Dowel side kicks
This was the last thing we worked on and
Heidi really worked with me on these. Dowel side kicks are
something that I'd never seen before in their videos but we did
them in several of the classes (like Cardio and Classic).
It's where you take the dowel in one hand (say the left) and
you lean on it while kicking out to the side your right foot.
It's kind of like shoot outs (from Hare) except you're standing
up. When I did them in a class for the first time, I thought
I was going to die! My leg kept going lower and lower to the
floor because I just couldn't hold it up there. I hope this
move is in the Better Buns tape.
Heidi said that these dowel side kicks are what they consider
part of the FIRM's kickboxing moves. They are just like lying
outer thigh work in that you want to make sure that you roll
the working hip forward and concentrate on not turning out.
I kept making the mistake of rolling my hip back as I got more
and more tired. As soon as I rolled my hip forward again, the
move was very concentrated on my outer thigh. She said not to
worry about how high you can get your leg. You don't use
ankle weights when doing these. I found this move to be much
harder than floor leg work and none of the instructors use
weights when doing them.
I first experienced these in the very first class that I took
at the FIRM (a Cardio class with Nancy Tucker) and I asked
Nancy about them afterwards since my outer thighs still ached
from doing them. She said that they instructors really noticed
a difference in their clients when they started incorporating
this move into the classes.
For those of you that didn't go on the trip, I'll try to summarize
the move:
Stand straight up facing forward. Take the dowel in one hand and
take it away from the body so you end up leaning onto it but
remain facing forward (don't face the dowel). Heidi said she
liked having the dowel a little ways away from the body rather
than closer to the body but that it a personal preference thing.
Take the opposite foot and kick it out to the side away from
the body as if there was an opponent on that side of you. Don't
point your foot - it's better to have it flexed and lead with
your heel. You're still facing forward (just like lying
floor work). Bring the knee into the body and kick out again.
Don't let your foot touch the ground and make sure you don't
roll your hip backwards. Concentrate on keeping it rolled
forward. After that leg is dead, switch legs and do it all over
again.
At the end of my sheet that she wrote all of the form pointers
she had given me she wrote "Just Do it!" and signed it Heidi.
I had a wonderful time with her and thought it was wonderful
that I got a chance to meet her. I hope some of these form
pointers and ab exercise ideas will help you all as much as
they've already started helping me.
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