Too Much Turn Out!

[yingying932]

How do you stop turning out to far? I turn out until I have my feet sickling in the other direction. What should I do?

[Victoria Leigh]

yingying, YOU are in control of where you place your feet and how their placement relates to the rotation from the hips. There is no magic here, it's simply placement and technique. You know the problem, therefore you know what to do about it. Just do not turn out from your feet!

 

Try this: stand in parallel, feet together, lift one leg slightly off the floor with the foot flexed, rotate the leg from the hip and place the foot on the floor, then do the same with the other leg, placing the heel of the second foot against the heel of the other foot. You should be in YOUR first position, which is the place where you are using your rotation from the hip and when you plié the knees should track over the second/third toes.

[Guest sally-mandy]

I read this exercise from Ms Leigh on another thread and it has been the most helpful tool for finding my own first position. It also helps to check the alignment of my knees in plie frequently, as suggested. It' so much more comfortable to be in this natural first position than forcing it further than it wants to go.

[Mel Johnson]

Not only that, but it is THE most reliable, and the safest way to discover what rotation you have.

[Cabriole]

Just to give an extra nod to Ms. Leigh's exercise: I always use that at the beginning of the plie exercise in my adult beginning class (no cheating turnout allowed! )

[WendyMichelle]

Victoria.........

 

I have been struggling since August to rediscover my turnout. I naturally go to 180 with no problem, but my knees were not tracking over my toes. At my new school they actually had me turn my feet in a little to correct that. I tried this exercise last night and immediately went to 180 and my knees tracked directly over my toes in demi and grande plies. Just to double check I've also spontaneously done this several times today and had the same results.

 

What is the difference? By doing this exercise am I correctly rotating from the hip socket whereas before perhaps I wasn't fully rotated from the hip? And how do I go about getting into fifth (my nemesis)? Would I do it the same way but just place one foot directly down instead of to the side, and then do the other leg and place it directly down either in front of or behind the other leg?

 

Thanks,

WM

[Victoria Leigh]

Yes, exactly, Wendy. If you have this degree of rotation from the hip, then it should work in both first and fifth.

[Mazenderan]

yingying, YOU are in control of where you place your feet and how their placement relates to the rotation from the hips. There is no magic here, it's simply placement and technique. You know the problem, therefore you know what to do about it. Just do not turn out from your feet!

 

Try this: stand in parallel, feet together, lift one leg slightly off the floor with the foot flexed, rotate the leg from the hip and place the foot on the floor, then do the same with the other leg, placing the heel of the second foot against the heel of the other foot. You should be in YOUR first position, which is the place where you are using your rotation from the hip and when you plié the knees should track over the second/third toes.

 

May I ask a question? I just tried the exercise you suggested, and my turn-out is just about flat. This looks lovely (my diabolical fifth looks much tighter too), but I find it very difficult to actually work and move with this degree of turn-out. I'm having to seriously engage my inner thigh muscles and the little muscles at the back and top of my thighs which my teacher pointed out as the 'turn-out' mucles. Is this what I should be doing all the time, or should I turn in slightly and work on using these muscles from this slightly safer position?

 

I've been reading through a lot of threads on flexibility and strength on the boards. I'm now a bit worried that I've not been using the correct muscles for a lot of exercise in class and have instead been mis-using my flexibility. I can get much higher extensions than the other girls in class (grande battements in second are up at my ears), but I don't seem to feel movement in the same way they do (there are certain exercises where they are groaning over the muscle exertion required but I simply don't feel anything)

 

How much effort should one feel in class? Are there certain mucles that should always feel engaged?

 

Apologies if this has veered from the original thread topic, it kind of led on from my question about rotation. I'll open a new thread if anyone feels it is inappropriate here.

[Victoria Leigh]

If you have that kind of flexibility and rotation, then there will be a lot less effort involved in using it. HOWEVER, the muscles you mentioned must be engaged or nothing works properly. The inner thighs, and back and top of thighs and the glutes have to work in order for the rotation you have to work! If you have been ignoring those muscles, that is probably why you cannot maintain what appears to be your natural rotation.

[Mel Johnson]

And remember, a little bit each class goes a long way. If you engage the muscles a little more than you do at present, and keep going for that feeling of engagement without forcing or binding at every class, then you'll gradually come to the maximum rotation that you can reach. Remember, you've only been studying a year. It will take awhile.

[Clara 76]

That is an excellent exercise Victoria!!!!!!

 

That's exactly what I've been trying to say, although not anywhere near so pithy and eloquently!!

 

Once you've discovered your amount of turnout, you must engage the muscles to support and control it.

 

I have also found that the adult beginner's body is different than the child beginner, so that is why I will sometimes suggest for the adult to back off a bit of turnout, until they are strong enough to support their natural amount.

 

The most important thing is having an instructor who is vigilant and knows how to develop turnout correctly in any body.

[Mazenderan]

Thank-you; Miss Leigh, Mr Johnson and Miss Clara I'll do as you suggest, Mr Johnson, and implement the change gradually. My muscles are still in for a shock on Wednesday, though. Heh