How is a switch kick jete done correctly?
I have two kids that are very good jumpers. One has gymnastics background the other ballet. The child that has ballet background does her kick forward with a bent leg then pushes that leg back and has a beautiful full stretched jump it looks great. The other child that has the gymnastics back ground is trying to do the kick forward with a straight leg. The mother thinks it looks better.
Please tell me which is correct. Or if they are both correct.

I was always taught with straight leg. The bent leg I always thought for the weaker dancer who cannot hold themselves in the air long enough to fully extend the legs and switch legs. As far as I know, the straight leg IS the "proper" way, but my goodness, dance has so many different ways of teaching things now a days, I have no idea, it could just be a different version but in my opinion, the bent leg is wrong.

In gymnastics the leg must be straight, the gymnast would get a large deduction from her score for having a bent leg. In dance it is a little more flexible. While I have always taught straight leg and have mainly only ever seen straight leg used in other studio's aswell.

How do you think an adjudicator would respond to a bent knee for a 10 year old?

When I was younger (around 10) that's how we did them ,as I got to be older we did them with a straight front leg kicking forward and back. I THINK both are correct but the one with the front leg straight is nice to look at.

honestly . . . in competitions i have gone to, the ones who do it with a stright leg (which is how i have always done it, how i teach my girls how to do it and the most common in dance i think) "score better" than the ones with the bent legs. I mean the girls who were doing the bent legs were beautiful dancers but they weren't as advanced as the girls who do it the "correct" way. get what i mean??

^ I don't think its a matter of whether or not the girls who do it with a straight leg are more "advanced" then those who do it with a bent leg. I have been teaching for quite a while and I see some absolutely incredible dancers who do them with a bent leg first...I really think it depends on the choreographer. Personally I like the straight leg better, but its a matter of opinion as far as I am concerned

I teach w/ a straight leg as well, but like both ways. If the dance mom is a pain than maybe teach them to try both ways. Wouldn't hurt.

I have seen it both ways, but I teach it with a straight leg. I think it looks nicer.

straight leg!

The proper term in switch leap and the bent leg where the front leg comes through passe is also correct. I teach them with the bent leg first. Once they get the hang of that then we work on a strait leg.

I teach it both ways and use it both ways. I don't know if it has ever affected our scores as the kids who use them in competition usually score well anyway.

Thank you daninqueen. I like the vocab. I will take this back to my "mom's".