All Things Stretching Tips!
Middle Splits
Regular Splits
Back Flexibility
Feet Flexibility, and How To Create a Better Pointe
LEG EXTENSIONS
Back Splits/Strait Leg Scorpion
You have to have a really flexible back to do this! You also need to have your splits, and flexibility in the shoulders.
1. Work on your scorpion, and hold it for as long as you can.
2. Once you have a good scorpion, then try to walk your hands closer down your leg towards your knee, and straiten your leg.
This will take a lot of practice, balance, and back/shoulder/hamstring flexibility.
TILTS/PITCHES
For tilts and pitches, you really need flexibility and strength. Work on stretching your hips and hamstrings. Wall stretch has helped a lot. You also need to work on strengthening your legs and lower abdominal region.Doing plank and leg lifts really help with that! For me, I used to do wall stretch for about a song, then I would hold onto something, like my bed or a wall, and practice holding my pitch. I would hold it with my arm while holding onto a wall, then I would let go of my leg and try to hold, and eventually I would let go of the wall and try to hold. Doing this everyday will help a lot!
Jumps and Leaps
Many people have been asking about how to improve their jumps or leaps, so here are some important things to remember:
1. PLIE. The deeper the plie, the higher the jump!
2. STRENGTH. Leaps and jumps take a lot of strength, so strengthen those legs.
3. FLEXIBILITY. Flexibility will help make standard leaps or jetes, side leaps, ring leaps, etc., a little easier. If you have your splits flat and squared, your legs should generally go up higher in your leaps.
Switch Leaps
Set up two chairs with their backs facing each other, hold on to the backs of the chairs with each hand, so that you’re standing in between the chairs, using them to lift yourself of the ground, then do the switch leap without actually moving across the floor, just suspended by the chairs. Or you can practice switch leap jumps on a trampoline or a mini tramp if you have one.
TURNS
Pirouettes
Important things to have strong or multiple pirouettes are:
1. Strong/high releve
2. A clean spot
3. Strong core
4. Deep plie and a clean prep before you turn
Spotting
1. Stand in front of a mirror. Turn in a slow circle around yourself, looking at your face the whole time, up until the last second where you have to snap your head around. Continue doing these slow circles, and eventually speed it up a bit.
2. Once you feel comfortable with this, try doing some chaine turns. Start them out slow, and do three in a row. You can do these in your bedroom, living room, kitchen, etc. Try to pick something eye level on the wall that you can look at while you spot. Eventually start doing more, and do them faster. You can also try this with pique turns.
3. Now try to spot while doing a single pirouette. Use the same technique that I mentioned in the first step. Start out with a slow single pirouette, and spot something eye level on the wall. Eventually work up doing faster and multiple turns.
A LA SECONDES AND FOUETTES
1. Strong/high releve
2. A clean spot
3. Strong core
4. Deep plie and a clean prep before you turn.
5. Keep your leg at 90 degrees throughout turning.
6. When you bring your leg into passe (if you are doing fouettes), make sure that your toe is touching your knee the whole time, don’t let it disconnect.
STRENGTHENING
Ankles:
Wrap a theraband around the ball of your foot and hold the ends so that it is taut. Wing, sickle and point and flex your foot 32 times each. Move the theraband to your other foot and repeat.
- Spell out the alphabet in the air with your toes. Then circle your foot en dehors and en dedans 32 times each. Repeat on your other foot.
- At the barre, do slow elevés and relevés in first, second and fifth position 32 times each. Then, do slow one-foot relevés 16 times on each foot.
- Place a towel flat on the floor and use your toes to pick it up. When finished, flatten the towel and switch feet.
OTHER
Aerials
Of course you need to have a good cartwheel and some strength, but its alot about getting past your mental thoughts about doing it! Aerials can be scary, and putting your hands down at the last second is a mental thing! Its almost like your mind is telling you to put your hands down, but your body is telling you not to. If that makes sense……sorry if I’m being confusing! You really just need to go for it!
Heres some things that have helped me:
BETTER TURN OUT!
- First, always turn out from the hips, NOT the knees.
- Advanced butterfly: Lie in the butterfly with your feet flexed and together. Have someone else push your knees down while you try to straight your legs completely to first position without letting yourself turn in.
- Advanced frog stretch: Get into your frog position. Then press up like you are doing a cobra stretch.
- Posse turnout exercise: Stand however gives you the best balance (turned out, parallel, it doesn’t matter) Bring one leg to passé parallel, and rotate it out and in, slowly, out and in, about 10 times. Then push a little farther when you turn it out, past 180 even, letting your hip go up a little to get that extra stretch. 10 times again.
- Do a wall stretch twice a day. Stretch with a song, then roll on top of your middle splits, then practice tilts/pitches. Then do the same thing over again later during the day. After a few weeks, you should start seeing improvement. However, you need to be careful while stretching. Don’t push yourself too much or overdo it.
- Stay in wall stretch for around 3 minutes once or twice a day! If you want more of a challenge, you can put ankle weights on for a minute or longer.
- It also helps to over stretch slightly to get them flat! But be careful when you overstretch, don’t push yourself, or do it for too long.
- TUTORIAL: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wpqz3hSYU_s
Regular Splits
- Stretch your hamstrings A LOT. Every day, for 10 minutes at least is great. Also get into a deep lunge to loosen up your hip flexers for your splits. I would rotate from stretching my hamstrings to stretching my lunge on and off, until I felt stretched enough to go into my splits.
- To get them faster, stretch every day and take a shower or run around to get your muscles warm before you stretch..
- Over stretching: Get a mat, or stack a few books on top of each other. Don’t push yourself too much, or overstretch on something that is really high. Also, over stretch for 30 seconds to a minute to deepen the stretch. Here is a photo:
Back Flexibility
- Most people with flexible backs are usually born with them, but you can also stretch your back to get it more flexible.
- Holding backbends are great. Try to walk your hands as far as you can towards your ankles, or go on your elbows and then try to press your chest into the ground while in a backbend to get a better stretch. You can also try to straighten your legs while in a backbend.
Feet Flexibility, and How To Create a Better Pointe
- Take a tennis ball and continuously move it from the center of your foot to your toe with some pressure, to warm up your arch.
- Thera bands can help strengthen your feet, and exercise them so that they pointe the right way. There are a lot of thera band tutorials on YouTube, that are helpful.
- You can also stretch your feet by pushing them to the floor with your hands, and really pay attention to how you pointe them while dancing, and during ballet classes.
- Also you can use an arch/foot stretcher to help improve your arches. They are different brands of these though but one well known one is the Arch Genie.
LEG EXTENSIONS
Back Splits/Strait Leg Scorpion
You have to have a really flexible back to do this! You also need to have your splits, and flexibility in the shoulders.
1. Work on your scorpion, and hold it for as long as you can.
2. Once you have a good scorpion, then try to walk your hands closer down your leg towards your knee, and straiten your leg.
This will take a lot of practice, balance, and back/shoulder/hamstring flexibility.
TILTS/PITCHES
For tilts and pitches, you really need flexibility and strength. Work on stretching your hips and hamstrings. Wall stretch has helped a lot. You also need to work on strengthening your legs and lower abdominal region.Doing plank and leg lifts really help with that! For me, I used to do wall stretch for about a song, then I would hold onto something, like my bed or a wall, and practice holding my pitch. I would hold it with my arm while holding onto a wall, then I would let go of my leg and try to hold, and eventually I would let go of the wall and try to hold. Doing this everyday will help a lot!
Jumps and Leaps
Many people have been asking about how to improve their jumps or leaps, so here are some important things to remember:
1. PLIE. The deeper the plie, the higher the jump!
2. STRENGTH. Leaps and jumps take a lot of strength, so strengthen those legs.
3. FLEXIBILITY. Flexibility will help make standard leaps or jetes, side leaps, ring leaps, etc., a little easier. If you have your splits flat and squared, your legs should generally go up higher in your leaps.
Switch Leaps
Set up two chairs with their backs facing each other, hold on to the backs of the chairs with each hand, so that you’re standing in between the chairs, using them to lift yourself of the ground, then do the switch leap without actually moving across the floor, just suspended by the chairs. Or you can practice switch leap jumps on a trampoline or a mini tramp if you have one.
TURNS
Pirouettes
Important things to have strong or multiple pirouettes are:
1. Strong/high releve
2. A clean spot
3. Strong core
4. Deep plie and a clean prep before you turn
Spotting
1. Stand in front of a mirror. Turn in a slow circle around yourself, looking at your face the whole time, up until the last second where you have to snap your head around. Continue doing these slow circles, and eventually speed it up a bit.
2. Once you feel comfortable with this, try doing some chaine turns. Start them out slow, and do three in a row. You can do these in your bedroom, living room, kitchen, etc. Try to pick something eye level on the wall that you can look at while you spot. Eventually start doing more, and do them faster. You can also try this with pique turns.
3. Now try to spot while doing a single pirouette. Use the same technique that I mentioned in the first step. Start out with a slow single pirouette, and spot something eye level on the wall. Eventually work up doing faster and multiple turns.
A LA SECONDES AND FOUETTES
1. Strong/high releve
2. A clean spot
3. Strong core
4. Deep plie and a clean prep before you turn.
5. Keep your leg at 90 degrees throughout turning.
6. When you bring your leg into passe (if you are doing fouettes), make sure that your toe is touching your knee the whole time, don’t let it disconnect.
STRENGTHENING
Ankles:
Wrap a theraband around the ball of your foot and hold the ends so that it is taut. Wing, sickle and point and flex your foot 32 times each. Move the theraband to your other foot and repeat.
- Spell out the alphabet in the air with your toes. Then circle your foot en dehors and en dedans 32 times each. Repeat on your other foot.
- At the barre, do slow elevés and relevés in first, second and fifth position 32 times each. Then, do slow one-foot relevés 16 times on each foot.
- Place a towel flat on the floor and use your toes to pick it up. When finished, flatten the towel and switch feet.
OTHER
Aerials
Of course you need to have a good cartwheel and some strength, but its alot about getting past your mental thoughts about doing it! Aerials can be scary, and putting your hands down at the last second is a mental thing! Its almost like your mind is telling you to put your hands down, but your body is telling you not to. If that makes sense……sorry if I’m being confusing! You really just need to go for it!
Heres some things that have helped me:
- Practicing on a trampoline. If you have a tramp, that would be great, but if you dont, maybe you can go to a local gymnastics center. A lot of gyms around where I live have things called “open gym”, its usually a few hours, and anyone can come and use the floors, the tramps, etc. Thats something that you might want to look into!
- Practicing on a mat. I’m guessing you are already practicing on a mat, but if you’re not, then use a mat!
- Run fast before you hurdle!
- On your hurdle, swing your arms up and around in a backwards circle before you push off, it helps you get more height!
- While doing your aerial, hold your arms tight against you, and clench your fists tightly! It helps to not put them down.
- Try to picture your back leg getting around faster, to get all the way around.
- Watch videos of aerials on youtube to get motivated.
- Tell yourself NOT to put your hands down.
BETTER TURN OUT!
- First, always turn out from the hips, NOT the knees.
- Advanced butterfly: Lie in the butterfly with your feet flexed and together. Have someone else push your knees down while you try to straight your legs completely to first position without letting yourself turn in.
- Advanced frog stretch: Get into your frog position. Then press up like you are doing a cobra stretch.
- Posse turnout exercise: Stand however gives you the best balance (turned out, parallel, it doesn’t matter) Bring one leg to passé parallel, and rotate it out and in, slowly, out and in, about 10 times. Then push a little farther when you turn it out, past 180 even, letting your hip go up a little to get that extra stretch. 10 times again.