Dynamic Mobility Warm-Up For Better Kicks
If you want to improve your kicking mobility and gain more flexibility in your hips, this dynamic warm-up with FightCamp Trainer Flo Master will help you get there.
Before any vigorous activity, it’s crucial to warm up properly, get your blood flowing, and loosen your muscles and joints. This will help prevent injury.
The best part is that you don’t need any equipment for these exercises, you can do these at home anytime.
You will perform 6 dynamic movements in this workout, each for 30 seconds. If you need to take a quick break between activities, give yourself 5-10 seconds to shake out the body and legs before moving to the next exercise.
The Workout
Calf Bounces (30 seconds)
This exercise warms up the thighs, ankles, and calves through the feet.
- Start with your feet shoulder-width apart
- Slowly bounce on your toes, lifting your heels off the ground
- Continue for 30 seconds
Calf Bounces with Heels In (30 seconds)
Repeat the same calf bounce, but this time, point your toes out and your heels in, like Dorothy in the “Wizard of Oz”
Calf Bounces with Heels Out (30 seconds)
Repeat the same calf bounce, but this time, point your toes in and your heels out
Deep Squats (30 seconds)
This exercise warms up the thighs and hips.
- Start with your feet shoulder-width apart
- With your weight back on your heels, squat down
- Make sure to keep your back straight with your shoulders over your thighs
- As you bend, keep your knees behind your toes and sit down until your knees are at a 90 degree angle
- Stand back up
- Continue squatting for 30 seconds
Lunges (30 seconds)
This exercise warms up the joints in the knees and hips.
- Keep your knees behind the toes
- Bend knee to 90 degrees
- Keep your back leg and knee touching the ground
- Alternate left to right leg
Hip Circles (30 seconds)
This exercise increases flexibility and strengthens the core.
- Start with your feet shoulder-width apart
- Place your hands-on hips
- Rotate hips in a circular pattern as if you were using a hula-hoop
- Alternate the circle rotation pattern after 15 seconds
Gate Openers (30 seconds each side)
This movement loosens the hips and increases flexibility.
- Stand on your right foot
- Lift your left leg to 90 degrees
- Rotate your left leg out and toward the side of your body, so that your knee is pointed sideways
- Touch your left foot to the ground
- Lift your left leg again from the side and get your leg to 90 degrees before rotating back to the front of the body
- Touch left foot to the ground
- Continue for 30 seconds
- Repeat movements with your right leg for 30 more seconds
Side Lunges (30 seconds)
This is a great exercise to warm up the groin and thighs.
- Place one leg straight on the ground, pointed outward to the side of the body
- Point the toes of your extended leg upward
- Lunge over the opposite leg, be sure to keep the knee behind the toes
- Continue for 30 seconds
And there you have it! A dynamic warm-up before any boxing and kickboxing workout will ensure that you have more mobility and flexibility in your hips and joints so you can kick with more power and without injury. For more training tips and suggestions, subscribe to the FightCamp YouTube channel and check out our blog.
Check out these FightCamp stretching and strengthening routines to help you perfect your form:
◦ Stretching Routine For Boxing At Home with Shanie
◦ Boxing Wrist Strengthening with Flo Master
◦ Dynamic & Static Stretching for Neck Tension with Shanie
◦ Upper Body Flexibility & Mobility Routine with Coach PJ
Related Articles
9 BEST Upper Body Mobility Stretches For Peak Performance
Kickboxing Static Leg Stretches For Your BEST Kicks
Get Toned Fast With Kickboxing At-Home
7 Reasons Why You Should Be Kickboxing
Kickboxer's Pre-Workout: Dynamic Stretching
The Author: Jerry Randolph (aka Flo Master) grew up in Gaithersburg, Maryland. Being bullied as a kid, he looked for ways to break away from that narrative and found his way to dancing. He didn’t become just any kind of dancer; he became a BBoy. He became Flo Master. Flo quickly rose to fame as a dancer, performing with superstars like Usher, Ciara, Jennifer Lopez, and Will Smith. Despite this success, he felt that something was missing from his life. He knew that he wasn’t able to defend himself. Flo turned to martial arts and boxing and knew that it was the missing piece to the puzzle. Training with Jeremy Horn, Anderson “The Spider” Silva, and Erik Paulson gave Flo the real confidence that he needed as a boy in Maryland. He took his passion for dance and his love for martial arts and began working in the group fitness industry. His guiding force is to give people what he wished someone had given him when he was coming up; encouragement and empowerment. Flo Master is a Founding FightCamp Coach, eternal entertainer, and father to his two kids, who just happen to be excellent dancers and martial artists. Flo Master is also USA Boxing Coach certified.