I don’t know which is worse….the way a bent supporting leg looks or how much it negatively impacts your dancer’s skills.
With dropping heels, bent knees and weak glutes it’s impossible to keep a straight line, explode off the floor or move with control.
If you’ve ever given your dancers the cue to “pull up” in their turns the exercises below are going to be a great addition to your training tool belt.
If you’re more of a visual learner you can watch our YOUTUBE video about how to Stop Falling Out of Your Turns
To improve the strength and lines of a supporting leg you need to strengthen the:
- Ankles
- VMO and Quads
- Glutes
- Hips
- Core
All of these work together to keep your dancer’s hips in place, knees straight, body stacked and heels lifted.
Here are three of my favorite exercises that do all of that! You can do these in your next practice as a warm up or before you begin training your skills.
Banded High Relevé:
• Starting with a band around your ankles, legs hip distance, rise up into relevé and then plie.
• Take a small step to the right, rise up into relevé, and plie before your next step.
Repeat 2 steps on each side 10 times before resting.
[-] Remove the band
Frog Knee Abs Steps:
• Seated on the ground, set your hands 6 inches behind your low back for support.
• Lift your knees towards your chest, bent at 90 degrees.
• Rotate your knees until the soles of your feet touch
• Extend your legs out straight from your hips while lowering onto your elbows.
• Drawing your legs in until your soles touch, push back up to your hands.
• Return your knees together.Repeat 15 reps total, 2 times.[-] Stay up on your hands
[+] Add a band above your knees
• Lift your knees towards your chest, bent at 90 degrees.
• Rotate your knees until the soles of your feet touch
• Extend your legs out straight from your hips while lowering onto your elbows.
• Drawing your legs in until your soles touch, push back up to your hands.
• Return your knees together.Repeat 15 reps total, 2 times.[-] Stay up on your hands
[+] Add a band above your knees
Squat Squat Jump Steps:
• With a band around your ankles and feet hip distance apart, bend at the knees and explode through the balls of your feet.
Repeat 10 – 20 reps.
[-] Remove band from ankles
Repeat 10 – 20 reps.
[-] Remove band from ankles
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Summer Dance Simplified: 12 weeks of pre made training plans and exercise videos DONE for you.
Designed for coaches and teachers who know strength training is important for their dancers but want to know:
- How many days a week to exercise and for how long
- The best exercises for their style of dance
- The best exercises for their team’s skill weaknesses and goals
- How to fit conditioning into practice
- How to make sure it’s even working
- And how to keep their dancer’s safe