Airplane balance with knee drive

Airplane:

• Initiate movement by pushing hips backwards into the hinge position as torso slowly lowers towards the floor
• Flat back and neutral neck position throughout the movement
• Slight knee bend as torso lowers
• Hips remain square
• Slow, controlled movement

Knee drive

• From extension, back leg comes forward and up into knee drive
• Knee stacked over ankle
• Move opposing arm & leg together at each direction:
• Toes of both feet point forward

• Round back
  • Cue "Pinch shoulders back"
  • Cue "Push hips back"
• Hips externally rotating (turning outward)
  • Cue "Point foot of free leg towards standing leg"
  • Cue "Hips face the floor"
• Knee collapsing inward
  • Cue "Drive knee out towards pinky toe"
• Neck extension (looking up)
  • Cue "Look up through the eyebrows"
• Arm and knee from same side moving forward together
  • Cue "Opposite arm and knee"

• Dynamic balance
• Ankle stability
• Knee control
• Hip-dominant movement targets posterior chain (back, glutes, hamstrings)
• Reinforces safe, neutral spine position
• Knee drive reinforces running mechanics