Correction for knees caving in during a squat.

Correction for knees caving in during a squat.

• A. Cue "Push your knees out" or "Spread the ground apart with your feet."
• B. Use a target on the outside of the knee for the athlete to reach
• C. Keep knees together
• D. Lean the torso forward

Answer: (A)

When knees cave in during a squat, the body often loses control of the hip and thigh alignment, allowing the knees to move inward. The most effective fix is to cue the athlete to create outward push from the feet, which helps rotate the thighs outward and engage the hip abductors. “Push your knees out” or “spread the ground apart with your feet” trains the muscles around the hips to keep the knees tracking over the toes and reduces valgus stress on the knees, improving stability and depth safely. Other cues don’t address the movement pattern as directly. Keeping the knees together can allow the inward collapse to persist. Leaning the torso forward can shift load onto the back and knees in ways that may worsen alignment or compromise technique. A target on the outside of the knee doesn’t reliably teach the necessary hip control and may not correct the underlying mechanics. Focusing on ground spread and knee-out cues helps build the correct squat pattern over time. If mobility is limited, work on ankle dorsiflexion and hip mobility to support this cue.

When knees cave in during a squat, the body often loses control of the hip and thigh alignment, allowing the knees to move inward. The most effective fix is to cue the athlete to create outward push from the feet, which helps rotate the thighs outward and engage the hip abductors. “Push your knees out” or “spread the ground apart with your feet” trains the muscles around the hips to keep the knees tracking over the toes and reduces valgus stress on the knees, improving stability and depth safely.

Other cues don’t address the movement pattern as directly. Keeping the knees together can allow the inward collapse to persist. Leaning the torso forward can shift load onto the back and knees in ways that may worsen alignment or compromise technique. A target on the outside of the knee doesn’t reliably teach the necessary hip control and may not correct the underlying mechanics. Focusing on ground spread and knee-out cues helps build the correct squat pattern over time. If mobility is limited, work on ankle dorsiflexion and hip mobility to support this cue.