This exercise is designed to improve students' strength in key muscles that are crucial for ballet jumps. This includes the quadriceps, hamstrings, calves, glutes, core muscles, hip flexors, and adductors. It focuses on building power, stability, and control, essential for executing precise and dynamic jumps in ballet.

Preparation: Place a fusion ball between the calf muscles, adjusting a little lower for students with hyperextended legs. Have students adopt an external rotation with their legs in frog position and their toes dorsiflexed.

Steps:

1. Guide students to press gently into the fusion ball, focusing on calf engagement.

2. Lead them through leg extensions with toes pointed, returning to demi plié with toes flexed.

3. Repeat 4 times.

4. Instruct students to engage core muscles to sit up, transitioning arms to 1st position.

5. Repeat the sequence, concluding with legs in parallel and feet pointed.

6. Repeat from the beginning.

Focus: Stress the importance of maintaining proper alignment in the hips and knees. Emphasise controlled movements, especially during the leg extensions.