Painfully tight hips

[mcdancer]

Sadly I'm not lucky enough to have nice loose hips! A lot of the time it hurts to stretch them so I am only doing it gently. What I'm wondering is if there's another way to stretch them besides the butterfly...I know the frog hurts your knees.

[Victoria Leigh]

mc, are you talking about rotation from the hips, or flexibility from the hips...or both?

[mcdancer]

I guess I am talking about both.

[Victoria Leigh]

Okay. All of your barre exercises that you do every class are designed to work your rotation and hip flexibility. Yes, the butterfly can help too, but that is a very simple stretch that you can do even before class. Most of the stronger stretches have to be done when you are fully warmed up, and you should be doing those in class, under supervision.

 

How old are you, how long have you studied ballet, and how many classes a week do you take in ballet? Sometimes the flexibility improves when your body matures and you gain more strength. But if you answer my questions I would know how to help you a bit more.

[Chelsea(:]

One way to help open up your hip joints is to lay down like your going to do a sit-up but with one foot on top of the other knee then push up with your hips, lower abdomen, ect. It may crack or make a popping noise but it's not harmful.