Splits

[JudyBlue]

Hey I am a great dancer. I hope to think. The bad thing is I can not do my splits. I stretch ALL the time, but nothing becomes of it. Can you guys help give me more ways to stretch out? Thanks...

 

I am so close to my left..

 

Here is what I do right now. I hold my splits 2 minutes everyday on each side. I should have them by now. HELP!

Edited March 22, 2008 by JudyBlue

[Victoria Leigh]

Hello JudyBlue, welcome to Ballet Talk for Dancers

 

Splits ARE a stretch. That is what they are for. Being able to "do" them is irrelevant. Using them to stretch to help your extensions is what they are for.

[LilBalletDancer1993]

Totally true!! My friend stretches every night, working on the splits. She has been doing this for about two years, but still can't "do" them flat- it's just not the way she's made. But, her extensions are the best in class, better than everyones who can "do" the splits (me included!), they are really stretched, perfectly placed and held. In fact, she can hold her amazing extensions longer than everyone else too, so that for me is enough proof that it's the stretch not the actual "doing" them that is most important!

LBDxXx

[Mel Johnson]

OK, lbd, this is the third time.

 

Either shorten your signature line, or I'll do it for you.

[Victoria Leigh]

And, lbd, if you are going to use a signature, please make it legible. The small print light pink cannot even be read.

[Nutmegdancer]

Hi I also have a friend at my dance school who works hard at her splits and cannot do them and she has come to the conclusion that she is not capable of doing them, I am not saying you are not capable of doing them, but I dont want you to feel that you are the only one. I also have some advice:

 

There are alot of places in a ballet studio that you can use to your advantage for an ultimate "stretch" If there is enough space between the barre in your studio and the wall that you can fit in, stand upright and take either leg and slide it up the wall while holding the barre until you are in a split against the wall, in the beginning it is best to have your standing foot right next to the wall, and hopefully if you improve, moving your foot farther away from the wall and still trying to touch the barre with your inner thigh will eventually make your split wider than 180 degrees (for doing split leaps) holding it for more than 5 minutes is what is reccomended by my teacher. Another way is to use gravity. Find a thing (maybe the molding on the wall if it sticks out) that sticks out about 2 inches and is about 2 or 3 inches from the floor. Make a split and put the front leg on the, well in this case "molding" and use your arms to support yourself in the beginning and then gradually you will be touching the ground with your legs. My teacher said use gravity is a very good way to become more flexible I hope this helps and also im not trying to be rude or anything but honestly doing splits once a day for only two minutes is really not enough to "stretch" (for me personally) If this doesnt help Im sorry but I know that if you continue to work hard at it you'll make progress!

 

Nutmegdancer

 

(I hope this advice is acceptable to the teachers and that it does not sound like I am trying taking the place of the teachers)

[Mel Johnson]

But one thing that we've said before, and will keep saying again and again, because there are always new people coming up - only stretch AFTER you are well warmed-up. Before class, you can do a few passive stretches which don't involve tension or flexion of large muscle groups, but save the splits and such for after class, when you are nearly certain to be all warm, and about as flexible as you can be at this point in your career.

 

Also, try to avoid stretches that force your knee back into the "locked" position, especially if you're hyperextended. And I hate oversplits.

[Nutmegdancer]

Oversplits aren't good???

 

Nutmegdancer

[Mel Johnson]

Yes, they aren't good.

 

They do for the hips what forcing a locked position does for the knees. When you're young, you can get away with it for awhile, but as time goes by, dancers who do oversplits begin to manifest injuries and chronic pains in the hips. It's not worth it. Ballet is an unnatural enough use of the body. It's called "Ockham's Razor" in logic. Don't make things more difficult than they already are.

[Victoria Leigh]

Nope, oversplits are not necessary and not good. And, splits against the wall are not any better than those on the floor, and the ones on the floor are a lot safer.

[Nutmegdancer]

oh...i did not know that sorry it always worked for me and i got a good stretch out of it at least i thought...

 

Nutmegdancer

[Victoria Leigh]

Yes, but you would have received the same stretch in a split on the floor, and that is safer. Another stretch so many dancers do, and teachers still give, although I cannot for the life of me figure out why, is the sliding down the barre one. That one is REALLY dangerous. It puts weight in the achilles tendon, hyperextends the knees, and causes major rolling on the supporting leg. All of that and it does absolutely NOTHING for you that cannot be accomplished safely on the floor!

[Nutmegdancer]

oh ya i do that one sometimes...what about the one where you lie on your back against the wall and do a middle split and gravity pulls your legs closer to the ground???

 

Nutmegdancer

[Victoria Leigh]

That one is okay.

[Nutmegdancer]

oh..god then ill keep doing that one

 

Nutmegdancer