Pre pointe exercise or advice

[caait_18]

Hello,

I'm currently in a pointe class and everyone except me has their pointe shoes. Has anyone got any exercises or advice to help me get my pointe shoe faster, I have been doing exercises with a theraband but I just want to know people opinions. I don't mind waiting as I know you have to have patience whilst waiting to hear you are ready for pointe shoes but I just wanted to do this outside of class to increase my changes earlier or quicker

 

Thanks guys!!

[Lisa O`Brien]

Well I see by your other thread that you are 19, so it's not a case of you being too young and therefore the bones in your toes and feet still being soft. I guess it depends if you have mastered the basics first and if your teacher feels that you are ready for pointe work. Have you asked your teacher her opinion? I think this is probably the best thing to do as she will know you and how you work; what your strengths and weaknesses are etc.  I would imagine for an adult or late teen beginner you would really need about two years of lessons at least before being considered, to give your body time to build up to it in strength and ensuring correct posture, etc.

[caait_18]

I'm not a complete beginner, I have been dancing before now, and I was given the all clear to get my pointe shoes at an old studio but I ended up not getting them because closely after that we had to move and my dance studio was too far away.

[Lisa O`Brien]

I'm not a complete beginner, I have been dancing before now, and I was given the all clear to get my pointe shoes at an old studio but I ended up not getting them because closely after that we had to move and my dance studio was too far away.

Then if I were you I would ask your teacher and take it from there.

[drdance]

Ask you teacher first and foremost, but otherwise, assuming your technique is correct and secure, the best exercise that all dancers should be doing, daily, regardless of where they're at in their training, is rises. The Australian Ballet (school or company, I can't remember which) added this in at the end of barre work, I believe, and their ankle injury rate dropped dramatically. I was told students should aim for 15 on each leg ideally.

[Kate_N]

Yes DrDance, in the broadcast of the AB company class in the World Ballet Day live broadcasts, they interviewed David McAllister about the leg rises. They do the sets facing the barre, in parallel, I think. I thought it was 3 sets of 10 rises on both feet, but 15 rises on each feet sounds much much tougher! 

[Kate_N]

Should have added, that I"m sure the 15 on each leg is correct - I realise that my post sounded as though it was questioning you! They showed the gap between barre & centre, and instead of stretching (which actually weakens the muscles) the dancers all did rises in parallel facing the barre.

Edited February 27, 2017 by Kate_N

[Colman]

Mostly slow controlled rises and especially slow and controlled going down, I assume?

[theother51]

My daughter was taught by an ex Australian Ballet teacher & she made the class do 15 on each leg. And yes, they were slow & controlled.

[Pups_mum]

It's quite expensive, but Lisa Howell's Perfect Pointe programme is very good with lots of info on pointe readiness and strengthening exercises.

[PrancingMum]

It's quite expensive, but Lisa Howell's Perfect Pointe programme is very good with lots of info on pointe readiness and strengthening exercises.

 

DD's teacher recommended this to her - is it really worth the expense?

 

I was also wondering if anyone has heard of a book that is referred to the ballet bible.  DD keeps talking to me about this book her teacher uses it to show her things that she refers to as her ballet bible.  Any ideas what it might be?

[Anna C]

It's quite expensive, but Lisa Howell's Perfect Pointe programme is very good with lots of info on pointe readiness and strengthening exercises.

It is excellent, but before spending such a lot of money it would be well worth the OP speaking to her teacher.

[sarahw]

Lisa Howell has a lot of free stuff on YouTube.

[Science in Dance]

It is worth looking into the role of what is called "eccentric training" for the ankle. Two main reasons: Firstly Eccentric exercise has been shown to positively influence tendon volume at the Achilles which in turn makes the ankle more compliant and robust for heavy single landings and also improves the ankle's capacity to do the same thing over and over again. Therefore the exercise has good performance and injury prevention benefits.

Secondly, it also promotes an element of control and can be performed in a parallel or ballet specific manner.

 

An example of eccentric exercise for the ankle and Achilles is to rise up on two feet and lower in a count of 5 on one foot. Repeat 6-8 times on one foot and then swap.

 

Please see my Facebook page Science in Dance for some free videos and information.

[Viv]

I managed to find the Perfect Pointe book by Lisa Howell online for free, so I'd try googling before going out and purchasing an expensive program. It was very good though, I liked that it focused not just on your feet but also core and turnout strength as well. It's helped me with all areas of technique and not just getting me onto pointe. I still use the exercises as a good maintenance workout to make sure I stay strong for class.

[Kate_N]

An example of eccentric exercise for the ankle and Achilles is to rise up on two feet and lower in a count of 5 on one foot. Repeat 6-8 times on one foot and then swap.

 

 

 

Is this a bit like an Alfredson's heel drop? I find those really effective.

[Science in Dance]

Is this a bit like an Alfredson's heel drop? I find those really effective.

 

 

Similar apart from Alfredson's would be on a step with no end point at the bottom of the exercise. This ultimately places a extra passive mechanical load on the gastric etc at the bottom of the movement. I find that and end point will better simulate Relevé.

 

There is no evidence to support that within session stretching of a muscle, or between sets of exercise, has any influence on muscle development. There may actually be an added hypertrophy (cross sectional area increase) of the muscle with stretching after strengthening due to the extra passive load on the muscle lengthening it.

 

Just another angle on the alfredson.

[Anna C]

DanceScienceandMedicineDOC, may I ask your opinion on painless but consistent "clicking" when doing rises on one foot? I was always told that clicking without pain was fine, but it does sound slightly alarming.

 

Thank you.

[Science in Dance]

DanceScienceandMedicineDOC, may I ask your opinion on painless but consistent "clicking" when doing rises on one foot? I was always told that clicking without pain was fine, but it does sound slightly alarming.

 

Thank you.

 

Hi Anna, There are a few things to consider. 

 

Such as; is this performed when turned out? is the rise being performed correctly for the desired outcome? And where is the clicking coming from.

 

Usually without pain we would say avoid purposefully making the click occur.

 

However it would be worth making sure that the foot position is absolutely correct and that the muscles of the calf and the "deep" plantar flexor muscles of the foot are being correctly utilised. An example for Dancers is to ensure you are rising up over your big toe and not inverting the ankle of sickling when rising. 

 

Clicking without discomfort during an isloated exercise like a rise is probably not something to worry about. I would pay attention to whether this happens when performing relevés or point work and note where the clicking is coming from but if there is no pain or consistency to the occurrence then its probably just slightly incorrect mechanics of how the exercise is performed.

 

A recommendation to avoid this clicking and achieve the same desired outcome, in developing Dancers, of calf strength would be to perform what are called ISOMETRICS for the calves and other plantar flexors on two feet. 

 

I have a number of methods for improving calf strength besides the usually prescribed or recommended calf raise.

 

Probably worth me starting a whole topic on Ankle and Hip Stability, Mobility and Strength 

Edited March 20, 2017 by DanceScienceandMedicineDOC

[drdance]

Hi Anna,

I hope you don't mind me 'chiming' in on this one. Does the click happen on any other movement or just rises? Does it happen on the up or down part? Where abouts is the click? (in the muscle, in the achilles tendon, deeper in the joint, on the inside, on the outside etc etc), have you had any previous ankle injury? 

 

Personally I would be asking all of these questions, and looking at how you move before trying to say what is causing it because it's difficult to know (and potentially dangerous to suggest) without knowing the full picture.

 

You are right in that unless painful a click usually isn't anything to be overly concerned about but if you are worried, or it is happening more frequently, or you anticipate increasing your workload and are worried it might become more of an issue then it's worth looking into.

[Anna C]

Hi drdance, not at all - all advice gratefully appreciated! It's my clicky daughter (we're both hypermobile and generally clicky tbh but she's the dancer!). She overpronates when running (so wears suitably supportive running shoes) but has trained herself not to when dancing. The clicking in her ankle area only happens when doing several rises in a row on one foot at a time. She's never had an ankle injury (touch wood).

 

I'll ask her later if she can specify where exactly in her ankle the clicking is coming from.

 

Thank you!

[trog]

An example of eccentric exercise for the ankle and Achilles is to rise up on two feet and lower in a count of 5 on one foot. Repeat 6-8 times on one foot and then swap.

Pretty much what every ballet teacher has told me - resist as you lower from releve.

 

What works for me, probably won't work for you. Over the last couple of months I've been doing squats with releve in the gym. I used to squat 80-90kgs on an Olympic bar with knee wraps going to thighs parallelish to the ground (the classic body builders squat). My knees were objecting, so I changed to 20kgs on the bar, Hindu squat (heels touching your botty), back to stand, pull up the knees, go to releve and lower heels in a count of three. I'm not turned out (I find I can't squat turned out). Result - better knees (well less worse), stronger ankles (noticeable in class) and less muscle burn in the hamstrings. I've always squated without shoes which works the ankle nicely.

[Science in Dance]

Pretty much what every ballet teacher has told me - resist as you lower from releve.

 

What works for me, probably won't work for you. Over the last couple of months I've been doing squats with releve in the gym. I used to squat 80-90kgs on an Olympic bar with knee wraps going to thighs parallelish to the ground (the classic body builders squat). My knees were objecting, so I changed to 20kgs on the bar, Hindu squat (heels touching your botty), back to stand, pull up the knees, go to releve and lower heels in a count of three. I'm not turned out (I find I can't squat turned out). Result - better knees (well less worse), stronger ankles (noticeable in class) and less muscle burn in the hamstrings. I've always squated without shoes which works the ankle nicely.

A perfectly legitimate way of combining exercises and there is no set way to squat. Most of the time we would say it best to self select a stance for squatting. However in order to keep benefiting from the combination you're doing be sure to progressively increase the load you use on the bar to ensure you can keep getting a positive adaptation from the exercise. Similarly don't just perform this exercise slowing performing this with greater velocity will also promote good adaptations that transfer to class and stage.