Remember, a kick is not a lift. It’s a brush. If you lift with your quad, your leg will be bent.

Make sure that you are stretched out and flexible. Partner stretching is great! Stand with your back and ankles against a wall. Lift up your leg and have your partner grab your leg and lift it up towards your nose or shoulder. Have your partner let go and hold your leg up. 

Do your splits every day! Strengthen your glutes and hamstring. Lunges are great!

With kick, it’s not all about being flexible, you need to be strong too. Focus on your hip flexors, quads, and hamstrings. If you forget about using your hamstrings, you will be leading with your knee. 

Think about brushing with the backs of your hamstrings so your knee is straight and you can snap it back down.

A trick to try: Turn on the song Faith by George Michaels. Hook up with a few friends and do front kicks fast to the beat of the song. Try to get all of your friends on the same spot.

Stretch in your splits every single day! Right, center, and left splits. 

Do some lunges and wall sits to build your muscles.

Now for kick technique! Don’t hunch over. Keep your shoulders back. Toes, ankles, and heels should be together when you prep. Kick to your nose, not to your shoulder. 

For individual hinge/French kicks, bring your arms above your head. Kick up and keep your knee up and just bend your knee.