Donkey Kick — High Kick

Quick Intro

Donkey Kick — High Kick is an animal-movement exercise performed from the same bear-crawl position as the Donkey Kick Walk, driving both heels considerably higher toward a near-vertical, handstand-like line before landing softly. That extra height is the one change, and it raises the shoulder-loading, hip-extension and coordination demand at the top of each kick.

Equipment Needed

No equipment is required. A yoga mat under the hands helps absorb the landing on a hard floor, though it’s optional.

Why It Matters

A near-vertical kick puts much more load on the shoulders and takes finer balance than a kick to moderate height. The front of the shoulder cap (deltoid, anterior) and the back of the upper arm (triceps brachii) bear the full bodyweight through a longer, higher inversion, and a deep core muscle that wraps around the torso like a corset (transverse abdominis) keeps the trunk stable at the top of the kick. The largest glute muscle (gluteus maximus) and a muscle at the back of the thigh (hamstrings, biceps femoris) drive the heels toward vertical, and a muscle along the side of the ribcage (serratus anterior) stabilizes the shoulder blades as the hands take the full load.

When to Do It

This version works well once the moderate kick of the Donkey Kick Walk feels controlled, as a handstand-entry and shoulder-strength test inside a primal movement session. Two sessions a week, with attention paid to control over speed, suits most people adding this height.

Anyone with a current wrist, shoulder, neck or lower back issue should still get individual guidance before starting, since a higher kick adds to an already demanding inversion.

Getting Ready

A few minutes of wrist circles and a bear-crawl hold prepare the hands and shoulders before kicking begins. A few moderate-height kicks previews the added demand before working toward the near-vertical line.

Step-by-Step Instructions

1. The base position. Set up on the hands and feet in a bear-crawl stance, knees held just off the floor.

2. The weight shift. Press the weight fully into the hands and confirm they feel planted and stable.

3. The kick. Kick both heels higher, toward a near-vertical line, holding a brief moment at the top.

4. The land. Land softly with the knees bent, then advance one crawl step and repeat.

How Many, How Often

Donkey Kick — High Kick is dosed by reps, with each high kick-and-step counting as one rep.

Level	Where you’re at	What to do
Beginner	New to kicking toward a near-vertical line	3 sets of 3 to 4 reps, building height gradually
Intermediate	The high kick and soft landing feel stable	3 to 4 sets of 5 to 6 reps
Advanced	Comfortable with a confident near-vertical kick	4 sets of 6 to 8 reps, holding a brief pause at the top of each

Holding stable, load-bearing hands through the higher kick matters more here than how close to vertical the heels reach, since unstable hands are the clearest sign the height has gotten ahead of what the shoulders can currently control.

Modifications and Variations

As the easier version, Donkey Kick Walk kicks both heels to a more moderate height, the version to return to if the near-vertical kick starts breaking down hand stability.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

Letting the hands shift under the higher load. Allowing the hands to move once the kick reaches near vertical removes the stable base the whole movement depends on. Checking hand placement is solid before committing to each kick keeps the movement safe.

Rushing straight to full height. Jumping straight to a near-vertical kick before the shoulders are ready leads to an unstable inversion and a harder landing. Building the height up gradually across sessions keeps the kick within what the shoulders can hold.

Landing on stiff, straight legs. Skipping the knee bend on landing routes the impact straight into the joints rather than into the muscles meant to absorb it. A soft, bent-knee landing on every rep is what keeps the wrists and shoulders protected.

After Your Set

Sitting the hips back toward the heels with the arms reaching forward, child’s pose style, unwinds the shoulders after a set of high kicking. A slow round of wrist circles finishes easing the hands that bore the load.

Going Deeper

This version is a shoulder-strength and handstand-entry step up for anyone who already kicks to a moderate height with stable, load-bearing hands, since driving toward a near-vertical line asks the shoulders to hold considerably more of the bodyweight for a longer moment. Reaching for more height feels like the obvious way to progress, so it is tempting to chase the near-vertical line before the landing is soft and the hands stay stable throughout. Putting stable hands and a soft landing ahead of maximum height builds shoulder strength faster than rushing the height.

Someone comfortable with the base pattern typically manages a slightly higher kick within a couple of sessions, then works toward a confident, near-vertical kick with a soft landing over two to four weeks.

How to Know You’re Improving

Hands that stay stable and load-bearing even as the kick reaches higher
A landing that absorbs cleanly through a bent knee every time
A brief, controlled pause held at the top of the kick
A kick height that increases while control holds throughout

Stable hands under a higher kick are the progress to look for, more than the height alone.

Muscles Worked

Anterior Deltoid (the front of the shoulder cap, carrying a load that approaches the full handstand line)
Transverse Abdominis (a deep core muscle that wraps around the torso like a corset, stopping the back arching as the legs reach vertical)
Gluteus Maximus (the largest glute muscle, extending the hips hard enough to send the heels near-vertical)
Triceps Brachii (the back of the upper arm, holding the elbows locked at the highest point of the kick)
Serratus Anterior (a muscle along the side of the ribcage, pressing the shoulder blades up to keep the shoulders stacked over the hands)
Biceps Femoris (a muscle at the back of the thigh, finishing the hip extension at the top of the arc)

FAQ

Is this the same pattern as Donkey Kick Walk? Yes, it uses the identical bear-crawl setup and kick as Donkey Kick Walk. The only change is driving both heels considerably higher, toward a near-vertical line, instead of stopping at a moderate height.

Why does a higher kick add so much difficulty? Reaching toward a near-vertical line shifts considerably more of the bodyweight onto the hands and shoulders for a longer moment, which is a strength and stability demand the lower kick doesn’t test in the same way.

When is it time to kick higher? Once the moderate kick lands softly and consistently with stable hands, gradually working toward a higher kick here is a reasonable next step.

Is some shoulder or wrist fatigue after this exercise normal? Yes, fatigue through the shoulders and wrists after several sets of high kicking is expected. Any sharp pain in the wrist, shoulder or neck is a separate signal, worth flagging to a doctor or physical therapist.

How often should the high kick be trained? Two sessions a week, with attention paid to control over height, suits most people well given the added shoulder demand.

Related to Donkey Kick Walk, the easier version kicking both heels to a more moderate height.