For functional training of the single-leg squat, which exercise should be trained?

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The key idea is training specificity: to improve a single-leg squat, practice the exact movement pattern you want to perform. A single-leg squat requires balancing on one leg while controlling the hip, knee, ankle, and torso. Practicing that exact pattern builds the neuromuscular coordination, strength, and technique in the same context the task will be done, so the transfer to the real movement is strongest. Other options train different patterns or goals—lunges introduce a stepping element and a different load distribution, two-handed cable twists target rotational upper-body work, and squats are bilateral and don’t reproduce the unilateral balance and control of a single-leg squat. Therefore, training the single-leg squat itself best develops the intended functional capability.