The pistol squat is widely considered the ultimate bodyweight leg feat, requiring strength, stability and flexibility.
However, as always with calisthenics, the only limit is your imagination, and athletes are constantly looking for new ways to push their strength potential.
Enter the dragon pistol squat!
What is a Dragon Pistol Squat?
The Dragon Pistol Squat involves squatting down on one leg, whilst simultaneously hooking the other leg back behind your standing leg and then out in front of you without touching the ground.
Requiring greater levels of flexibility, strength and stability, the Dragon Pistol Squat is the ultimate bodyweight leg challenge.
Prerequisites
Before getting started on the dragon pistol squat, you must have a strict pistol squat and a shrimp squat under your belt.
Strict Pistol Squat
The strict pistol squat involves keeping the non-working leg parallel to the ground throughout. This will really help with the strength and mobility required for a dragon pistol squat. Aim for 5 strict reps.
For more information on how to progress to the strict pistol squat, check out our detailed guide here.
Shrimp Squat
The shrimp squat involves holding the ankle behind you and squatting backwards until your knee touches the ground, just behind your heel.
This will help build up the extra glute strength required for the dragon; once again aim for 5 clean reps.
Progressions
Alright so with those progressions under your belt, you have a strong base and decent mobility. Let us begin!
Mobility Drills
These are stretches and low intensity drills that you can do every day to improve your mobility for the dragon squat.
1. Deep Squat
Squat down into a deep squat, keep the heels on the ground, your chest high and butt low (keeping it off the ground).
Hold for 3 sets of one minute.
This will help open up your hips. The perfect squat should have your ankles, shoulders and ear in a nice straight line.
2. Close Leg Deep Squat
Most people will find this quite a bit harder than the deep squat, requiring more flexible ankles, as well as strength in your shin muscles (tibialis anterior).
Place your feet together. Squat down into a deep squat, with your chest high and butt low.
Hold for 3 sets of one minute.
3. Deep Pistol Squat With Leg Raise
Squat down into a deep pistol squat.
Once in this position, lift your non-working leg as high as you can, keeping the knee straight and pointing your toes
Repeat for 3 sets of 10 reps on each leg.
This will improve your mobility in the hips, as well as allowing you to lift the non-working leg higher; essential for locking down the dragon pistol squat.
4. Piriformis Stretch With Leg Raise
The standard piriformis stretch will help improve your flexibility for the dragon.
We can take this further by throwing in some active leg raises.
Ensure that you are sat upright on your buttocks and not leaning back, this will make it more difficult and target the right areas.
Point your toes, keep your knee straight and raise the leg as high as you can.
Repeat for 3 sets of 10 reps on each leg.
5. Assisted Deep Dragon Pistol Squat With Leg Raise
Hold onto a sturdy object and get yourself down into the bottom position of the dragon.
From here, point your toes, keep the knee straight and lift your leg as high as you can.
Repeat this for 3 sets of 10 reps on each leg.
Dragon Pistol Squat Form
Ensure Your Knee Tracks the Toes
As with all squats, it’s really important to make sure your knee stays inline with your toes, don’t allow it to roll in.
This is especially challenging with the twisting nature of the dragon pistol squat, so progress as slow as required.
Try and Keep the Non-Working Leg Off the Ground
This one is less of a safe one and more a good form tip.
To get the full benefits of the dragon, you should keep the non working leg off the ground at all times.
Dragon Pistol Squat Progressions
These are high intensity exercises that will build up the strength and mobility to get you to the dragon pistol squat.
Perform 5 sets of 5 reps, no more than twice a week.
Do some lower intensity, higher rep pistol squat work 2-3 times a week to compliment this.
1. Curtsy Shrimp Squat
The curtsy shrimp squat is the first progression to take the non-working leg behind the other leg.
It’s very tough on the glutes and will help build the strength needed to get the dragon.
Start Position
- Stand on one leg with the opposite arm out in front for balance.
- With the same hand as the working leg, grab your opposite ankle and pull it up towards your butt.
Execution
- Squat down, bring your non-working knee behind and to the side of your working leg.
- Aim to touch the ground if you can.
- From there, push through your heel and squat back up.
2. Curtsy Airborne Lunge
The curtsy airborne lunge increases the range of motion that your glutes must go through, thus making it more challenging.
Start Position
- Stand on one leg, with both arms out in front for balance.
Execution
- Squat down, bring your non-working leg behind and to the side of your working leg.
- Aim to get it as far away from your body as you can.
- Squat as low as possible, whilst maintaining good form.
- Push through your heel and squat back up.
3. Elevated Dragon Pistol Squat
The first progression to take you into the dragon pistol squat movement.
Utilises an object to allow your non-working leg to go lower than the working leg, thus reducing some of the mobility requirements.
Start Position
- Stand on one leg on the edge of a box, bench or whatever you have available.
- Put your arms out in front of you for balance.
Execution
- Squat down, bring your non-working leg behind and to the side of your working leg, allowing the leg to go below the box.
- Now bring it back round in front of you into the dragon pistol squat.
- Push through your heel and squat back up.
4. Assisted Dragon Pistol Squat
In this progression you will guide the leg into position using your hand.
This makes the challenge quite a bit easier than a full dragon, whilst still being a very challenging exercise.
Start Position
- Stand on one leg, with your opposite hand out in front for balance.
Execution
- Squat down, bring your non-working leg behind and to the side of your working leg.
- As soon as you can reach it, grab your toes with the same arm as your working leg.
- Guide the foot around until it is straight out in front of you.
- Try to avoid touching the floor, though this will probably happen at first.
- Squat back up to the start position.
5. Dragon Pistol Squat
So your assisted dragon pistol squats are getting quite easier now, without your foot touching the ground.
Then it’s time to nail the full dragon pistol squat!
Start Position
- Stand on one leg, with your opposite hand out front for balance.
Execution
- Squat down, bring your non-working leg behind and to the side of your working leg.
- Bring the foot around until it is straight out in front of you.
- Try to avoid touching the floor.
- Squat back up to the start position.
Congratulations, you’ve just unlocked one of the most difficult pistol squat variations!