This exercise is designed to warm up the hip flexors, hamstrings, and gluteus medius, providing an optimal preparation for a class that follows. Its purpose is to enhance flexibility and strength in these key areas, ensuring the students are ready for the demands of any session.

Preparation: Instruct your students to begin by lying on their backs on the mat, positioning their legs at a right angle on the centre of the ball with their feet in dorsiflexion (the fit ball should be placed close to the groin).

Steps:

1. Guide the students to raise the right leg in parallel with the foot flexed, maintaining the integrity of their posture and alignment.

2. Instruct them to initiate a bridge, extending both legs while transitioning their feet into plantar flexion.

3. Teach them to un-bridge, articulating through the spine as they return to the starting position.

This movement is to be repeated, with the third iteration incorporating both legs externally rotated to intensify the stretch and strengthen the muscles further.

1. After completing the sequence on one side, encourage them to change legs and repeat the entire sequence on the alternate side.

2. Have your students place both feet onto the fit ball, instructing them to adjust their feet closer to the edge of the fit ball nearer their bodies.

3. Guide them to stretch both legs, rolling the ball away from their body and lowering the left leg to the floor.

4. Instruct them to bend the right leg, drawing the ball closer in parallel, then externally rotate both legs, extending the right leg at a 45-degree angle rolling the fit ball to the side.

5. Teach them to roll the ball with the leg directly underneath the body in parallel and then reverse this action, with both legs externally rotated as the leg returns to the 45-degree angle, bending the right leg in external rotation. Change legs and repeat.

6. Finally, have both legs adjust to parallel before extending the right leg and changing legs, repeating on the alternate side.

Focus:

Emphasise the importance of smooth transitions between movements and maintaining proper form throughout. Encourage the students to focus on the articulation of their spine during the un-bridge and the precise control of their leg movements, especially when changing from parallel to external rotation and vice versa.