Embodying Hip Drive (Patreon)

• LMA Curriculum

Extending or driving your hip is critical to nearly every martial arts movement. However, many practitioners find difficulty incorporating their hips into a movement, such as the teep.

One way to isolate and bring attention to the hip is by using a stability ball against the wall and driving your knee into it only using your hips. It's not about arching your back, leaning back, or lifting your leg but driving your knee straight into the ball. The ball gives you feedback so you can find your hips and get a better feel for them.

Don't lean into the ball or use it for balance. You are balancing on your standing leg while driving into the ball. Think of your knee as a tack, and you are pinning the ball into the wall. 

If you don't have a ball or a ball is too challenging, you can use a foam pad, pillow, or cushion—anything with a bit of give so you can feel where you're supposed to push.

This exercise is for those who are having difficulty connecting with the hip drive movement or finding their hips and is not meant to be a repetitive drill.

– Sam