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| Stretches and Warm ups for belly dancers: About stretching: Warm up is an important part of dancing � leave it out and you risk injury. Too few classes and dancers realize it�s just as important to stretch AFTER class or performance as it is before. Cooling down is as important as warming up. A pull or stretch that is uncomfortable is fine, but a shooting pain is a warning signal you should never ignore. A stretch should not ever create a sharp pain, just a stretching kind of discomfort. For stretches to be effective you need to hold them long enough so that both types of muscle fiber are stretched, fast twitch and slow twitch. In the first 10 seconds of a stretch, only the fast twitch fibers are stretched. It takes another 20 to 30 seconds of staying in that position for the slow twitch fibers to begin relax and begin to stretch and you�ll find you can increase your stretch just a little after that time. The operative word here is little. Stretching should always be smooth and slow. DO NOT BOUNCE WHEN YOU STRETCH. You risk tearing muscle when you bounce. |
| The following are not meant as a comprehensive warm up, but as additions to the regular warm up routine. I�ve tried to leave out the warm ups that seem fairly universal from teacher to teacher and have focused on ones that are a little less common: |
| Squat: This will show you where you have restrictions in your legs. Sit down and bend your legs, putting your feet flat on the floor right in front of your sit bones. Your toes must be pointed straight forward and you must be in your bare feet. Now put your hands behind you and push yourself up onto your feet without lifting your heels off the floor. If you can, take your hands off the floor behind you and stay in the squatting position. If you can do this with no problem, lift your chest off your knees as much as possible so your back isn�t bent. Do NOT lift your heels off the floor, do NOT put your feet any wider apart than the sit bones of your bottom and do NOT wear any kind of heel while doing this stretch. This is reminsicent of the squatting posture you see little kids doing all the time, as well as primitive tribespeople. If you cannot get all the way up into the squat, support your weight on your hands behind you and move as much forward into the squat as you can, holding yourself there for a full 60 seconds. This stretches your lower back and will show you where and if you have restrictions in your hips, thighs and calves. |
| Arm and Shoulder Stretch: Lace your fingers together behind your back and keep your palms together. For some people with tight arms, this will be enough of a stretch all on its own. If you can keep your palms together, add this: keeping your arms straight, lift them up as high as you can behind you until you feel a stretch in the biceps and shoulder. Ideally you should keep your palms together as you lift your arms, but if you can�t and your palms open, leaving just your fingers laced together, you�ll still get a decent stretch. If you can pull your arms fairly high, add a bend from the waist and let them fall toward the floor. Remember to keep your arms straight! This stretches the biceps and deltoid. |
| On to the next page! |