How can i stengthen my feet for pointe?

Question:

How can i stengthen my feet for pointe?

to begin with i have next to flat feet. my arch is very minimal and its frustrating to try to work on pointe. i have injured ligaments in my left foot so my ankle and foot don't stretch as far. i absolutely love ballet and would love to dance on pointe one day. If anyone has any suggestions to help me strengthen those injuries or improve my arch that would be greatly appreciated. thank you :)

Best Answer - Chosen by Asker: Like you I have feet that aren't particularly flexible, but I did work hard and ended up working en pointe and performing with a company.

My teacher suggested that I get a coke bottle (one of the slim old fashioned ones, not a 2 liter plastic thing) and roll my feet back and forth on it with the bottle placed directly under the arch. She also suggested that I get a bag of marbles, scatter them on the floor, and walk around picking them up by curling my toes around them. She had me do a ton of very s-l-o-w releves in ballet slippers - a full 8 counts from standing flat to going up to demi pointe and she was on me constantly about making sure that my demi pointe was a full demi pointe and telling me to "lift the heel, lift the heel higher". I did a lot of tendus and again was always reminded to "lift the heel" to get a stronger, deeper arch. She also had me do a lot of those super slow releves while in pointe shoes.

The strong therabands are good for developing your arch - hook the theraband over the toes of one foot while sitting with your legs straight out in front of you and then while holding the theraband taut, point your toes. Therabands come in several different strengths and you'll want to progress to the heaviest one they have to get the strongest workout for your foot.

I used to have a boyfriend who would stretch my arches for me - I'd put one foot in his lap and he'd hold it under the heel while pressing down as hard as he could slowly with his hand on the toes to arch my foot. It didn't strengthen the foot any, but it stretched it and it felt great.

Good luck, hope this helps!