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Balance
Balance

Leg Swings

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mobilitydynamic-warm-uphip-mobilityleg-swingsmovement-prepneuromotor

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Exercise demo
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Holding support, swing one leg front-to-back and side-to-side through a progressively larger range — a staple dynamic warm-up drill for hip mobility.

Detail

Stand beside a wall or rail and hold it for support. Swing one leg:

  • Front-to-back — flexing the hip forward then extending it back, through a comfortable range that grows over successive swings (Hip Flexors / Hip Extensors).
  • Side-to-side — abducting the leg out and adducting it across the body, with the trunk facing the wall (The Hip Complex).

Keep the swing controlled and progressively ranged, letting range build rep by rep — this is dynamic mobility, not the forceful end-range bouncing of true ballistic stretching (Ballistic Stretching). Keep the trunk tall and braced and the stance knee soft.

This is one of the core dynamic warm-up drills (see Dynamic Warm-Up (Mobility-as-Training)) and develops active hip mobility (see Mobility vs Flexibility), priming the hips for squatting, running, and lower-body work.

Coaching:

  • Start with small swings and increase amplitude gradually; never yank to end range.
  • Typical dose: ~10–15 swings per direction per leg.
  • Keep the pelvis relatively stable; the movement comes from the hip.

Key facts

  • Holding support, swing one leg front-to-back and side-to-side, building range gradually.
  • Dynamic hip-mobility warm-up drill; controlled, not ballistic bouncing.
  • Typical dose: ~10–15 swings per direction per leg.
  • Primes hips for squat/run/lower-body work; develops active mobility.

Connections

Sources

Cited in text — not yet linked
Authored from established dynamic warm-up consensus.

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Explore related topics

Atlas Connections

The Hip Complex
The musculature spanning the hip — including the iliopsoas, tensor fasciae latae, sartorius and the iliotibial band — that flexes, extends, adducts, abducts, and rotates the hip.
Hip Extensors
The primary hip extensors are the gluteus maximus and the hamstrings.
Hip Flexors
The 4 major hip flexors — iliopsoas, rectus femoris, tensor fascia lata, sartorius — plus secondary flexors.
Dynamic Warm-Up (Mobility-as-Training)Closely related
A pre-activity routine of active, moving drills that take joints through increasing range while raising temperature and priming the nervous system — building usable mobility, unlike a static hold-and-relax stretch.
Mobility vs FlexibilityClosely related
Flexibility is how far a joint can be moved, often with outside help. Mobility is how much of that range you can reach and control with your own muscles. Build both by stretching and by strengthening through full range.
Ballistic Stretching
Bobbing, bouncing, rebounding movements — the most controversial technique because it causes the most soreness and injury, though it does build the dynamic flexibility some sports require.