Moomin Posted November 6, 2013 Share Posted November 6, 2013 Brilliant, how did she manage to improve the flexibility? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Picturesinthefirelight Posted November 6, 2013 Author Share Posted November 6, 2013 Just by working on all the excercises shed been given Previous to last spring she never did any soecific stretching as it wasn't covered in her syllabus classes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Loulabelle Posted November 6, 2013 Share Posted November 6, 2013 Great stuff! My DD could do with improving the flexibility in her back, what exercises was your DD given to help her? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Picturesinthefirelight Posted November 6, 2013 Author Share Posted November 6, 2013 Gosh I couldn't even begin to describe them & certainly not safely. She went to Midas for a session in the summer & did Harpenden summer school plus she gets a weekly stretch class at her new school and she does this bending back thing as part of her modern class. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anjuli_Bai Posted November 6, 2013 Share Posted November 6, 2013 I have naturally tight achilles (my mum too), but dd never used to, it has crept up over the past few years, and she's hypermobile everywhere else. She's stopped growing, so we've discounted that, and yes, she's been seen by a physio and an osteopath. She's always been one of those who land from jumps with a thud rather than a bounce, and she has really small feet and very high arches. She also has swayback knees and her heels are over an inch apart when she stands in first. Anjuli, I think we have discussed it before! Any ideas for stretching exercises please? The description you give of her small feet, high arches, swayback knees, etc. are all difficult to work with - it is not a structure for strength - the high arches are beautiful - but not a strong construction - same for the knees. To compensate for this - her body may be tightening up the Achilles tendon. I don't know. That's just a guess. Landing from jumps with a thud is not good - it is very wearing on the body - including the Achilles tendon. I think that whatever work she does to strengthen her body as well as keeping her Achilles tendon supple should be done by a qualified professional who can work closely with her. The Achilles tendon is too vulnerable a mechanism - and could become a serious issue if injured. She needs someone who can see and help with the entire structure - not just a part of it. I wouldn't hazard a guess - the issues are too important. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
drdance Posted November 6, 2013 Share Posted November 6, 2013 Picturesinthefirelight I'm really pleased your DD has worked hard and seen an improvement in all those areas! Can I just add to clarify (for everyone else) that when I saw Pictures' DD we were assessing areas of stiffness and giving exercises to improve - it wasn't an observation of a permanently stiff back, just that it was stiff at the time! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Picturesinthefirelight Posted November 6, 2013 Author Share Posted November 6, 2013 Yes. I didn't mean it to sound like shed been written off or anything - we were looking for advice on excercises to work on. Incidentally she has been (or says she has anyway) been massaging the back of her neck every night. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
taxi4ballet Posted November 6, 2013 Share Posted November 6, 2013 The description you give of her small feet, high arches, swayback knees, etc. are all difficult to work with - it is not a structure for strength - the high arches are beautiful - but not a strong construction - same for the knees. To compensate for this - her body may be tightening up the Achilles tendon. I don't know. That's just a guess. Landing from jumps with a thud is not good - it is very wearing on the body - including the Achilles tendon. I think that whatever work she does to strengthen her body as well as keeping her Achilles tendon supple should be done by a qualified professional who can work closely with her. The Achilles tendon is too vulnerable a mechanism - and could become a serious issue if injured. She needs someone who can see and help with the entire structure - not just a part of it. I wouldn't hazard a guess - the issues are too important. It was mentioned to her in the past by a previous teacher that she was holding herself tense, and had stiff knees, although we eventually put the tension down to her not liking that particular teacher!! When I said landing from jumps with a thud - well, I can't explain technically because I wouldn't know how to, to me it looks as though she doesn't land as softly in a plie as others, and her heels don't go down, so she doesn't get much height when she pushes up to take off again. Does that make any sense? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anjuli_Bai Posted November 6, 2013 Share Posted November 6, 2013 It was mentioned to her in the past by a previous teacher that she was holding herself tense, and had stiff knees, although we eventually put the tension down to her not liking that particular teacher!! When I said landing from jumps with a thud - well, I can't explain technically because I wouldn't know how to, to me it looks as though she doesn't land as softly in a plie as others, and her heels don't go down, so she doesn't get much height when she pushes up to take off again. Does that make any sense? Not putting her heels down might very definitely be a factor in the tightening of the Achilles tendon - that is often the first thing the teacher would check. Another thing to check is that she is not pushing back on those knees. She must learn to pull up and engage the thigh muscles - not push back on the knees. That could very well be a contributing factor. It's difficult enough for the student to learn this at the barre - and then transfer it to the center. But, it must also happen in a jump. That's a lot to think about. She needs a teacher who is going to watch her carefully. To teach her how to use her body to its best advantage: at the barre, in the center and in the air. 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
taxi4ballet Posted November 7, 2013 Share Posted November 7, 2013 Her current teacher is helping her with ingrained habits from previous training, but she hasn't had her for long enough yet... these things take time, don't they? I'l get dd to talk to her and see if she has any advice. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anjuli_Bai Posted November 7, 2013 Share Posted November 7, 2013 Everything in ballet takes time. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
beanie-bean Posted November 30, 2013 Share Posted November 30, 2013 Hello again...just an update on my dd. We bought Lisa Howells 'Front Splits Fast' DVD....Unfortunately the massages did not help my dd's flexibility (although she enjoyed them very much). However she found the exercises helpful and t feels that the DVD helped her 'mind set' as Lisa Howell explains that sometimes your mind can get in the way. Anyway the good news is that she has got into the splits 2 days in a row! she has never done this before. She is so chuffed with herself, and I really feel that she has turned a corner. Thank you all for your kind words of encouragement, and Picturesinthefirelight I am really pleased to hear that your dd has also made good progress. xxx 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thecatsmother Posted November 30, 2013 Share Posted November 30, 2013 Hello The massages of neck are only one of the areas of the program. It is important to work out which area of the body in the program increases flexibility range as this may well not be neck. For me the thoracic spine and hips are the only stretches I need to do consistently but can apply others as part of a more general conditioning program. The kneeling lunges in the hip section of the DVD seem to be liked and utilised by a lot of students whom I have introduced to the program. So glad there is a sense of progress anyway. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fusster Posted December 1, 2013 Share Posted December 1, 2013 hi Beanie-bean. Where did you get the DVD from? I can only find previews and iTunes podcasts online! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thecatsmother Posted December 1, 2013 Share Posted December 1, 2013 The program is accessible to buy via the ballet blog website. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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