Half Split Hip Unsquare-to-Square Slides
Half Split Hip Unsquare-to-Square Slides
Muscle Group Stretched: Hamstrings
Muscle Group Strengthened: Hamstrings
Type of Stretch: Active Dynamic
Difficulty: All-Levels
Suggested Prerequisites: none
If your front leg hip is usually the one to “go rogue” and unsquare when you slide out into your front splits, this is a great exercise to help train your body to understand what “square” hips feel like.
How To
Note: you’re going to need to be able to slide your foot on the floor for this drill, so that could mean wearing socks if you’re on carpet or hardwood floors, or using sliders. I’m actually using potholders in the video because they work great on hard floors!
Step 1
Start in a half split forward fold: from kneeling, extend on leg straight in front, putting your foot on a slider (or wearing socks so that foot can slide). Keeping your back flat, hinge at the hips to forward fold, resting your hands on a chair, yoga blocks, or the floor for balance. Make sure to keep your back flat (even if that means slightly bending the front knee).
Step 2
Staying in your flat-back forward fold, slide the front foot forward to open your hips out to the side (“unsquare-ing” your hips). Notice how this changes the stretching sensation in the front leg. Then pull the front foot (and hip) back, so that both hips are in line and pointing forwards (“square-ing” your hips). Notice how this new hip position may feel different!
Repeat for a total of 5-12 foot slides, opening your hips out to a diagonal, then squaring them back to the front.
Modifications
Need to make it easier?
Use hand support. This drill is much easier if you can lean your hands into something (a chair by your side, yoga blocks, etc.) and not just rest them on your hips or front thigh.
Slightly bend the front knee.
Lift your torso more. Instead of coming to your deepest forward fold, start in a shallower forward fold where it’s easier to adjust your hip position. Then work on adding more of a forward fold over time.
Want to make it harder?
Take your hips past “square.” Instead of stopping with your hip bones facing forwards, continue to rotate/twist your hips towards the front leg, twisting past the neutral/square position. That means you’ll be twisting from “unsquare” to “square” to “past square” (and back).
Related Content
Flexopedia: Half Split Leg Lifts
Flexopedia: Forward Fold Half Split Slides
Blog Post: How to Tell if Your Split is “Square” (the “Butt Cheek Test” and More!)
Blog Post: Controlling Rogue Hips - Keeping Your Hips Square in a Split
Blog Post: Advanced Quad and Hip Flexor Stretches for Contortion
