Holding your leg up

[tricker_d]

What are some exercises I can do to hold my leg up in a high side kick or front kick position for more than a couple of seconds?

[Sakanem]

you wanna do some passive static stretches (check main site)
basically just hold you leg up for extended periods of time and you should progress rather quickly....

[tricker_d]

Oh but first I should get flexible to kick that high. And do I do sessions where I gradually increase the height and holding periods?

[pete_man_man]

lift your foot up and put it on a wall or rail or something about waist height (or higher when you progress), then try your best to lift the foot a few inches off of the wall/rail/whatever. Hold this bitch for a while, even try and move it up and down without touching the wall if you want. this should develop some kind of useful strength for what you want to do.

make sure you progress on to higher objects until you can hold that kick at th e angle you want

[kristo]

you wanna do some passive static stretches (check main site)
basically just hold you leg up for extended periods of time and you should progress rather quickly....

erm, that'd be static active stretching.

[Ashtar]

This is static active stretching. While static-passive stretching can help, it does not actually strengthen the muscle but rather counter tension that opposes it.

A better idea is well, doing a lot of static-active holds as high as possible, dynamic-active leg raises, doing both with ankle weights/iron boots on since it works the muscle harder...

There is also cable work you can do at the gym for this. Cable originating from the bottom behind the heel looped around the front of the ankle and you lift, will work hip flexors isotonically and quadriceps isometrically. One that serves both roles will be especially hit. I think it's that tear-drop one but not sure.