ABC's = stronger ankles??

[Guest ballet princess]

I keep hearing that if you "write" the ABC's with your ankles, they will become stronger? Is this true? I tried it once and felt like it was just making me sickle my foot a lot while doing it.

 

:confused:

[Victoria Leigh]

I'm with you Cathy! Have never liked that exercise, or anything else that puts the foot in a sickle position ever for any reason!

[Mel Johnson]

You can avoid sickling just by picking up marbles with your toes. You don't have to twist the ankle into any ungainly positions, but the downside of that exercise is that it can promote clenching of the foot, so you have to think.

[Guest Rosefire]

i do the alphabet a lot with my feet because i feel it strengthens them, and also kind of makes them a bit more flexible. I find that if you dont hold the sickled positions too much, just pass through them, then it doesnt feel uncomfortable, and i dont feel as though i am putting stress on my ankles. Is this exercise ok to do?

[Mel Johnson]

I'm not really crazy about anything that passes the foot through a sickled-in position, no matter how fleetingly. Now, I like half-circles, with the foot passing through the sickled-out, or flagged position, again fleetingly, as it may assist with proper line of the foot and leg.

[Guest ballet princess]

Thanks Ms. Leigh and Mel!

It looks like this is one excersise I'll be staying away from!

 

Thanks again!

[Guest thumpinhippo]

Originally posted by Mel Johnson

... but the downside of that exercise is that it can promote clenching of the foot ...

 

My teacher was telling me today to point my foot further over not downward... this doesn't make sense here.

Scenario: Facing right leg up on the barre.

Now when I do this, I aim to get my toes to touch the barre but the teacher was telling me to stop doing this and try and lenghthen the foot instead, am i making more sense now?

I've never had a wonderful foot and I am definintely not one of those people whose toes touch the ground when their legs are extended out in front of them. So, is there anything i can do to improve my foot without "pointing downward"?