Help with stretching techniques?

Question

please help me I am 14. My splits are about 10 inches off the ground in my front/back split and about a foot with my side. Also I am going back 2 jazz school (well not rele school, but I am taking a class at a school and doing a recital 2) in the fall & I need to b rele good. Any advice on split stretching, or jazz techniques?? any help is GREATLY appreciated!!

Answer 1

I am a dancer too and have struggled myself. Thebest thing to do is take time out on the weekends or whenever you are4 free....no matter where you really are....do little things and warm up your muscles.....et other people see in your studio you are practicing and before or after classes stretch in the halls or a free space.......you want them to know you care and you worked hard and thats why you are better so there is no way to judge. I suggest while watching TV or hanging with friends stretch muscles and prep for splits dont do them necessarily yet.....wait a little bit and see how far they go down and how far they get after a week or two without them.

For better techniques just practice....Iit would help more knowing specific techniques you needed

Answer 2

Dont start with your splits when you stretch. Find other ways to stretch your ham strings and pretty soon your splits could be just like you want them!

Answer 3

Best of luck with your dance classes and in the recital!  

It's best to practice the splits when your body is already warmed up from dancing.  Take a few minutes after class and stretch slowly, breathing and staying in each position for 1-3 minutes.  

ON a scale from 1-10 the stretches should feel like a 7, with 10 being the strongest stretch you can handle.  You want the stretches to be gentle and still.  Don't bounce, since that actually tightens the muscles.

Do this every day and your flexibility will improve.

The Mayo Clinic site below has a slide show about stretching the major muscle groups.  You can add these to your dance stretches and splits.

I'm a fitness trainer and former dancer.

Answer 4

Always warm up your muscles with some physical activity for 10 min. before stretching. Hold your stretches for a full ten seconds , take a big breath in and when you exhale stretch just a little bit more and hold it there for another 10.

I would recommend taking any dance over summer and rent some dvd's from you library on jazz dance.

Hope this helps