Sickling foot - strength issue not a mind issue

[TH28754]

I decided to make this a different topic instead of adding it to the other sickling topic. My feet sickle (especially the left) even when I'm turned in and doing a tendu to the front. It is especially pronounced when I am turned out and doing tendus to the front and side. I concetrate really hard on keeping my heel forward, but it doesn't seem to help. My teachers will come over and hold my heel forward to show me how to correct the issue, but as soon as they let go of my foot, it goes back to sickling. I don't have this issue as much when my foot is in a wrapped position, but any excercise where my foot is extended (tendus, degages, frappes) it sickles. What can I do to correct this problem?

[lampwick]

Are you having trouble feeling the muscles you need to keep the foot straight? If your teachers can make the foot straight, then you foot probably has enough flexibility, but you're just not intouch with the right muscles yet.

 

How about wrapping the foot and very slowly extending to tendu, paying attention to when the sickle starts to happen, and try to fix it.

 

Can you sit on the floor with your legs straight out in front of you (turned in) and touch the ankle bones, knees, and big toe joint together? If so, try pointing and flexing your feet and keeping the ankle bones, knees, and big toe joint touching. On me, that's approximate to the correct foot line for ballet, and it helps you develop the right muscle memory. One of my teachers is very good (and well known for) working with bodies that have bowed legs, sickled feet, etc...and this is the very first thing she teaches. Just sitting up straight and pointing/flexing your feet, trying to keep everything aligned. You may even feel like you're (slightly) squeezing your inner thighs together. The outside of the lower shin will feel activated---perhaps a tad uncomfortable for a while, until you're used to it and those muscles get stronger.

 

In ballet, there's often a feelng that something isn't right while we re-develop the muscles into a balance that's appropriate to the technique. Oftentimes, you have to work very slowly and carefully, and go outside your "comfort zone" of sensations in order to develop the correct muscle memory. After some time, the new sensations will feel more natural. It just takes some time and careful attention to detail. Even professional dancers are constantly in the process of re-evaluating thier technique.

[Mel Johnson]

Nutmegdancer, you posted here, and I deleted it. This is the Adult Students' board. You have your own. This one is for adults and the dedicated moderators only.

[thedancingj]

One point that has helped me... I often try to think of my little toes (like the pinky toe and its neighbor) moving up when the leg is in arabesque and back when the leg is a la seconde. Thinking of those toes helps to activate those little muscles on the outside of the foot which usually get lost when you are sickling.

 

It's a really subtle point, so it may not be useful to you right away, but you can take it or leave it.

[thedancingj]

< ack, double post... this is what happens when your browser window freezes and you just keep clicking "reload"!! "reload"!! >

[jimpickles]

I dealt with sickling by something similar - concentrating on working the muscles on the outside edge of the foot when extending it - eg in tendues, use the muscles here to extend the foot. When turning out, using the muscles on the outside of the lower leg to help keep the turnout - all these helped keep the foot straight, and can be incorporated into one's "muscle sense" appropriately.

 

Jim.

[TH28754]

Lampwick, thanks for the tip. One of my teachers had me do the wrapping foot exercise adn then extending to tendu. It definitely improved the right foot, but the left foot still has an issue (slight sickle in wrapped). Although still sickle in tendu, it is better when i extend from the wrap position. As far as the exercise, I am sitting on the floor now with everything touching but the ankes. How can I get them to touch? Also, one of my teachers told me that I need to wing my foot to get rid of the sickling problem because even straight my foot is sickled....does that make sense? Like when I extend my feet straight in front of me and point my toes, the toes turn in naturally instead of my feet making a straight line. I think that's why I may need to wing out just to make the feet straight.

[Mel Johnson]

You have to make sure that the outside muscles of the foot are engaged in order to fight sickling. Winging is a very last resort, as it entails unpointing the foot slightly.

[TH28754]

You have to make sure that the outside muscles of the foot are engaged in order to fight sickling. Winging is a very last resort, as it entails unpointing the foot slightly.

 

Mel, when I wing my foot upwards, it appears as if my foot is straight since it is naturally sickled. Are there some type of exercises I should do to work the outside msucles of my foot. How do i know if the outside muscles are being engaged?

[roottwo]

TH28754-

 

This probably won't help you much, but I just wanted to let you know that you are not the only one in the "my foot is sickled when it is straight" boat. I struggle with this too, and have been attempting to retrain my feet, with marginal sucess. I have noticed a little bit of improvement when working often with a theraband (trying to work that muscle on the outside of the foot Major Mel mentioned). I also realized that associated with this problem, I was not balancing on the correct part of my foot in releve. With some concerted effort to get more between my big toe and second toe, that has improved. You may want to check out and see if you have this issue as well. My balance has improved alot since I started working on that, so if you struggle with balance, it's something to think about.

 

Good luck, and you're not alone in looking at your feet and thinking "Geez, come on, foot!"

 

roottwo

[lampwick]

TH28754,

 

As far as the exercise, I am sitting on the floor now with everything touching but the ankes. How can I get them to touch?

It sounds like you have a structural limitation there, if you can't get the ankles to touch with your legs straight in front of you. Winging would be a last resort, as well as working on feeling those muscles on the outside of the shin to help. Progess will happen, but it'll take some time and work. Maybe there's a theraband exercise for this. I don't know...I never had this particular structural problem so never worked it out specifically on my own body.

[Mel Johnson]

Just sit down in a chair. Take your foot, unpointed, and manually stretch it in a lateral direction, as if winged out, but you're not pointing at all. Do the same with the other foot. It will take awhile, but it will eventually help.

[Guest ArmedFiddler]

I also have naturally sickled feet, even when turned in and not pointed. This used to be a major problem for me, but isn't anymore (with the exception of an off day or two). This is what I did to fix the problem...

 

- the sitting and pointing exercise that lampwick mentioned

- doing eleves/releves in parallel position, with a softball (or tennis ball) held between my ankles; goal is to not let the ball drop or roll out of position. This also helps to make you more aware of where your weight is centered on your foot during the releves.

- using a theraband wrapped around my ankles. I'd intentionally sickle, then push my foot back into a straight position (pushing against the band). I'd also do this beginning in a straightened position, and pushing into a winged position against the band.

- I'd wing my foot during my floor barre warmups, which seemed to warm up the muscles and make them more flexible so that I didn't have to forcefully wing my foot during actual class just to get it to look straight.

 

I hope this helps. It's such an annoying problem, so I know how you feel. Good luck.

[kasaba]

Can you sit on the floor with your legs straight out in front of you (turned in) and touch the ankle bones, knees, and big toe joint together? If so, try pointing and flexing your feet and keeping the ankle bones, knees, and big toe joint touching. On me, that's approximate to the correct foot line for ballet, and it helps you develop the right muscle memory....The outside of the lower shin will feel activated

 

THANK YOU, lampwick, for your very specific instructions! Maybe that will help these old feet!

[lampwick]

Just this week, I've been taking some open classes with a teacher from Cuba (who seems pretty awesome so far, such a different order to the barre than I've ever experienced, but it's so logical). She has everyone start barre in parallel, and do releves the same way, holding everything together....thighs, feet and knees It's simple, basic, effective work.