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Problems with the splits?
35 Comments · Posted by Drill Obsession in All Articles, Flexibility, Kicks, Practicing
Responses to comments are posted at the end of this article.
A lot of people have told me that they have one split but not the other, or are very close to their splits but just can’t get there. Also people have told me that they stretch all the time with no improvement.
If your splits are not improving, it may be because you are stretching incorrectly. Remember that you should warm up your muscles before you stretch. You should actually be warm and sweaty before you begin stretching. This requires at least a ten minute jog, if not more. Warming up is not just walking a lap or running a few yards. When you are warm, you can feel the stretch much better.
Remember also that you should be stretching consistently (stretch both legs, for instance, not just one side of your body). Touching your toe for two seconds is not stretching either. Feel the stretch, the longer the better. A couple of minutes per stretch is excellent.
Lastly, splits require flexibility in more than one area. Stretch everywhere, and make sure you sit in your splits (or as close as you can get to your splits) for a few minutes after stretching.
If you are still having problems, feel free to leave a comment and tell me about it.
Edit 1/18/07: My posts about stretching the splits are for all kinds of splits (center, side). All other types of splits (like splits in the air) are just like normal splits, except with leg strength added.
Edit 2/25/07: Kerry–for the splits, the back leg should be perfectly straight in the end. Don’t worry if you’re not there yet, it’s just a little extra stretching. Try to gently push that back leg straight. Another way is to try to sit up straighter because it pushes your pelvis down to the ground and sometimes straightens that back leg. If your front leg is close to the ground, then stretch until the end of the week to see what happens. If you’re still a bit off the ground, then try lenghthening your stretching sessions. Getting extra warm before stretching helps. The best stretch for getting your front leg down is to just go down as far as you can and hold it for a minute or two. Then do some other stretches, and try it again. Concentrate hard, and you will find yourself getting nearer to the splits. For tryouts, all teams are different. Usually, the majority of people who try out are freshmen. It works like this because people who are interested in drill try out when they are freshman, and if they make it then they’re on the team . . . if they don’t make it then they usually don’t try out again because they don’t think that they can make it. Anyway, they will not expect you to know everything. Anything that you need to know will be taught to you, and if it is not, you can always ask for help. Most of the people who have never done it before will make the team based on the fact that they have potential. They usually don’t judge your perfection, but they judge things like your determination, willingness to improve, listening skills, work ethic, and your ability to work with others. If they see someone who has no experience, isn’t perfect, but works hard, practices a lot, and wants to get better, that person will make the team.
Edit 5/13/2007: Rebecca–in my opinion, it is never “too late” to start. Making the drill team is largely about your commitment and dedication. It’s not about whether not you can do the splits; it’s about how badly you want to get the splits down, and how badly you want to learn drill. If you truly want to make the team, then your best bet is to demonstrate your commitment by stretching now and practicing hard during the try-out/audition process. If you need help with the splits, I’d recommend that you read this article: http://drillobsession.com/?p=93. In the meantime, good luck with making the team next year!
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Shell · December 3, 2006 at 10:05 am
hi guys,
great site and am starting the stretch exercises tomorrow (yes seriously) but was wondering whether you can tell me what type of splits these exercises were intent on delivering? Thanks
Problems with the splits? « Drill Obsession · February 21, 2007 at 12:04 pm
[...] Here is the link to this article on the new site: http://drillobsession.com/?p=105 [...]
kerry · February 25, 2007 at 10:33 am
does your back leg have to be perfectly straight when doing a side split and i cant get my front leg to go down all the way? i just entered my third week so will these problems stop by the end of it or am i not stretching right? one more question, if ur a freshman and uv never done it before then do they take it easier on u and not expect u to do every thing right at tryouts???im sorry for all the questions but i realy need to know!!!!!!!!!
Rebecca · May 13, 2007 at 3:01 pm
I have a question about whether or not its to late to start drill. I want to make the team next year but feel that i have started to late and wont make it. I cant do the splits, which is going to be hard to pull off in the next 6 months. Do you think its to late for me to learn drill?
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lash · June 30, 2007 at 4:00 am
im almost there to do the splits lol
Melanie · July 22, 2007 at 6:07 am
Hey, I found this site over Wikihow.com, and I’m glad that these helped me. Btw, I’m quite overweight and fat, and I feel scared when I’m about to go down into the straddle splits. Any tips or suggestions? I’ve stretched before doing them, but I still feel scared.
Become flexible, learn to stretch for splits… for dance and drill team - Drill Obsession » Blog Archive » Flexibility to the Max–Stretch your splits in 3 weeks! · July 22, 2007 at 11:04 am
[...] Problem With The Splits? [...]
charlotte · July 27, 2007 at 2:00 pm
whenever i do the splits for about two minutes, often my knee in the back starts shaking. also, sometimes when i am doing a lunge on one knee, i feel grinding in my knee joints. could me cartiladge (spelled wrong) be deteriating at such a young age?
Lindsey · August 26, 2007 at 3:19 pm
I’ve been taking dance classes since as long as I can remember and yet I just can not get my splits down. Sometimes after stretching for a long time my left split is about an inch off the ground. However the next day after stretching it’s about a foot off the ground. My right split on the other hand, no matter how much I stretch, it just does not improve (but it doesnt get any worse either) it remains about six inches off the ground. I thought that it might be because I don’t hold the split for a long enough time…. but if I hold it for over 60 seconds I start to get a pain in my knees which forces me to stop. Will I ever be able to get either of my splits or is my body just incapable?
Drill Obsession · August 26, 2007 at 5:57 pm
I think this is a great question to ask your dance instructor. They deal with many students and have probably encountered this issue.
Tessa · September 14, 2007 at 10:19 pm
Before I got my right split, every night before bed 3 times i held my right split for 30-60 seconds i got my right split with 3 days it worked amazingly for me! just dont forget to do lunges and such. My question though is I have some lower back problems and hip promblems from dance i go to a chiropractor who is makiing it better but do you have any excercises you could recomend to really stretch out your calfes and maybe another for my hamstrings without hurting my back? thanks this website has some awesome ideas i enjoy reading your suggestions.
Chayanne · November 20, 2007 at 6:46 pm
i was just wondering when u do the splits is your back foot(which is my right foot)facing the side or the ceiling
Whit · November 24, 2007 at 2:32 pm
but ive been trying for the longest to do a slip but it just doesnt work what to do and do your legs have to pop before you do a split cause i was told you have to do that so please help me give me some pointers. email me back please.
Thanks
WHit!!!
ANONUMOUS · April 29, 2008 at 6:44 pm
i try to do the splits, but it hurts and i dont know h0w long really it will take to get all the way down. i dont even know if i ever will. [im trying to do the middle splits] it hurts a bunch and i dont know if im doing them right. how long will it take me to get all the way down? i started doing the 30 minute streches for the 1st week, and next week i’ll do the 45 minutes and the next week i’ll do the 1 hour streches but is it garanteed to work?
ANONUMOUS · May 10, 2008 at 3:04 pm
i was stretches for about 45 minutes the other day and then i did the splits. I was holding it for about 30 seconds then i felt my calf muscle spazzing out. And then i had to limp around because i couldnt walk on it. I thought i pulled it but the day after it was perfectly fine. Now my calf muscle always like pulls/spazzes out sometime when i do the splits of am sleeping did i pull it?
Addie · May 24, 2008 at 6:59 pm
I read a lot of success stories in here so I wanna give it a try! Coz I really wanna get my splits and try for the cheer tryouts next year! So I’ll start today! I’ll post the result on the 15th of June! I’m not flexible at all you know! I can’t even reach my toes! Even if I reach it, it’ll only take a second and I’ll bounce back coz it hurt a lot! So if this program works for me, then it’ll just about do it on anybody! ok, expect a comment on the 15th of June or so….
Aussie · June 9, 2008 at 5:54 am
i can go low when i do the splits but the problem is that my back leg isn’t fully strightened unlike my front leg. advice?
Mo · June 14, 2008 at 10:28 pm
hi i have started stretching for the splits about 5 days ago but wenever i try to go down into the right or left splits i just cant get my body to go down what do i do to get my body to go down so i can stretch??
sugarfairy · July 18, 2008 at 9:11 am
i tried to follow the stretching routine as good as possible – as i’m stretching for almost 10 months now i started with 1 hour per day. today’s my day four and i can’t stretch anymore because my muscles are completely sore (though i did warm up as good as i could). should i take one day off to let the muscles recover a bit and then try again with more gentle stretches? i’m 10cm off the ground for about two months now and i don’t believe i could ever get that splits down.
vincent · October 30, 2008 at 12:15 am
i’ve been stretching for about a month now following this routine but i’ve gotten to a point to where it wont stretch anymore and i cant go any farther. i stretch almost every muscle in my legs also everyday. any advice for me please? thank you
Michael · January 23, 2009 at 2:49 am
Heyy, ive been stretching for a couple of months now (i started to slack off during the 3rd week) im nearly there, i just cant get onto the floor at all. can you please help me? im a guy btw.
Lorenza · February 6, 2009 at 7:38 am
I found your site on google and read a few of your other posts. Keep up the good work.
Linh · March 5, 2009 at 1:01 am
I have problems with my center and left front splits. The thing is I seem to have a very defined limit, meaning there is a particular muscle in my inner left thigh that is very resistant and not in the sense that it is not flexible, I’ve stretched it farther before. Rather, it feels like it’s perpetually pulled and sore and absolutely concrete. I think it is the gracilis muscle (or what the anatomy chart tells me). I’ve pulled this muscle many times before, but it’s been months since any injury but the pain is still very significant and severely inhibits those kinds of splits.
Is it really injured and is there anything I can do to heal it? Or is it simply that it’s extremely inflexible?
Akeshia · April 25, 2009 at 4:10 pm
I have been stretching everyday and i am getting closer to the floor in my splits, and since then I have been sore. I still stretch even though I am sore, but now it feels like i may have pulled something, do i stop? slow down? or keep going like i have been? Please help!!
kris · June 26, 2009 at 11:10 pm
I havent quite hit my splits yet, and every time i try to stretch into them further i get REALLY sore and i cant stretch them again for days. This really wastes my time because i really just want to get them down already, but i cant do that if i cant stretch. Do you have any tips on how to minimize or even maybe, completely eliminate soreness after stretching?( i make sure im all stretched out before i go to my splits, and i warm up too. )
Stephanie · June 30, 2009 at 7:17 pm
i been stretching for a while now maybe just a little more than 3 weeks are left splits are very very close to the floor but my right split isn’t quite there yet!is it ok that i keep stretching both legs but not as much on the right one so that way i can get the left splits perfectly and the back to working on the right splits and then maybe it’ll be easier??also is my knee supposed to hurt when i do my splits??i really want to get my splits down with both legs before class starts made it to the jv drill team of my high school and i hope that if i keep stretching i would get them all the way down in no time:)
Eric · July 3, 2009 at 4:40 pm
Hey i have until september to get my splits down and everytime i do a warm up (im usually doing a kicking drill for around 10-20 minutes) and when i stretch sideways my hips begin to cramp up and hurt. But this only happens when i do wall stretching (putting your leg on the wall or a table/chair/platform and stretching sideways). It doesn’t affect me when im doing floor stretching. Please can you tell me what i can do to stop the cramping?
Anonymous · November 1, 2009 at 1:37 pm
i still cant do the splits iv stretched iv waited until my muscle stopped contracting i looked at every website including this one but nothing work’s i know its not because in old because I’m only 13 i need to learn to do the splits so i can be a cheerleader i dont know why i cant learn to do it all my other friends can do it but for me it hurts waaaaaaaaaaay too much when i try to do it my legs feel like someones hitting it with a hammer whats wrong with me why cant i do it how can i do it and will it still hurt that much? please help me with this problem that’s really holding me back and frustrating me
Claire · November 15, 2009 at 9:08 am
How I got my split was I stretched real well and then I went into it and I went as far as I could go. Then when the muscles relaxed in the split I went all the way down then came up. I repeated this and then after a few days I had my split!
Tazi · January 17, 2010 at 9:08 pm
i am almost down to the floor at the splits where you have you legs out to the sides in line with like your ears but i cant get any further, ive looked up loads of sites with stretches and i have been doing them but i dont think it is working i need help
Tazi · January 17, 2010 at 9:10 pm
when you are doing those splits that i just talked about do i need to face my toes to the roof or out in front?????
adiola · March 1, 2010 at 9:09 pm
HEY I HAVE really LONG LEGS SO IS IT BETTER FOR ME TO DO LONG LUNGES AND WIDE STEPS WEN I JOG OR NO?
Rachel · May 3, 2010 at 3:46 pm
When I go down as far as I can in my splits on my left side my hip automatically starts to twist, how do I fix that?
Breanna Smith · July 16, 2010 at 9:20 pm
hey guys, i just have a couple quick questions. are your knees supposed to hurt while you do the splits? and is it normal to always have very, very tight hamstrings? they are always rock hard no matter how much i stretch them, and they are holding me back in flexibilty for dance. please give me some advice!!