Kate_N Posted February 15, 2016 Share Posted February 15, 2016 Try googling "images hyperextended legs ballet" 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
baby steps Posted February 15, 2016 Share Posted February 15, 2016 Thank you for your replies. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RuthE Posted February 15, 2016 Share Posted February 15, 2016 I've spent my whole life locking my knees when standing, it's taking some undoing! I only started ballet when I was 29 (I'm now 33) and didn't even realise I had hyperextended knees until August last year after switching to a different teacher! I always just thought my calves were too bulky and that was why my heels couldn't get closer together! I took one term of absolute beginners' classes ever (in my early 30s) and had the same issue. At the time I had no interest in ballet as an audience member, and certainly hadn't had the benefit of anything like this forum with its breadth of in-depth technical knowledge from professional dancers and teachers. The teacher told me the reason I couldn't get my heels anywhere near each other in first was that I had swayback legs, and from that day until I first came across the term on this forum, I assumed that must be an un-remediable fault! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TabbyCool Posted February 16, 2016 Share Posted February 16, 2016 I took one term of absolute beginners' classes ever (in my early 30s) and had the same issue. At the time I had no interest in ballet as an audience member, and certainly hadn't had the benefit of anything like this forum with its breadth of in-depth technical knowledge from professional dancers and teachers. The teacher told me the reason I couldn't get my heels anywhere near each other in first was that I had swayback legs, and from that day until I first came across the term on this forum, I assumed that must be an un-remediable fault! Well it took 3 years of ballet before it was even pointed out to me, I didn't know locking your knees was bad and always wondered why there never seemed to be enough room to properly pass my working leg through first position whilst doing ronde de jambe a terre without having to bend my knees slightly! Now I know, a lot of things make more sense, but it doesn't make it any easier as when my knees aren't locked they just feel bent, I honestly can't tell when they're straight, it just feels so unnatural! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
drdance Posted August 7, 2016 Share Posted August 7, 2016 Has anyone seen this video? http://balletinform.com/misty-copeland/ 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ti62 Posted August 7, 2016 Share Posted August 7, 2016 DD has this problem. Great link drdance - very useful. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SwaybackSapphire Posted August 8, 2016 Share Posted August 8, 2016 Great video, my DD is medically hyper mobile and has the swayback legs and arms that look like they bend in the wrong way. The swayback legs do cause issues with strength all the time, DD gets her strength and is very centred then has a growth spurt and bye bye strength, then takes her a good month to get it back. She does wish sometimes she has straight legs, then some of her friends look at her legs and wish they had them. Suppose we all want what we don't have to a degree ???????? 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Picturesinthefirelight Posted August 8, 2016 Share Posted August 8, 2016 It is a big issue. So far we have only found two teachers who know how to deal with this issue (unfortunately dd only gets to see one of them once or twice a term ) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moomin Posted August 8, 2016 Share Posted August 8, 2016 I still don't really understand what you're meant to do with them! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Colman Posted August 8, 2016 Share Posted August 8, 2016 Weight bearing legs have to be properly straight, not locked back or overextended - or bent. Copeland is suggesting that a good way of achieving that is making sure the weight is going into the front of the foot rather than down the back of the leg and into the heel, which I can relate to. (I'm beginning to suggest my very tight hamstrings are due in part to four decades of putting weight too far back.) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moomin Posted August 8, 2016 Share Posted August 8, 2016 I'm pretty sure that my knees hyperextend when I'm on pointe though? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anna C Posted August 9, 2016 Share Posted August 9, 2016 Has anyone seen this video? http://balletinform.com/misty-copeland/ What a great video, thank you drdance. Such a simple adjustment in technique can go such a long way in helping injury prevention. Amazing. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alison Posted February 6, 2018 Share Posted February 6, 2018 Since Ehlers-Danlos was mentioned in this thread, I looked up an article I read a while back about a former ballet dancer who has the condition. It doesn't make particularly hopeful reading, though: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/christmas/0/extension-soul-meet-verlin-adorable-labrador-transformed-one/ 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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