FLeXIBILITY HELP!!!!?

Question:hi, i'm a really good dancer, except for the fact that i'm so unflexible. it's rediculous. could this be because i have really long legs or is that just an assumption? my problem is so bad i have problems reaching my toes when sitting on the floor with my legs straight! i know this is a crucial part of dancing so how can i improve myself? i'd like to be able to do a split by the end of the year to improve my grad jettes. i know this will take a lot of work. HELP ME PLEASE!

Best Answer - Chosen by Asker: hi, i'm a really good dancer, except for the fact that i'm so unflexible. it's rediculous. could this be because i have really long legs or is that just an assumption? my problem is so bad i have problems reaching my toes when sitting on the floor with my legs straight! i know this is a crucial part of dancing so how can i improve myself? i'd like to be able to do a split by the end of the year to improve my grad jettes. i know this will take a lot of work. HELP ME PLEASE!

Here are some stretchs to help improve your splits:

keep doing your splits everyday, when you do the splits lean over your front leg and try to touch your nose to your knee then lean back and try to touch the back of your head to your back leg. switch legs.

when you do the spits put handweights (the ones that are rollable and you hold in the palm of your hand) under your ankles when you do the splits that way your legs are higher off the ground and your body could go lower then normal. Remeber to slowly let yourself get into the splits for this and if you can't go all the way down just hold yourself up with your hands.

sit on the floor facing the wall and do a front split and keep pressing towards the wall with your whole body.

sit on the floor and put your legs to the side of your body forming a v and lean over and try to press your body down to the floor. lean over each leg and hold.

lay on the floor at at door way and put your butt against the door frame with one leg against it and put your other leg through the door frame and slowly sit up and hold, then switch legs.

it should take a few weeks, depends and how much you stretch. I hope I was able to help you.

yoga, it increases flexibility and gives you better posture!

just make sure you always jog first, your muscles need to be warm before stretching!!

excersice and flex you'll get better!

Stretch a lot but don't bounce when you do.
Stretch as far as you can then hold for a few seconds.
Aim to be able to pick up your feet by your big toes and hold.
It'll take a while.

I have a few great methods that are tried and true -- but you have to be able to work for your flexibility.

1) The classic barre stretch. If you don't have a barre at home, try your couch, a countertop, a table, etc. Stretch square, en fasse, and derriere. You always want to penchee out of your stretches and into a split after this excersize.

2) This is a very good method that many proffessional dancers use. Go to your split or whatever stretch of the kind (touching your toes standing up or sitting down also works). Get a friend to push down on your back as your push up against their hands for thirty seconds. When you stop, breathe out and simply relax all the muscles in your body (except your arms for a split, they might have to hold you up). You will be surprised to see how further down you stretch. Stay in your position for 30 more seconds AT LEAST to commit to muscle memory and do it at every opportunity and at least every day.

3) Do a side-split against a wall or get a friend to side-split across from you, holding your arms. You can alternate pulling each other down gently and slowly.

4) Invest in some equipment. A quick flip through the pages of Discount Dance Cataloug might do some good. check it out:
http://www.discountdance.com/frame_set.p...
http://www.discountdance.com/frame_set.p...
http://www.discountdance.com/frame_set.p...

Remember that you have to practice and hold positions to commit to your muscle memory or you'll never get them down.?

Good Luck,
Hope I helped,
Elaina ?

I was actually talking to my dance teacher about flexibility yesterday. You basically have to stretch at least every day. Do those exercises (the one you were talking about with your legs straight) for about 30 seconds (or count up to 100 is even better!) whenEVER you can. If you're sitting at home watching TV seize the moment! Whenever you have a chance! & try to go past your comfort spot. Don't try to over stretch but stretch just enough so that your feel the hamstrings & the pull! Hold this for about 100 seconds (200 even) - but if it's starts hurting too much then you should stop. Just breathe in & out because this will help you to concentrate less on the stretching. Afterwards, shake out your legs & rest for a couple minutes then try to go lower & repeat the process etc...I did this with butterfly & in a matter of weeks i was able to reach all the way down! Also try doing the runner's lunge. Here's a picture of it: http://www.yoga-ology.com/Runners%20Lung...
Breathe in & out while doing this as well. Also you can try lifting your leg up on a chair (not a really high chair) & try bending over to touch your foot. Make sure your shoulders are relaxed. You can also trying going into a straight split (idk what it's called) & go as low as you can & just hold it there for about 100 or 200 seconds. Also try standing up & hanging over just resting with your chin to your chest & knees unbent. Just breathe deeply when doing this. Then bend one knee with the other knee unbent for about 30 seconds. Repeat this on the other knee. You should feel one of your feet get numb (this is because of the blood flow). Hold this for a few minutes of however long you can. When you're done, return back to bending over, knees unbent. I hope this could help. Good luck!

Stretch, stretch, stretch and then stretch some more. Stretching helps to elongate the muscles. If you take classes and have a ballet barre handy there are stretches you can do by putting your leg up on the barre and stretching it out in different positions. Sit on the floor and open your legs alittle bit.Stretch toward each leg. Stretch gently and slowly. To do the splits you need to stretch the inside of the thighs and the ham strings(backs of thighs). Don't over force the stretches or you may pull something. Stretch out everyday. Good Luck!

well you can keep streching every day until you can some day reach your toes..go to the libary and look for a book that tells you how to strech..i recommend the one for gymnastics..
those gymnyst are flexible, because they practice continionsly in a routine..

it could be because of long legs. you could try putting one leg on a wall and stretch it until it's parallel with the wall. just make sure you have something to hold onto to prevent falling and to warm up or you'll pull muscles.

I have a friend who take ballet and she goes to see a Chinese medicine doctor and acupuncturist to increase her flexibility. She swears by it!

Sign up for a conditioning class. Conditioning classes are like yoga but it improves your flexibility. It actually is pretty stressful at first because the first time you do it, it will be painful using all the muscles to stretch so you can be flexible, but it does get better.

Hope that helped.

Traci

You can do those processes that really stretch your muscles like extreme yoga n stuff..or everyday before you go to work/school/whatever and before you go to bed just do a few general stretches like attempting the splits (dont push yourself too hard but keep your legs straight) and like touching your toes n stuff. Over time you will develope more flexibility, but you will have to be patient.

I'm sorry I couldn't be more of a help.