can I still become more flexible & how?

[peace.love.ballet]

Hey everybody, this is my first post here

 

Anyway, I'm 13 1/2 years old and I guess I would say I'm fairly flexible...my right/left splits are about 1-3 inches from the ground (depending on if I'm sore/tight/haven't been to class in a while) and my straddle split is about 6 or 7 inches from the ground. But I'm not really happy with my extensions because I find it difficult to get my leg up high without lifting my hips quite a bit. I assume that being able to do splits would help a lot with my extensions...is there still hope for me to get my splits? (and possibly oversplits? ) If anyone has any suggestions for stretches, or anything, they'd be much appreciated

Edited August 16, 2008 by peace.love.ballet

[Victoria Leigh]

Hello peace.love.ballet, welcome to Ballet Talk for Dancers.

 

There is always room to improve, and, at 13 and 1/2, you have a lot of time! Doing splits is simply working on stretching to improve your extension. It's not important to be able to "do" them, because they are just a stretch. And oversplits are totally NOT needed and NOT recommended.

 

So, to improve your extension, just keeping working on all of your barre work, and stretches, including splits when you are warmed up, and it will improve in time. You will see more improvement when you have reached a point that is closer to your full growth.

[xoballet88]

I'm just wondering.. why are oversplits not recommended?

[Mel Johnson]

First, they have no place in classical line. Then, anatomically, they overrotate the femur in the hipjoint, and this sort of synthetic hyperextension causes microinjuries which, over time, will become aggravated and cause difficulties in ordinary locomotion. It won't show up right away, but at, say, forty, the oversplitter will start complaining of the equivalent of "old war wounds".

[xoballet88]

Oh! Okay! I guess I'll just stick with flat splits then! Thanks!

[peace.love.ballet]

Thank you Victoria and Mel for the information and help! I'll keep working on the splits

[Mel Johnson]

I wouldn't mention this, except out of respect, but we generally refer to "Victoria" as "Ms. Leigh" around here. We maintain an innocent fiction that the Young Dancer forums are like classrooms, and the moderators are the teachers.

[Victoria Leigh]

Actually, the YD moderators ARE teachers, and therefore all of them should be addressed by their proper names. So, in addition to Ms. Leigh, we have Mr. Johnson and Mrs. Schneider (vrsfanatic).

[peace.love.ballet]

Oooh...I'm sorry Ms. Leigh and Mr. Johnson, I didn't realize that!

[dancerchik]

I have been doing the splits every day for the past 2 weeks and I dont seem to be getting any better . Why is that?

 

 

[Edited by moderator to correct text message speak. We do not use numbers for words here, and we really prefer the personal pronoun "I" to be used, as opposed to "i". ]

[Victoria Leigh]

Because nothing is going to change that much in two weeks. Or two months. Ballet is not an instant art form. It takes years and years, not weeks.

 

[dancerchik, please check the edits I made in your post.]

[dancerchik]

ok it just is frustrating cause my teacher really likes girls who are flexible so i want to be able to do the splits and everything but when i immediately cant its frustrating

[Victoria Leigh]

The purpose of splits is to stretch for flexibility. It is not important whether you can "do" them or not, it is important to use them to help increase your flexibility in class. And absolutely nothing in ballet is instant, so, you need to lose the frustration because it's a waste of energy. Put that energy into doing the work and not being upset with yourself!

 

(Please check the edits in the posts of yours and mine above this last one of yours.)

[2dance2dream]

I can lift my legs up fairly high when i shoulder my legs and I can even hold them when I let go of my legs, but when I develope them or lift them, mainly my left, because I guess I don't have the strength, I cannot get them as high. Also, I have both my splits r\all the way down, but when I leap, specifically to the left, I cannot get a full split at all. What can I do to improve this strength and be able to get my legs up?

[Mel Johnson]

You have the stretch, now you have to build the strength to make you able to take your legs where you want them to go, and the strength to do that is contained in your abdominal muscles, particularly the lower abdominals. Pull those UP and IN and you will notice a slight improvement in your extension. Keep working at it from now on, and you will gradually get better extensions.