Sled Pull · Knee Anchor (Hand-Over-Hand)

Why this matters

In hand-over-hand the feet don't move — the athlete plants and reels the rope in with alternating arms. That fixed base has to do two things at once: stay low enough to resist being pulled forward, and stay high enough not to turn the station into a squat-endurance grind. Because the feet are planted rather than stepping, the stance sits a touch stiffer than the step-back drag — 130°–155°.

Get it wrong in either direction and the pull suffers: locked-straight legs get yanked off balance on the first tug; an over-deep squat cooks the quads for no reason, since the arms are doing the pulling here.

What good looks like

From the side, the knee holds around 130–155° through the pull — an athletic, planted base. The feet stay put, the hips stay back, and the trunk stays stable while the arms cycle the rope in hand over hand.

Reading the result

• Too deep (<130°): squat depth typical of Squat-Row, not hand-over-hand — quad overuse. Stand slightly taller; HoH is more upright.
• Anchor (130°–155°): a planted anchor — a stable base for alternating arm pulls.
• Stiff (>155°): legs too straight and unstable; the first sled tug pulls the athlete forward off balance.

Coaching cues

• "Plant and stay tall" — the upright, fixed base HoH wants.
• "Soft knees, still feet" — keeps the anchor without over-squatting.

How to mark

1. Use a lateral-view clip. Pause mid-pull with both feet planted, during a moment of force transfer — not between pulls.
2. Points: greater trochanter (hip) → lateral femoral condyle (knee) → lateral malleolus (ankle).
3. The tool reports the interior knee angle.

Common mistakes: reading near-180° (locked legs get pulled off balance); reading < 130° (a deep squat better suited to Squat-Row).

Related measurements

• Shoulder Roll (Hand-Over-Hand) — the anti-rotation the planted base supports.
• Elbow Flexion at Peak Pull (Hand-Over-Hand) — the arm draw the stance anchors.