I want to first thank everyone for visiting this website, seeking advice, and leaving comments. You certainly aren’t alone in your journey to getting the splits down!
I want to take some time to address some of your questions that have been brought up in this post. Feel free to leave comments and ask more questions.
Some FAQs:
Am I stretching correctly if I feel pain?
Can you help me on cartwheels?
Do both your legs have to be straight?
I’m a freshman. What are tryouts like? Can freshman be on the drill team?
How do I maintain flexibility? I feel like after waking up, I’m just as inflexible as I was before I started stretching.
Is this post for all splits? Right, left, and center?
Is there a video to go with this post? Or pictures for each stretch?
Am I too old to start dancing?
What kind of stretches am I supposed to do in each session? Can I do all of them?
I’m not a dancer, but I want to do the splits. Is this site for me?
Are there other ways to warm up other than jogging?
How can I get my splits down even faster? Can tall people or guys do the splits?
feel like I’m not getting anywhere, and my legs are really painful from all the stretching. Is this program not for me?
Am I stretching correctly if I feel pain? No. If you feel that a stretch is painful, then you have gone too far (or haven’t warmed up enough). Back it up a little and try to take it step by step. You will get to your splits eventually, but not on day 1. Just be patient, and stretch to your limits (that is, to the point before you feel pain). Eventually, your limits will one day become the splits. It’s quite difficult to describe what a stretch feels like–if you’re having trouble with this, a great person to ask for help is a fitness instructor.
Can you help me on cartwheels? Sorry. In my drill experience, I’ve never seen anyone do cartwheels. Of course, drill is different from state to state, so if anyone could provide some good advice on this topic, I’d be happy to post it on the site and give you credit!
Do both your legs have to be straight? Generally, yes. However, some girls have a lot of difficulty straightening out their back leg. I’d say that if your legs are almost straight, then no one will notice any minor bending. A skirt can usually hide these little things.
I’m a freshman. What are tryouts like? Can freshman be on the drill team? Are they easier on you? I don’t have the answer to this question because all schools are different. This is a good question to ask your team’s coach or captain.
How do I maintain flexibility? I feel like after waking up, I’m just as inflexible as I was before I started stretching. This is a common problem, and it usually happens when either:
1. Your stretching session wasn’t long enough, or
2. You don’t stretch frequently enough
Try to lengthen your stretching sessions, or increasing the number of stretching sessions you have each day.
Is this post for all splits? Right, left, and center? Yes.
Is there a video to go with this post? Or pictures for each stretch? Unfortunately, no. However, if anyone would like to make a video of the stretches or post pictures, feel free to do so or email them to me. I could post these to help everyone else, and I will definitely give you credit.
Am I too old to start dancing? Absolutely not! Though it will probably be more difficult to get started when you get older, you can definitely start at any time.
What kind of stretches am I supposed to do in each session? Can I do all of them? This is up to you, but it’s important to pick a variety of stretches so that you are stretching different muscle areas. Doing all the stretches is fine.
I’m not a dancer, but I want to do the splits. Is this site for me? This site is for people who want to do the splits, but it’s mainly targeted to dancers. If you are looking to improve your flexibility, I think this is a fit for you. If you’re looking more towards leg training for martial arts, then this is probably not suited for you.
Are there other ways to warm up other than jogging? Yes! Whatever gets your muscles warm and makes you sweat is good, even if it’s jumping on a trampoline.
How can I get my splits down even faster? Splits take time, and 3 weeks is already quite a short time. I wouldn’t recommend trying to further accelerate this process.
Can tall people or guys do the splits? Usually, yes.
I feel like I’m not getting anywhere, and my legs are really painful from all the stretching. Is this program not for me? Not necessarily. If you are feeling painful from stretching, that’s not a good sign because it means you have strained your muscles. Thus, the reason you’re not getting anywhere is probably because you are stretching incorrectly. You may feel some soreness from stretching, but if you are feeling painful, try to ease back and not go so far. Be aware of your limits, and don’t go past them.
Ok, that’s it for now. To everyone who has gotten down to the splits: Congratulations! I’m proud of your commitment and dedication to your goal. To those of you still working on them: good luck and stay motivated.
Use the wiki page to keep me posted on your progress!
No tags
Stretch your splits in 3 weeks - Flexibility to the Max! - Drill Obsession.com | helping drill and dance teams perform at their best · July 17, 2008 at 11:03 pm
[...] EDIT on 7/17/2008: A FAQ section has been dedicated to this article. Enjoy. After reading this, here are some articles I definitely recommend you also read: [...]
Kristin · September 13, 2008 at 9:40 am
i try to increase my turn out but it hurts my hip joints. my teacher said turn out depends on how your leg bone fits into your hip socket. is there any way i can still get a better turn out?
Lauren · July 7, 2009 at 11:48 am
I do like 5 different kinds of streches, and i always warm up for about to mintutes, but not for every single stretch. After I do my 45 mintues of stretching after dinner, the bottom of my back starts hurting for maybe like 8 minutes. Am I stretching wrong?
Lauren · July 7, 2009 at 11:58 am
Should i warm up EVERY time I do a different stretch? I always warm up before I stretch though. Like first I do the 4 stretch, and then after i did that on each leg, i would do another stretch. After I was done with my stretches, the bottom of my back would hurt, am I stretching wrong? Or chould I warm up before each stretch i do? I am not sure which is better, stretching in the morning, or 30 minutes after I eat dinner. Because one time i use to stretch in the morning, but my musecles would be, like, not stretchy. I have tryed warming up for maybe 3 mintues, but my legs would be all stiff. I am also not sure if I sould split up the time, right now I am at 45 minutes, I am not sure if I should split it up during the day. So i dont know if i should do 15 minutes in the morning, 15 mintutes in the middle of the day, and 15 minutes after dinner. Would that mess me up a little bit, or should I just do it all at one time??
Bonnie · March 25, 2010 at 11:52 pm
Hi Lauren,
You should always warm up before stretching – I recommend warming up by doing 15 minutes of cardio and light warm ups for your back if you have trouble with that. Then doing your 30-40 minute drill sequence.
Here are some of my dance tips on splits and other dance topics:
http://dance25.com/?page_id=129
Thanks,
Bonnie
BABYHEAD · April 26, 2010 at 3:34 pm
i have tried and tried to do a split all my life but my legs just wont move to do it
Risa · June 25, 2010 at 7:11 pm
What if I miss a day for stretching for the splits? Is that okay? What if I just miss one ’session’ in a day?
jj · July 7, 2010 at 11:19 am
I got sick, and I missed a session for two daYs, and now when I trY, it seems a lot harder, even when I ease up. Is this just because I am still sick?
jj · July 11, 2010 at 1:13 pm
and to everYone having a problem with straightening out legs, do Your middle splits first, it helps.
Emy · August 8, 2010 at 9:56 pm
Hi! Thank you so much for this page, It’s such a great source of inspiration to see people actually getting results while I was always told I couldn’t stretch past the age of 10.
I have a question tough, how can I sit in the splits if I’m…3 ft off the ground?
Thank you so much!
jj · August 12, 2010 at 1:40 pm
i had to re-start a bit because I got sick again, but I am in week two, and nearlY there with mY left splits, still high with mY middle splits, and sort of half a foot off the ground with mY right ones. I think i would be closer with mY right ones, but before I got sick, i was stretching and I heard a little crack and then mY right leg hurt. not badlY, and I massaged it and stretched, and the pain was gone bY the next daY, but I can go as low in them as before. Oh well.