What is a Squat?
Squatting is a full body movement allowing us to function in the world around us.
Without the ability to squat, it becomes difficult and/or impossible to lower ourselves towards the earth, to sit, to toilet, and to get back up again.
Squatting is a motor skill.
Motor skills involve precise movement of muscles with an intent to perform a specific act. The precise movements for squatting are developed through a series of movement components we begin practicing in infancy.
Let’s see how babies build a squat as a way for movement teachers and movement practitioners to look at the components, the mechanics, of the “whole picture” in order to build sequences and movement explorations for squatting practice.
Prone Squat and our Default to Flexion
The ability to squat relies partially on flexion at the spine, hips, and knees.
Flexion is our default.
It’s the position of the baby in the womb.
You can see from the above photo why balasana is called “child’s pose”. If you study the photo closely you will see that the baby not only has a ridiculous bow on its head, but is in a prone squat.
The baby now needs to develop its extensor muscle system to balance the default system of flexion.
The baby needs to develop neck extensor strength to hold its head up.
The baby needs to develop core strength to transfer loads between the trunk and legs.
The baby needs to develop extensor strength at the knee and hip.
The baby needs to develop the longitudinal arch of the foot.
These are necessary components of squatting.
Squatting on our Backs/Developing Core Strength
Squatting relies on the transfer of load or force through our core.
Look at how the baby above is holding its legs in a position of “squat”.
Babies spend months on their back (supine) practicing squatting motions in the air as they pump their legs in and out towards and away from their bellies to build strength and stability around their hip joints and extension in their knee joints while stabilizing their core.
If you regularly take my classes you recognize the above position called “deadbug” or “three month position”. In class, we regularly explore lying on our backs and moving the appendages away and towards our center to strengthen the core system so that our trunk can be maintained on top of our pelvis and legs while we move in and out of various movements like squatting.
Why the ability to Sit Upright plays a role in Squatting
Balancing the trunk over the pelvis is a vital aspect of squatting.
Look at the baby above sitting in a version of sukhasana, crossed legged sitting while reaching forward for the foot.
If you picture a beautiful squat in your mind, you’ll see the trunk hinged forward just like the baby’s trunk in this seated position.
Once sitting up, a baby continues to build the spinal extensors necessary for upright activities and the balance of the flexor system.
As the baby looks around, reaches for the foot or something in front of the body, the pelvis learns to hinge forward without the big head and trunk toppling forward.
A balance between flexors and extensors is necessary for squatting.
A hip hinge of pelvis over legs is necessary for squatting.
The role of Crawling for Hip Flexion and Extension
Crawling is the beginning of locomotion for most babies.
Crawling is typically a motor skill where one leg moves forward into flexion while the other leg moves into extension. The baby above is flexing the right hip and knee and moving into extension of the left hip and knee.
The baby is developing leg, hip, pelvic, spinal, core, shoulder, and arm strength while moving against the force of gravity and in and out of flexion and extension.
As you squat down, the ankle, knee, and hip must flex. In order to come back up there must be a powerful shortening of the muscles that extend the knee and hip.
All 4’s positions and crawling help us to develop the precise movements necessary to balance upright on our legs, to move through space while walking, and to coordinate the many actions of squatting.
Moving from all 4’s to our Feet
From crawling, we learn to stand up.
One of the ways we do this is by flexing one ankle, knee, and hip into a single leg “squat” position like this baby is doing and pushing into the hands and off the back extended hip and knee.
It looks a lot like a lunge. Lunging activities, although different than a squat, are intimately related.
Moving in and out of a lunge creates single leg strength that is required in a squat. It also allows us to get the weight of the pelvis centered over the foot.
Look Ma, No Hands! I’m Squatting!
These two little girls are squatting in full ankle, knee, and hip flexion.
The top photo shows the spine in a more upright position and the bottom photo shows the spine flexed forward. The ankles, knees, and hips stay deeply flexed and stable while the upper body is free to change positions.
The spinal and core muscular systems have developed over time and the practice of particular actions so that the toddlers above can hold their heads up or allow them to flex forward, balance their trunks over their pelvis even as their arms do independent actions, and their foot to hip extensor muscular system have become strong enough to balance the joint flexion mobility, enabling them to stand up against the force of gravity and not topple over.
This “timeline” of infant development allows us to see all the necessary components of an action we perform everyday. It was a complex journey to get here and took lots of exploration, repetition, and determination.
Now, how do we maintain this ability? How do we work with any limitations we have developed in our adult years? How do we balance stability and mobility? What components of the squat need support in our particular case?
If you are a movement teacher and/or explorer, I encourage you to think about the components of a squat and creatively sequence explorations of those components.
Be willing to play and explore movement options just as babies and toddlers do.
Hope to see you on the mat in my virtual classes.
