How to Jump Higher (part 7) – Hip Flexors
This is Part 7 on the article – How to Jump Higher. You can read the previous six by browsing HERE.
In this article, we look at Hip Flexors Exercise.
In human anatomy, the hip flexors are a group of skeletal muscles that act to flex the femur onto the lumbo-pelvic complex. In layman term… pull the knee upward towards your tummy.
Before you train the Hip Flexors, it is good to know how to stretch it.
One of the common hip flexors stretch is kneeling (see image on the left).
Pull your navel into your spine, thereby also rotating the pelvis forward and pointing your sitting bones toward the floor (at least as much as is allowed by the depth of the stretch). Be sure to get the feeling of driving the rear knee forward, as if you were going to kick a soccer ball, you’ll really feel the front of the thigh engage.
Do a set of 20 seconds, return to starting position, 20 more seconds, then switch legs and repeat.
Now the exercise… There are various method to train the hip flexors and most of these exercise, beside training the hip flexors, also improve your lower abdominal, and upper body.
I personally find the V-Up one of the most challenging and effective methods and many wushu trainer had actually used such technique but not knowing what the hell it is or what does this training aids.
Start the V-Up by lying flat on a mat and then raise both your legs and arms together while keeping them as straight as possible. Keep your lower back as straight as possible as well. Lower down to the starting position slowly while exhaling.
