Name: Playbook - Danielle Gray - Split Jumps & Leaps
Uploaded: 2023-12-08T04:07:20.932Z
Duration: 30 min
Description: Split Jumps & Leaps

Julia

If you are working towards 180° split jumps and leaps, here are the drills that will complement your training and help you get stronger, more flexible, and feel more confident to hit the range consistently. These drills are in order of difficulty from easiest to hardest. You should already be able to stretch your splits to 95° on your own before attempting a split jump. 

Recommended to do these drills 3-5x/wk.

Keep the legs straight and locked out. You can hang your heels off of a curb, a ledge, a box, or elevated surface if you please. If you do, make sure you go through full range of motion where you feel a stretch at the bottom. Every lift, feel your heels trying to get above your middle toes. No sickling!

Calf Raises

Stand and hold on to something (two fingers only!) for balance. Lock out and fully squeeze both legs. Your back leg should ONLY go back due to you contracting your glute muscle. This should not go into your back at all. Maintain torso positioning and engage your core. Make sure you're kicking straight behind you. 

Modification:
- Bodyweight

Reps are per side

SL Banded Glute Kickbacks

Back Elevated SL Glute Bridges

Lie on your back, squeeze your legs straight and together and point your toes. Arms are straight out to the side with your fingertips pressing into the floor. Keep your low back's natural curve for this one! Without letting your leg bend, sharply kick your leg towards your face while keeping the bottom leg straight and heel on the floor. 

Modification: 
- Bent leg 

Progression: 
- Switch kick

SL Lying Straight Leg Kicks

Tucked SL Kickbacks

Start in a lunge. Lever into your needle. Keep a straight line from your fingertips to your toes as you go forward and backwards. Lift your leg, keep your ribs in and arms by your ears as you hit the floor. Lead with your wrists on the way back up. 

Modifications: 
- Kick Less 
- Levers 

Progressions: 
- Dinosaur Kicks 
- Standing Splits

Needle Kicks

Squat down and explode up trying to straighten the legs and point the toes in the air, land softly. Keep your ribs in and glutes tight in the air. Avoid double bouncing and jump back up again. 

Modification: 
- Bodyweight Squats 
- Box Squats 
- Assisted Squats 

Progression: 
- Squat Jumps w/ Tuck Jumps

Squat Jumps

Start with one leg elevated on a mat or other surface. Press down through that foot and propel yourself upwards while simultaneously splitting the back leg forward into a split jump. Use opposition arms if possible, then land back down in a C body with knees bent and chest up. 

Modifications:
- Drill with only a Forward Kick not a Jump
- Drill with Straight Jump

Progressions:
- Push through for a Switch Leap

Mat: TumblTrak

SL Side Push Thru to Split Jump

Stand on one leg with the other leg straight out in front of you. Have a chair, couch, bench, or box behind you. Lower down and sit with your chest upright. Keeping the bottom foot where it is, push through your heel and glutes to stand back up. 

Modifications: 
- Keep heel on floor (Demonstrated)
- DL Box Squats
- Hold on to something on the way up 

Progressions: 
- SL Box Squat Jumps

SL Box Squats

Stand on one leg with the other leg straight out in front of you. Have a chair, couch, bench, or box behind you. Lower down and sit with your chest upright. Keeping the bottom foot where it is, push through your heel and glutes to stand back up and jump. Try to straighten your leg and point your toes in the air. 

Modifications: 
- DL Box Squats 
- SL Box Squats
-  Hold on to something on the way up 

Progressions: 
- SL Box Squat Tuck Jumps

SL Box Squat Jumps

Stand in a split stance or elevate the back leg behind you. Lower down until you feel engagement in your glute. Keep your front knee behind your toes above your ankle. Don't let the knee go too far past the toes. Keep the chest up and lots of weight on the front foot. 

Modifications: 
- Split Stance Lunges 
- Reverse Lunges

Progressions: 
- Bulgarian Split Squat Jumps

Bulgarian Split Squats

Put your back leg up on a stable surface similar to regular bulgarian squats. When you bend down, explode upwards kicking your leg straight out like you’re kicking a soccer ball or by bringing your knee to your chest and come back down to your Bulgarian split squat. 

Modifications: 
- Bulgarian Split Squats 
- SL Squat to Box 

Progressions:
- Bulgarian Squat Tuck Jumps (demonstrated)

Bulgarian Split Squat Jumps

Stand with feet together, swing your arms, push through your toes, jump and straighten your legs in a split in the air. Imagine a picture being taken at the very top. You want your chest up, legs straight, toes pointed and arms in opposition or out to the side. The higher you jump the more time you have to split and come back down. Your goal is to land with your feet back together. 

Modifications:
- Straight Jumps
- Tuck Jumps

Progressions:
- Straddle Jumps
- Split Jump 1/2 Turn

Split Jumps

Start facing sideways. While simultaneously swinging your leg in a ronde de jambe, push off of your standing leg to leap to your front leg facing the other direction. Alternate legs. 

Modification: 
- Forward Leap 

Progression: 
- Land in arabesque

1/2 Turn Leaps

Start facing forwards. While simultaneously splitting and lifting your front leg, push off of your standing leg, squeeze your back glute and lift your back leg equally to leap as close as you can to 180° in the air. Land on your front leg with your back leg lifted in an arabesque. Alternate legs. 

Modification: 
- Arabesque Hold 

Progression:
- Aim for a 180° split

Forward Leaps

Stand with your feet together. Lift one foot off of the floor and point the toes. Tuck the toes under and place the top of the foot on the floor and press the heel over the middle of the foot. Avoid sickling. Stretch the top of the foot, do not scrunch the toes. Give some knee bends for more intensity

•Optional :Use a wall or chair for balance

Standing Overtoes Stretch

Start in a standing lunge with the back leg straight and heel pressing down. Tuck the hips under with a posterior pelvic tilt, squeeze the back glute, and flex the abs. You will only feel this stretch if you are actively squeezing. For more intensity, bring your chin to your chest and the same arm of the leg that is back up over head and tilt to the opposite side.

Standing Hip Flexor Stretch

Hip Flexor Stretch

Start in a kneel and place one foot in front of you in a 90° lunge. Tuck your back toe under and push into the floor. Tuck your tailbone under to face the floor and gently squeeze your back glute. Feel as if you’re dragging your back knee towards your front knee. This stretch needs to be active to be efficient. For more intensity you can bring your chin to your chest and/or bring the same arm of the leg that’s down straight up, lift out of your hips, and bend towards the side with the bent leg. Repeat on the other side.

90° Hip Flexor Stretches

Kneel and place one leg straight out in front of you with a flexed foot. Sit up as tall as you can with a flat back. Then press your hips back behind you until you feel a stretch. You may hold onto something for balance. Pull your back hip in toward your front hip and add movement. Repeat on the other side.

Hamstrings Stretch (Center)

Kneel and place one leg straight out in front of you with a flexed foot. Sit up as tall as you can with a flat back. Bring your front leg slightly across your body so your front heel is in front of your back knee. Then press your hips back behind you until you feel a stretch. Keep your big toe reaching for the floor and not your pinky toe. You may hold onto something for balance. Pull your back hip in toward your front hip and add movement. Repeat on the other side.

Hamstrings Stretch (Outside)

Kneel and place one leg straight out to the side of you with toes facing forward. Place your hands, elbows, or chest on the floor and begin gently rocking forward and back keeping your depth. Then try externally and internally rotating your leg from your hip. Finally, try an anterior and posterior tilt from your hip joint rather than your back. Repeat on the other side.

Hamstrings Stretch (Inside)

Start lying on your side in fetal position. Keep your bottom knee tucked into your chest and either grab your top quad, shin, ankle, or foot (you may also use a strap or a towel for assistance) and slowly pull your heel back behind you. Do not let the bottom leg come untucked. Keep your top knee from lifting higher than your hip to stay aligned. Repeat on the other side.

Split Jumps & Leaps

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