow single-leg squat, so by our reading its load sits around the 60-degree single-leg squat and the Bulgarian split squat; to the floor it approaches the full single-leg squat. That link between pad height and kneecap load is our extrapolation from single-leg squats to different depths: nobody has measured it in a skater squat.
Your knee has to travel past your toes, and healthy knees adapt to deep squats. In 7 men doing barbell squats, stopping the knees from passing the toes cut the knee's load but raised the hip's about tenfold. Keep the knee over your middle toes.
NASM lists a knee caving inward as a common mistake, and we cue the knee over the middle toes for control. But raters agree only moderately when they judge it by eye, and in 880 elite female footballers and handball players a poor single-leg squat didn't predict who would tear an ACL (anterior cruciate ligament); it wasn't a useful screening test in two youth studies either. A good single-leg squat did go with stronger side-hip muscles in 34 adults.
International consensus statements recommend exercise for kneecap pain, combining hip and knee exercises. An NHS feasibility study of 60 people used a single-leg squat sideways on a step, with the rule that once you stop, the pain should be no worse than before you started.
Painful exercise gave a small short-term benefit over pain-free exercise in 7 trials, and no difference in an update of 16 trials, most at high risk of bias. Our knee rule sits between the two:
Pain from 0 to 2 out of 10 is fine, and up to 5 is acceptable if your knee is back to its usual level by the next morning; for tendon pain just below or above the kneecap, keep it to 3 or less. Sharp, catching or giving-way pain, or new swelling, means stop. That's our knee guides' rule.
Use a higher pad, and lower it as the knee rule allows. If one-leg squats still hurt, use split squats or low step-downs, which load the kneecap less, and see our runner's knee and jumper's knee guides.
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In 16 women, with the free leg behind rather than in front, the knee's share of the effort at the bottom was higher and the hip's lower, the squat was shallower and the pelvis tipped forward more. In 17 adults, the glutes worked more on the way down with the free leg in front (like a pistol) than behind. In every version, about half the work was done at the knee. In these studies the free thigh stayed vertical with the knee bent, close to but not the same as a skater squat.
In trained men squatting on one leg with a barbell, putting the free foot forwards or backwards made no significant difference to glute activity.
In a modelled single-leg squat in 12 adults, a moderate forward trunk lean cut the modelled load on the ACL by about a quarter and raised hamstring force. In forward lunges, leaning forward raised the work at the hip, and in one-leg and two-leg squats, a forward-tilted trunk went with lower kneecap stress. A skater squat leans you forward naturally.
In a twisting skater squat, the gluteus medius and maximus worked at about 60% and 66% of their maximum (24 adults; rankings, no statistics). Single-leg squats drew more glute and thigh activity than lunges and step-ups in 20 adults, and more side-hip activity than split or Bulgarian split squats in 11 adults. These are lab measures of effort, not growth.
In 25 active young men, a 30-second skater squat test averaged about 26 reps and didn't track their measured thigh strength.
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Split squats, 3 sets of 8 to 12 each leg (our squat challenge), and Patrick step-downs, 3 sets of 8 slow reps each side (our pistol squat progression), come first; Bulgarian split squats, 3 sets of 6 to 10, are optional. Then the skater squat, 3 sets of 5 to 8 each side, first to a high pad holding a support, then to a folded towel without one (our pistol squat progression and squat challenge). Then a light weight held out in front (no 3D demo of that version), then the shrimp squat, 3 to 5 single reps each leg (the move page's dose), or the pistol squat ladder. Move on at 8 controlled reps (our pistol squat guide's rule).
3D demoSplit squatIntermediate · No equipment
3D demoPatrick step-downIntermediate · A step
3D demoRear-foot-elevated split squat (Bulgarian split squat)Intermediate · A bench or box
3D demoSkater squatAdvanced · No equipment
3D demoShrimp squatExpert · No equipment
3D demoPistol squatAdvanced · No equipment
3D demoKettlebell pistol squatAdvanced · A kettlebellNobody has compared them directly. The skater squat sets your depth with a pad, needs no straight leg held out in front and, by our reading, less ankle range; the pistol needs more of both, as our pistol squat guide explains. With the free leg behind, the knee did relatively more of the work in lab studies of single-leg squats with the free thigh held upright, so "kinder to the knee" isn't shown. At full depth, both are among the heaviest kneecap loads.
The shrimp squat holds your back foot in your hand, which removes the counterbalance and makes it harder; in a skater squat the back leg hangs free and the arms reach forward. Learn the skater squat first (our view).
The Bulgarian split squat rests your back foot on a bench, which steadies you and lets you add weight easily; the skater squat is all on one leg. The Bulgarian loaded the kneecap at about 4.7 times body weight, close to a single-leg squat to 60 degrees, and drew less side-hip activity than a single-leg squat in one study.
In short trials, one-leg and two-leg training built similar strength: split squats matched back squats over 5 weeks in 18 rugby players, and one-leg and two-leg training matched in 38 untrained adults over 8 weeks. Pooled, one-leg training improved one-leg jumping more and two-leg training two-leg strength more, and in team-sport athletes one-leg training built more one-leg strength. We found no trial of skater squats themselves.
3 sets of 5 to 8 each leg, 2 or 3 times a week, stopping 1 to 3 reps short of failure, with 90 seconds to 2 minutes between sides or sets (our pistol squat progression and pistol squat guide). At light effort you can go straight from one leg to the other.
Start with a stack of cushions or a low box your back knee touches at a depth that doesn't hurt, and take a layer away as you get stronger. A strength coach suggests stacking a few pads and lowering them as you get stronger; a hockey book adds a second pad if people drop onto the first.
At 8 controlled reps (our pistol squat guide's rule): a lower pad, then no support, then a light weight held out in front, then the shrimp or pistol squat. The same coach adds load only after 8 or more skater squats to the floor.
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You don't need skater squats for strong legs: sit-to-stands, step-ups and balance work build the same qualities with less risk of a fall, as our pistol squat guide says. If you try them, hold a support and use a high pad.
Add a pad and lower slowly, about 2 seconds down.
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Shift your weight back over your whole foot and use a slightly higher pad; see our pistol squat guide's ankle notes.
Keep it over your middle toes, and use a higher pad.
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Lean forward and reach your arms forward: it balances you and brings your hips into the work.
Keep the back knee bent so the knee reaches the pad before the foot touches the floor.
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Only after 8 or more steady reps.
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Knee-to-wall ankle rocks, 10 slow rocks each side, and single-leg stands, 2 holds of 30 seconds each side with a hand near a support (our pistol squat progression). Standing hip CARs (controlled articular rotations), 3 slow circles each way with each leg (the move page's dose). Single-leg Romanian deadlifts, 8 each leg with your fingertips on a wall at first (our ski fitness workout); lateral band walks, 2 sets of 10 to 15 steps each way, for the side hip (our lower body workout at home); and a half-kneeling hip flexor stretch, 30 seconds each side with a pad under the knee (our squat challenge).
The pistol squat progression uses skater squats at 3 sets of 5 to 8 each side with a pad under the back knee, and the squat challenge at 3 sets of 5 to 8 each leg with a folded towel and a support. The ski fitness and roller skater workouts use them for one-leg strength.
Build to a pistol squat: ankle and balance prep, step-downs, skater squats, box and counterweight pistols, then the full one-leg squat.
25 minIntermediate8 movesA wall, A stepA 15-minute squat ladder for the 30-day squat challenge: sit-to-stands and chair squats, then split squats, Bulgarian split squats and skater squats.
15 minBeginner12 movesA wall, A bench or boxA 40-minute pre-season workout for skiers and snowboarders: squats, split squats, single-leg hinges, side-to-side strength, landings and balance.
40 minIntermediate17 movesA wall, A dumbbellA 40-minute off-skates session: lateral bounds, hops, goblet and skater squats, single-leg deadlifts, Copenhagen planks, ankles, wrists, trunk and falls.
40 minIntermediate19 movesA wall, A bandFollow your surgical or physiotherapy team's limits, and see our knee replacement, meniscus tear and ACL injury guides.
Deep hip bending may pinch. Use a higher pad.
Use knee-to-wall rocks and a slightly higher pad, and see our ankle guides.
Always hold a support. If you've fallen and were hurt, fallen twice or more in a year, or couldn't get up, ask your GP about a falls service first, as our seniors workout advises.
The NHS advises against starting new vigorous activity in pregnancy. With pelvic girdle pain, skip one-leg squats or keep them small and hold a support (our suggestion, from our Bulgarian split squat guide's advice on split squats).
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If you get chest pain or pressure, feel faint or dizzy, are unusually breathless, or your heart races or beats irregularly during exercise, as our plans advise. The American Heart Association says these need immediate medical evaluation.
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If your knee is very painful, you can't move it or put any weight on it, it's badly swollen or has changed shape, it locks, gives way or painfully clicks (painless clicking is normal), or you have a very high temperature with redness or heat around the knee. In the US, contact your doctor or urgent care.
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If knee pain doesn't improve within a few weeks.
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Call 999 or go to A&E for severe hip pain after a fall or injury, if you can't walk or put weight on your leg, or for tingling or loss of feeling in your hip or leg after an injury. Ask for an urgent GP appointment or get help from NHS 111 for severe hip pain that started suddenly without a fall, a hip that's swollen and feels hot, skin around it that has changed colour, or hip pain with feeling generally unwell and a high temperature.
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See a GP if hip pain stops you doing normal activities or affects your sleep, is getting worse or keeps coming back, hasn't improved after 2 weeks of treating it at home, or you have hip stiffness for more than 30 minutes after waking up.
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Get help from NHS 111, or go to an urgent treatment centre (in the US, urgent care), if it's very painful or the pain is getting worse, there's a large amount of swelling or bruising or it's getting worse, you cannot put any weight on it or walk more than a few steps, it feels very stiff or is difficult to move, it's not feeling any better after treating it yourself, or you also have a very high temperature or feel hot, cold or shivery.
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See a GP if you think you have a hernia, a bulge or lump that may get bigger when you strain and smaller when you lie down. Get help from NHS 111 if you have a hernia and pain in or around it, a bloated tummy, you feel or are sick, you're vomiting blood or your vomit looks like coffee grounds, you're constipated, you have a high temperature or feel hot, cold or shivery, or you've suddenly become confused. Call 999 or go to A&E for a femoral hernia (a small lump at the top of your thigh, in your groin) with very bad tummy pain, sickness, being unable to fart or poo, a high temperature or sudden confusion.
Speak to your GP first if you haven't exercised for some time or have medical conditions or concerns, as the NHS advises. Get advice before hard or straining work if your blood pressure is uncontrolled (140/90 or higher at a clinic, or 135/85 at home), or you have heart disease or chest pain when you're active, a pacemaker or defibrillator, diabetic eye disease, glaucoma, a hernia, recent eye or tummy surgery, or you're pregnant, as our breathing guide lists.
Muscle soreness for a day or two after a new or harder session is common and fades. Sharp pain, or pain that builds during a set or lingers into the next day, isn't: swap to an easier version, and see a clinician if it persists, as our plans advise. The NHS says to stop exercising straight away if you feel any pain or become unwell, and to get help from 111 if symptoms worry you or don't go away.
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Healthy knees adapt to deep squatting, and exercise is the treatment for kneecap pain. One-leg squats are a heavy kneecap load at full depth, so set the depth with a pad and follow the knee rule.
Nobody has compared them. With the free leg behind, the knee did relatively more of the work and the hip less in lab studies. What spares the knee is a shallower range, which a pad makes easy to set.
The glutes work hard, but with the free leg behind they worked less on the way down than with it in front. Lean your trunk forward to bring the hips in.
It's normal and needed for depth; blocking it shifts the load to the hip. Keep the knee over your middle toes.
In 880 elite female athletes, a poor single-leg squat didn't predict ACL injury. Keep the knee in line for control, not out of fear.
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One-leg squats worked the thighs and glutes hard with far less weight than two-leg squats, and single-leg training built strength like two-leg training in short trials. Your body weight on one leg is a real load (our view).
A single-leg squat with your other leg bent behind you: you sit back and down until your back knee touches a pad, then stand up on the front leg alone. Your trunk leans forward and your arms reach forward for balance.
Mainly the quads and glutes of the standing leg, with the hamstrings and the side-hip muscles steadying you. In one study of a twisting version, the glutes worked at about 60 to 66% of their maximum.
Usually the skater squat: a pad sets your depth and you don't have to hold a straight leg out in front, which the pistol needs, along with more ankle range. No study has compared them directly.
Not for healthy knees, which adapt to deep squatting. One-leg squats are a heavy kneecap load at full depth, so with sore kneecaps use a higher pad and keep pain to 5 out of 10 or less, settled by the next morning.
Not shown. With the free leg behind, the standing knee did relatively more of the work in lab studies of single-leg squats. What spares the knee is a shallower depth.
Use a higher pad or box behind you, hold a support, or go back to split squats and step-downs. Once you're steady, a light weight held out in front can help you balance.
Lower the pad a layer at a time, let go of the support, then add a light weight. After that, try the shrimp squat, holding your back foot, or the pistol squat.
3 sets of 5 to 8 each leg, 2 or 3 times a week, stopping 1 to 3 reps short of failure, with about 90 seconds' rest. Move on when you reach 8 controlled reps.
In a shrimp squat you hold your back foot in your hand, which removes the counterbalance and makes it harder. In a skater squat your back leg hangs free and your arms reach forward.
The Bulgarian split squat rests your back foot on a bench, which steadies you and lets you add weight easily; the skater squat is all on one leg. In one study the Bulgarian loaded the kneecap about as much as a single-leg squat to 60 degrees.
Yes, it can: that's normal in deep squats. Keep it pointing over your middle toes rather than caving inwards.
They train one leg at a time, and our ski fitness and roller skater workouts use them. Single-leg training improved one-leg jumping more than two-leg training in pooled trials, but nobody has tested skater squats themselves for running or skiing.
Exercise education, not a personal prescription, and clinical review of these guides is pending. Check with a GP before starting hard training if you have a heart condition, chest pain, dizziness or breathlessness when active, and stop for sharp or increasing pain. Health disclaimer.
