Sled Pull · Knee at Catch (Squat-Row)

Why this matters

The squat-row technique pulls the sled with the legs, cycling down into a squat and driving up while the arms row the rope in. The catch is where each cycle starts — the deepest, loaded position from which the legs drive. Set it right (80°–100°) and the athlete has full leg range to push through. Too shallow and there's little drive left to give; too deep and the drive is slow to initiate and starts to turn into a hand-row instead of a leg-drive.

The catch is defined by tension, not just depth: it's the moment the rope is taut and the drive is about to start — force transfer begins here.

What good looks like

From the side, at the lowest hip position with the rope already taut, the knee sits around 80–100°. The shins are loaded, the hips are down and back, and the athlete is coiled to drive upward — not bounced past the bottom, not stopped short of it.

Reading the result

• Very deep (<75°): going below the standard slows the drive and risks shifting into a hand-row. Set the catch at handle-to-shins height; practise lighter first.
• Deep (80°–100°): on standard — full leg engagement available.
• Shallow (>100°): not enough depth to load the legs; the drive has little to give.

Coaching cues

• "Catch at the shins" — sets a repeatable depth reference.
• "Load the legs, then drive" — keeps the catch a leg position, not an arm one.

How to mark

1. Use a lateral-view clip. Pause on the frame just before the legs begin to extend — lowest hip, rope taut, drive not yet started.
2. Points: greater trochanter (hip) → lateral femoral condyle (knee) → lateral malleolus (ankle).
3. The tool reports the interior knee angle.

Common mistakes: picking a frame mid-drive (legs already extending inflates the reading); picking before tension is on the rope (the catch is where force transfer starts).

Related measurements

• Knee at Drive-End (Squat-Row) — the other end of the same leg drive; catch and drive-end together describe the leg range used.
• Trunk-Rope Alignment (Squat-Row) — whether that leg drive runs cleanly through the body into the rope.