Sylvie's Tips: Hip Rotation and Flexibility - Lanna Muay Thai

I've gotten quite a few questions from people regarding stretching exercises for the hips. I don't stretch for a number of reasons, the greatest of which is that I hate stretching and never really found that it helped me much. (Although I do recognize that being inconsistent probably had a lot to do with the lack of results.)
But this is an exercise that I do almost daily and it helps to open up the hips. What's nice is you can do it practically anywhere, so long as you have an object about waist-high to plant your foot on. I learned this drill at Lanna Muay Thai Gym, two years ago when I first visited.
Try to keep your head facing forward or turning toward your kicking leg. You are OVER rotating in this exercise, so don't interpret this as a lesson on how to kick.

[@8limbsUs]

That's great to hear that this exercise is helping! I've also noticed that sitting in a full squat (feet flat, heels on the ground) for a minute or two really stretches the backs of the legs and opens up the hips. I wondered why Thai teens who had never trained could come to the camp and throw a decent kick within a minute whereas westerners take weeks to be able to kick above the knee - I reckon it's how we sit.

[@boyjuice3414]

Haha it's bcs we have more fat and stiff and I'm asian btw love ur videos

[@FelipePrimus90]

GOOD analisys❤

[@8limbsUs]

Man! I'm so happy to hear stuff like this. Thanks for watching and I'm so happy it helped!

[@8limbsUs]

Awesome! I wasn't sure if it would come across clearly but knew that at least SHOWING it would help. (I've tried to describe it verbally also and am never certain.) Makes me feel good that these videos reach who they're intended for and offer quick reference for information.

[@That_dude_who_knows_some_stuff]

This is a fantastic demo, thanks for that. I've tried to explain this concept to my students, by using steps in there home. Your explanation is very well put, thanks for that. Your videos are great, Can't get enough :D

[@Satie3]

I've used this excercise too for learning the feel of hip rotation. you can turn this excercise into a dynamic stretching exc. by hopping on the standing leg.

[@8limbsUs]

Sometimes when my hips are really tight I do feel some discomfort and mild pain in the joint when starting out. Go slowly, keep the movements smooth and let the hips warm up.

[@connermoss1994]

Fantastic vid, thanks a lot. Il be checking more of your stuff.

[@NerdInTangelo]

I've been tryin to control my leg for weeks. And now thing would be easier. Thanks a lot! :D

[@coolwaterdvr]

Thanks for the tip. I'm having problems with my hip rotation. I think this stretch will help me.

[@reening]

this is really awesome, thank you!

[@swyaseen]

I'm gonna try this out. I use to be so flexible when I was younger, as I get older and put on more muscles I feel so much more stiff. I was throwing a question mark kick and felt a pull on my hip. I need to do a lot more stretches and mobility exercises.

[@tenebrestenebres133]

Trained there aswell in chiang mai... head coach gave me the same tip and made me do 300 hundred of these everyday only on the left leg 😭

[@KhenpoDub]

I should probably do 500, I have 0 flexibility on my left leg haha

[@awesome10k64]

I like to do 3 sets for like 1 - 3 mins and I'm super stiff.

[@almasakic1148]

thank you! I find that my hip rotation is sporadic at best...hasnt gotten to the point yet that I feel like I can do it intuitively without a lot of effort...but I've been doing hip exercises to help that :) thanks again

[@LeTrioMen]

thank you so much!! I need to open up my hips plenty! I learned today how little i’m actually turning

[@Texmma]

how is it going? better now?

[@Lightning5717]

Thank you!! Thank you!! This is useful!!

[@13ghappz]

Great video, thank you for sharing.

[@bluemrgeniuss]

Been doing Muay Thai for 20 years and my left hip sucks. Have tried similar things to this, but not exactly the same. Gonna try this next training. Thanks!

[@gokudragonballz7480]

Hey have you found that your kicks have improved since you started using this exercise?

[@bigarmcrouch]

Thanks, good demo.

[@JoelHuncar]

Thanks!

[@mrharris7175]

Very2 good tutorials

[@Mutilator1980]

This realy helps allot my hips are so much looser now

[@zeea320]

Please ...have any more exercises or links for hips mobility ..or stretching ...many thanks laa

[@goc213]

really cool jus what i needed cheers

[@delroydemontagnac5242]

Hi, I just watched your vid and tried the same exercise. My left hip seems to crunch a little. Not sure if my hips are extremely tight or there is a more serious problem. I was also trying to find your other exercise you mentioned..

[@thesunshinewarrior]

@Delroy de Montagnac that used to happen to me a lot. my hips would literally click as i tried to do stretches like these. just keep stretching as take it easy if there's any pain. caveat: I AM NOT A DOCTOR; do only what is safe.

[@dahon14bike]

Nice

[@manonthemoon448]

Just startet Kyokushin again at age 48 and teeps/push kicks and roundhouse kicks are hard on the hips/knees. Tryed to stretch hips but pain on outer hip keeps coming back. So will try incorporate this in wam up and see if there is improvement. Great post even its 10 years old. Thanx

[@FelipePrimus90]

Did you feel some improvement?

[@anthonylomasney7347]

My hip was popping when I moved it from starting Muay Thai again after 6 months off. This stretch stopped that.

[@YoungArnoldWeWuzKings]

Do you still like this stretch or do you have a better one now Sylvie?

[@anonoumos]

Which muscles do you use to rotate the leg? I feel it in my glutes.

[@JayLoc0042]

As the psoas/hip flexors lengthen, it's antagonistic muscles (glutes) contract. Glutes extend the hips, like thrusting.

[@awesome10k64]

What's this exercise called again? This is the hands down best exercise to improve your mobility for kicks. I'm one of those people who can't kick (front/ side/ roundhouse) above hip level no matter what... Extremely stiff and stretching didn't help. This alongwith another exercise taught by my friend worked wonders seriously.

[@arunr5529]

Mind sharing the other exercise ? :)

[@awesome10k64]

@@arunr5529 sure my friend, I stand with my feet wide apart, bend down and try to touch my calf or feet... DO NOT bend your back, use your hip only, try to control your hip and straighten your back... Don't worry if you cant touch your toes... Do it 3 - 4 times for 30 - 90 seconds... Ohh yes warm up before you do any of these exercises!

[@arunr5529]

@@awesome10k64 I'm having trouble visualising but thank you for the reply I will see if I can figure it out :). also try and do 10 to 15 reps of this exercise in the video each day my hips havealways been tight

[@awesome10k64]

@@arunr5529 I'm sorry my explaination is shit... I'll see if I can find a video of it! And thanks for the tip bro!

[@arunr5529]

@@awesome10k64 Sorry wasnt complaining writing an explanation is hard :). And that was meant to be a question as to how you saw improvement, did you 10-15 reps or similar of the exercise in the video?

[@asdfpsy]

I have been training muay thai a year (3-4 times a week) and I still can't properly throw a round kick at rib level and above. I have major hip flexibility issues. I didn't even know it was possible to be this stiff. I can barely throw a body kick correctly because I just can't get the full rotation. And head kicks? Forget it. I can sure kick st head level but can't turn at ALL. All I feel is an excruciating pain in my glute. This is BEYOND frustrating. I post stretch every session. I read somewhere that it's possible to have too think of a femur naturally below the ball joint and if this is the case then no matter how much you stretch you will never be able to throw high round kicks. Had anyone else ever heard of this. My build is average not skinny but not fat. 5'8 172 lbs. Any one else have this bad of a problem and how did you fix it. I take muay thai extremely serious and this is eating me up inside.

[@asdfpsy]

Thick of a femur***

[@bizmonkey007]

I have similar issues. It could be a number of things. If you're more muscular than usual (mesomorph), then flexibility, especially in the hips and hamstrings, is going to be a continual issue. If you have short legs, then you're SOL. If you sit a lot, it will also compound the problem. There are couple things you could try: Yoga. Hot yoga, if you can. Every athlete should do Yoga, especially fighters who often develop muscle imbalances. If you only train orthodox and don't ever train Southpaw, then you might have one side that's stronger than the other. Foam rolling. Start with a GRID and go slow. I prefer a Rumble Roller for my glutes, hips, quads etc and a T ball bat for my Lats. Marijuana. I don't do it and I'm not recommending you do it, but I know some MMA fighters who absolutely swear by it. Marijuana helps you relax and that's a key factor. Good luck. (This is not intended to be medical advice or a diagnosis. Consult with a doctor or a physical therapist first.)

[@capitainehaddock1]

+korky 0wnzface exactly how i feel after 1 year 1/2 of muay thai. i don t feel alone anymore

[@asdfpsy]

bizmonkey007 yea I am kinda on the mesmomorph side so that makes sense. And ironically I have just recently started doing a yoga class once a week. It's not much but with continous stretching, I'm starting to see results. And don't worry. I smoke plenty of bud lol

[@sotheysayfan15]

Damn that sucks, I know exactly how that feels. I know this is a late reply lol but maybe a hernia? Or a "slipped disk"? I had one that was so bad for years I could barely walk. I started excersising (and smoking pot), recently started muay kickboxing and it's completely gone. I contribute it to the amount of stretching I do, I try at least 20-30 mins before and after some muay sessions. Maybe try some stretches aimed for your glutes or whatever hurts. I would slowly build up over weeks going slow. In no way am I a pro lol I just know that pain all too well and this is what helped me.