- Keeping length in your leg and through your whole body, point your toe and sweep your top leg to the back. Pause, but do not do a pulse kick.
Only reach as far back as you can go without crunching the low back or moving the pelvis. Again, a big part of the challenge of the exercise is to use the core muscles to keep the entire trunk of the body stable. No rocking of the pelvis or the shoulders!
- Flex your foot and kick to the front.
Repeat this exercise 5 to 10 times.
To Develop the Exercise:
- Pick up the pace: As you get comfortable with the leg pattern, step up the pace and try to get a nice flowing rhythm going with the swing of the leg -- flex kick, little kick, swing back.
- Breathing: I have seen this exercise taught with natural breath (deep, of course). That is where you should start. When you are ready, try inhale to the front and exhale to the back. A little more challenging is to exhale to the front and inhale to the back.
- Increase the Challenge: Bring the front hand to the back of your head with the chest very wide, elbow pointing to the ceiling. Only do this if you have mastered moving the leg without losing the stability and alignment of the pelvis and shoulders.
- The next step is to try kneeling side kick or to carry on with the side kick series.
