Calling all flexxxxible dancers!!!?

Question

help! i need to get right and left splits soon! i only have 3 months before tryouts at my studio and i really want to get into the competition team, but apparently splits are super important. i know my technique and dancing ability is good enough to make the cut, but im not able to do splits.

so can someone please tell me an effective way to get splits quickly? i try sitting in splits for a while but that hurts a bit after a while -- any other stretches i can do? thank u!!!

Answer 1

For splits:

Kneel on the floor so that your body makes a L shape. Take your left leg out front so that your foot is touching the ground. Make sure both legs are bent at a 90 degree angle. Take the leg whose knee is on the ground back as far as you can with the left leg still at a 90 degree angle and pull your hip down--like push your torso down to the ground. Hold for 20 seconds, repeat 4 times at least. Then, take that back leg and bend it at the knee and try and get your calf to touch the back of your thigh. Now, do that for the other leg.

After, sit with your back straight and legs out and stretch by reaching for your toes.

Others--

lay on your back with your legs flat on the ground and get a belt or something and put it around one leg. Pull that leg towards you (don't bend at your knees) and switch to the other leg. Again, 20 seconds at least twice.

Stand on a smooth, slidey surface like hardwood floor & get soft socks that will slide. stand in 5th ballet position & slide your front foot out & try and get to the ground. Be careful with this because you don't want to slide down like a crazy person and pull a muscle. Go slowly & hold onto something like a counter.

FOR ALL STRETCHES: keep your hips forward. Don't twist it to the sides. Have your hip bones looking forward. ANd do NOT bounce or you'll cause microtears on your muscles.

Straddle:

Sit up straight facing a wall. Now, do a V stretch, touching the wall with the inside sides of your feet and knees facing up. Push yourself towards the wall with your hands behind you & hold.

Remember, though, that getting a split can take up to a year. Don't force yourself or you'll just be taking a huge step back by pulling your muscle.

I suggest you do this at least two times a day: after school, before or after bed (or both) Don't stretch in the morning because you'll hurt your muscles. Try stretching after you get your blood flowing like after jogging in place for like 3 min.

Hold each stretch for 1 min and repeat 10 times for each one.

Answer 2

if you are like most people, you have a coffe table in front of your tv, or another long, close to the ground table in your house. when ever you are watching tv, pull you self as close as possible to the table while sitting in a stratle (sp?) after that, do hurdle stretches and try to put your nose on the ground on the inside of your knee. if you don't have a coffe table, do the same ting with a wall! good luck at tryouts!

Answer 3

i had like the same prob! lol! ok, so u stretch 4 about ten minutes then u practice yer splits, then you practice grand jetes and then u practice yer splits again. do this about twice a day and you'll have yer splits in no time! good luck with the tryouts and keep dancin!

hop this helped! =)

Answer 4

here we go:

splits are mainly a stretch, so as you get more flexible they will just come. so here are some stretches to begin opening up your hip flexors:

-sit in a very deep lunge (AKA just sitting on one knee with the other at a 90degree angle.) make sure you have very straight posture with your spine straight and shoulders pressed down and back. then thrust your pelvis forward. you should feel a stretch in your hips.

the reason this is important is because when you do your splits it stretches 2 things: (1)your hip flexors (2)your thigh

your hips are harder to get flexible than your under thigh so you should work on gradually making these.

-you should also do general stretches. put your legs together and make sure you can touch your toes. than hug them. then stretch to the right then left. try turning your feet out and in and crossing one leg over the other. you should be able to put your palms flat in order to sit in a split. if you cannot, do not be discouraged because splits are still possible, just slightly more painful. also put your legs shoulder width and touch your right foot, middle, and left foot.

always do these stretches before beginning splits

now you can try the actual split:

you will not be able to go flat when you first begin, and you do not want to force it. but a good way to learn is to stack pillows. start with 4 (which should be easy) and once you feel comfortable with this, take a pillow away. eventually you will be down to 1 pillow, and as soon as you know it you will have your splits!

now try the splits themselves. you may not be flat, but you can support yourself with your hands if need be. make sure not to sit on your bum or lean too far to the front. when you feel a bit more comfortable, lean forward and put your head on your chin. then lean to the front (opposite your bum) and feel a stretch in the inner thigh. once you think you have it, then do not support yourself with your arms. your body weight will push you down. once you think you have them, you can always improve. imagine some1 is pulling your legs to either wall and try to make yourself longer. this stretch feels SO good.

do not be discouraged. this will not happen overnight. but i promise, you will get them. some people have more natural flexibility than others, but with work, i am confident that you can get them by tryouts.

also, most upper level dance teams do not concentrate on splits. splits are more of a stretch rather than a skill, so do not stress if you do not have them.

BEST OF LUCK.

keep dancing.

Answer 5

Just keep stretching, but don't force it. If you hurt yourself you won't have any chance at making the team. Splits won't come right away, they take time.

Answer 6

so what you need to do is stretch you legs out intensely. you don't have to kill yourself, but your legs are like rubber bands, the more you stretch them, the easier it gets.  so, my tactic, is to do lunges for a while, because it opens your hips, which helps with flexibility.  so then, after doing that, put your legs in the butterfly position and lean forward with your arms and torso as much as you can. this will also help open and stretch out your hips, after that workout, go on the floor and spread your legs out as much as possible while your torso stays up straight then lean to the right and left and center again and again, this will stretch your legs and ham strings (a very important muscle to stretch) after all this, your are ready to attempt splits.  it will seem like you are not improving, but, in fact, your legs are getting used to this kind of movement and position, in three months you should definitely get your splits down. you have to remember to be patient with your body and do not go over limits, it's okay to push yourself a little bit, but not too much, because if you hurt a muscle it will take a very long time for the healing process to be over, and an even longer time for you to begin training for the competition team.  remember to be doing your exercises everyday so you can improve a little each time.  be patient and i hope this helps you tremendously, good luck in try-outs!

Answer 7

A great way to get your splits is this:

1. Get into straddle.

2. Bend the leg that you want to practice the splits in.

3. Turn your body towards the bent leg and get on top of it.

4. Then lay down on it... if you can.

Another way is to:

Get up every morning and stretch a lot. Then get into the splits and sit there for a while. Even if it hurts, it will help in the end.

Answer 8

BEST WAY: Strech every day for a good ammount of time. THEN- do your splits! (I know you can't do them) but hold them. Like- go into a split- go as far as you can- then hold that until you can't anymore..

Do that everyday and eventually you sshould get your split or close to it!

Hope this helps!

Answer 9

First, do a bunch of leg stretches.  Then go into all your splits and hold them for as long as possible.  Then the important part: do your splits against a wall, and use the wall to support you and lean towards the leg that corresponds to what split you're doing. (i.e. right split, lean towards your right leg which should be propped against the wall, same rule for left, and for your leap in 2nd, lean towards the center and try pushing back against the wall to make your split better.)  After your wall splits, come off of the wall, and do your splits like you regularly would, if you do it right, you should get an immediate result.  Just do that as much as possible and you should be fine.

Answer 10

I can almost do my middle split.But you have to stretch as much as you can.That is the only way you can.

Cause it doesn`t happen like magic.I wish!

:)