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Improving ankle strength | Dance

Further to my blog post ‘The importance of a strong ankle’, here are some exercises for you to try to help strength the ankle joint.

Balance board stand Begin by standing on the wobble board on two feet. Find your balance and gentle rock the board backward and forward. Progress this exercise by circling the board so that the edge of the board remains in contact for a full circle. Once you have mastered standing on two legs, move to one leg. You can repeat the same exercises as before. If you feel too unstable then partially hold onto a wall until you feel more comfortable.

Theraband  Although a very basic and unexciting exercise, the theraband can help to strengthen the ankle from the beginning. Using a strength suited to you and loop the band around your toes so that you can perform plantarflexion, dorsiflexion, inversion and eversion. Try performing 3 sets with reps of 10-12.

Lunge on balance board Only perform this exercise once your lunge pattern is correct. Place one foot in the middle of a balance board and the other behind as if you are performing a normal lunge. Perform a normal lunge movement. This will feel more challenging due to stabilising the movement of the front leg. Perform 3 sets of 6 reps on each leg.

Hurdle hops Setup a row of hurdles placing them a few feet apart. Begin by performing this exercise on two feet.  Stand in front of the first hurdle with feet shoulder width apart. This will be the starting position. Push off both feet to jump over the first hurdle. Land on two feet, bending the knees, rebounding out and over the next hurdle. Finish by pausing in the ready position (1/4 squat) for a count of two.

Note- swing your arms up with you as you jump.

SL Romanian deadlift Standing on one leg, soften the knee so that you have a slight bend. From the hips hinge forward, bringing your free leg out behind you in derriere. Move until you are in a table-top position. Ensure you trunk, leg and head are in a straight line and your supporting knee has not increased in bend. From this position in one, return to the starting position.

Single leg squat  Stand in front of low box. Standing on one leg, hold the other leg out in front of you. Use your arms as a balance by placing them out in front of your waist. Slowly sit back into a single leg squat and down onto the box. Once on the box do not relax into a sitting position but keep the tension on through your working leg. To stand, engage your core, transfer your weight through the midfoot and drive upwards. Note -Try to move as slowly as possible on the way down.

Many thanks to YMCA in North Tyneside for the use of their studio.

Improving your jump height | Dance

Have you ever looked at a professional dancer and thought ‘Wow I wish I could jump that high’?

I have, and no doubt you have too!

In my past post ‘Jump height and the dancer' I spoke of the qualities required by these dancing athletes in order to achieve such elevation. Achieving such a goal is not quick task, instead it takes years of hard work.

Start implementing these exercises into your sessions now to obtain that elevation!

1.       Weighted Squats

This exercise is an all-round great exercise as it works all major muscle groups needed for achieving speed and jump height.

·         Place the bar in the squat rack at a level slightly below shoulder height.

·         Settle the bar across the base of your neck with the bar resting on top of the trapezius and deltoids. Ensure you are positioned in the centre of the bar prior to movement.

·         Hold the bar in an overhand grip, with hands evenly spaced and elbows bent at 90 degrees.

·         From this position take the weight of the bar, stand straight and take a few steps back.

·         Fix your eyes on a point in front of you, slightly above eye level and keep your eyes fixed here throughout the lift.

·         Pull the shoulder blades back (Imagine holding a pen between the shoulder blades). Push your chest up and out.

·         Feet should be flat on the floor and roughly shoulder width apart (although dependant on the individual). Toes may be pointed slightly outwards, however some may find it more comfortable facing forwards.

·         Before beginning the lift take a deep breath in. hold this until the final stage of the lift. By doing this you aid stability at the trunk by increasing intra-abdominal pressure.

·         You should tighten the glutes and lower back then begin the movement by flexing the hips and knees simultaneously. The trunk should be kept upright throughout the lift, with the back in a neutral position.

·         The knees should move in the same direction as the toes. Do not allow your knees to drop in towards each other. This is a weak position and so puts you at risk of injury.

·         Continue the downward movement until the thighs are past parallel with the floor i.e. the knees are past 90 degrees. Go as low as possible while maintaining the correct technique.

·         The ascent of the lift should be led by the chest, with the torso kept upright. Hips and knees are extended through a powerful drive from the legs.

·         At the top of the lift reaching a standing position exhale.

·         Try 3 sets of 8-12 reps

2.       Ankle taps

This exercise is a prime starter for building elastic energy within the calf muscles.

·         Stand with feet hip width apart and hands on hips.

·         Shift your weight to your toes.

·         From the ankles, jump repeatedly (There should be no bending of the knees)

·         Pointe the toes on each jump to push off, but pull your toes up towards your shins while in the air.

·         Contact with the floor should be quick and noisy.

·         Try 3 sets of 6 reps.

3.       Split leg squat

Dancers do not always jump from two feet, thus it is important to ensure we train equal leg strength in the single limbs. The split leg squat develops strength within the hamstrings, glutes and quadriceps allowing for elevation.

·         In the rack, rest the barbell on the upper trapezius. Take a step backwards within the rack.

·         With one foot take stride forwards with your foot flat on the floor and your back foot raised onto the toes.

·         When ready take a deep breath and lower your body into the split squat position by flexing the hips, knees and ankles.

·         Keep an upright trunk throughout the movement, lowering with control and having weight placement evenly distributed between your front and back feet.

·         Lower to a position where you back knee is around 4inches off the floor.

·         Pause

·         Drive upwards to the starting position y extending your knees and hips.

·         Try 3 sets of 8-12 reps

4.       Depth jumps

An excellent exercise to improve eccentric strength. As a very simple exercise, they are easily added into any training programme, however should not be abused or risk injury.

·         Standing on a low platform step off.

·         Using the ‘ankle tap’ movement, immediately push off the floor to achieve maximal jump height. (The jump should be immediate and quick with minimal bending of the knees.)

·         There should be no rest between repetitions.

·         Try 3 sets of 6 reps

5.       Clean

A clean is an explosive movement. This movement pattern can take a long time to master so don’t worry if you can’t get it at first. The clean heavily involves the hip extensors which is key for speed and jumping ability.

I feel the clean is far too complicated to explain in a simple blog post, so I would recommend seeking the advice of a coach in your gym to help you master the skill!

Plus, don't forget to actually train the movement itself (i.e. a pas de chat)!

Rest, Read & Recover

I absolutely love reading but when I started university 6 years ago (oh wow that feels like ages ago) I have never really made the effort to spend the time each day to do this for myself. At the end of last year I decided that I needed to make more time for myself as I was overwhelmed with work and spending no time for myself or with my partner. One of the ways I planned to do this was by reading more. This coincided very nicely with my new Miracle Morning routine (see blog post ‘The Miracle Morning ‘).

For Christmas I was very lucky to be given some great books as presents including: Friday Night Lights, Shoe Dog, Ted Talks, Six Four, Essentialism and many more!

I’m keeping track of all the books I wish to read, and have read in my bullet journal. I am also tracking my daily reading habits here to make sure I stay on track. My aim is to read at least 10 pages a day!

There is no particular genre of book I prefer. I read anything from business/marketing books to research papers, sporting biographies & autobiographies to fiction, and self-help books to medical books.

Right now I am reading a book recommended by my Dad called ‘I’m Okay, You’re Okay’, a psychology read which looks at Transactional Analysis (where social transactions are analysed to determine an individual’s ego state). It’s pretty different to what I would normally read but I’ve surprised myself that I’m enjoying it (whilst trying to analyse my own mind)!

For now I will continue making my way through the endless pile of books on my bookshelf, whilst adding more and more reads to my Amazon WishList. I’m definitely going to need an upgrade on my book case (totally to blame on my parents nurturing haha) !

- E