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Splits in 3 weeks: FAQs

Drill Obsession — Fri, 18 Jul 2008 04:54:06 +0000

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!

Ways to Improve Your Flexibility

Drill Obsession — Fri, 24 Aug 2007 01:04:03 +0000

You can always improve your flexibility. But sometimes you just donâ€™t know how!

I didnâ€™t explain actual stretches to you in how to become more flexible. So, here are some stretches that might work for you:

The Simple Stretches
Thatâ€™s right. Just the normal old v-sit will help a lot! You just need to focus when you stretch. If you truly want to be more flexible, then work on being more flexible. Stretch and think of stretching that extra inch as your goal. You wonâ€™t become flexible if you donâ€™t genuinely want it. Stretching requires focus.

The Split
Sit in your splits for a minute or two and feel the stretch. If you donâ€™t feel any stretch, elevate one leg on a stair, step, or phonebook. You can also try to split against a doorway. Hold the sides of the wall to keep your balance.
On the other hand, if you cannot do the splits, then go as close as you can and stay in this position for at least a minute. Donâ€™t estimate, either. Use a clock, or else you might think itâ€™s been one minute when itâ€™s only been 20 seconds. Pain impairs your estimation!

Spread Eagle
There are a lot of names for this one. Basically, sit in a v-sit near a wall. Spread your legs out as far as possible and pull yourself into the wall as far as you can. This helps a lot in doing the middle splits.

Stretch with a Friend!
Thereâ€™s lots of stretches you can do with a partner! Lay on your backâ€“legs straight; point both toes. Have a partner elevate one leg as far to your nose as possible. Try resisting your partnerâ€™s push for ten seconds, relaxing and pulling your leg in for ten seconds, resisting, etc. You can also do this by yourself by simply pulling your own leg in.
Hereâ€™s another one. Place your leg on a friendâ€™s shoulder (be careful!). If that is too high for you, tell your partner to lower it. Your partner can then hold your leg and raise it up as you get used to the stretch. You should lean on a wall so you donâ€™t lose your balance!

These stretches all work, but the best way to stretch is to use a mixture of everything. Stretch every muscle in your body.
The most important thing to know when stretching is to focus. You canâ€™t just stretch without focusing and expect to become more flexible. When you stretch, think about stretching and nothing else. This focus is really what is going to help you.

Comment and tell me if this helps!

Flexi-tize and strengthen those legs!

Drill Obsession — Fri, 24 Aug 2007 00:59:14 +0000

Since my post about stretching splits in three weeks has been so popular, Iâ€™m writing a follow-up.

Thanks to everyone who read the article and started getting those splits down! Iâ€™m very happy for all of you, and glad that you already have the splits. Thank you for everyone who commented, also. See, three weeks wasnâ€™t so long after all!

If you donâ€™t have the splits already, you should read the article posted above and work on them! Trust me, three weeks will zip by.

This article is mainly about how you can further improve your leg flexiblityâ€“get those kicks high, split when youâ€™re in the air, hold your leg to your nose, whatever it is, you can do it!

Flexibility is just step one to getting high kicks. Leg strength comes next. So many people have perfect splits, but low kicks. It doesnâ€™t make sense, but when you think about it, youâ€™re using different muscles and need strength.

For kick flexibility, stretch your splits vertically on a wall (doorways make it easiest for balance). This is your kick position, so it will help most.

For kick strength, keep kicking! Donâ€™t kill yourself, but practice some good kicks everyday. Iâ€™d recommend three sets a day of two eight-counts of high kicks (bounce, kick, bounce, etc.), meaning eight kicks each set (donâ€™t worry too much about staying in line, but do keep it in mindâ€“at this moment, just worry about getting your kicks up). Running also strengthens those leg muscles, so a short jog a day will really help. Encourage your team to jog daily (for at least ten minutes) to warm up. Of course, jogging right after school doesnâ€™t seem too enticing, but after a few minutes, it feels really nice. Building muslces in your thigh help keep your kicks high. Combining all your leg muscles help keep your legs straight.

Remember, remember, remember: do not hunch into your kicks. Sometimes when you bring your body into your kick it feels like itâ€™s higher because your face is closer to your knee, but it gives you bad posture and does not elevate your kicks.

Iâ€™ve heard that stretching in the pool or in a warm bath might help, but Iâ€™ve never tried this myself. If youâ€™re interested, you could try it out (tell me how it goes!).

This is just a general article about leg strength. If you are truly interested, I will be posting a follow-up to this one including a specific schedule/strengthening routine that you can use to help you out.

4 Reasons Why You Should Join the Forum

Drill Obsession — Sat, 07 Jul 2007 06:06:25 +0000

I recently launched a forum on this site. I feel that the blog and forum combination creates a site where you can come to read and learn and then further the discussion and start new discussions. Here are 4 reasons why you should join the forum.

Meet others who share your passion for dance and creativity. Everyone who comes here is passionate about dance and the arts. We are excited about performance, competition, and self-improvement. This online energy needs a place where everyone can interact and further enjoyment, discovery, and learning in dance.

Give and receive advice from others.

Talk about regional events.

Talk about topics not already written about on this site. I’m sure there are a lot of questions out there and a whole lot more ideas and answers.

Click here to join.

Choosing successful team members

Drill Obsession — Mon, 02 Jul 2007 00:00:34 +0000

Promote. The first step in choosing great team members is to get a lot of people to tryout so that you have a variety of people to choose from. Find ways to promote the team and show people that tryout season is coming up at least a few weeks beforehand so that people can make plans to attend practices. Here are some ways that you can promote the team.

1) Make nice posters around your school to show people that tryouts are coming up soon.

2) Put in announcements. Many schools have announcements or a daily bulletin. Somehow convey the information across the school so that people know.

3) Participate in school events to gain recognition. It helps to announce immediately after a pep assembly performance that tryouts are coming up; leave a signup sheet in various places of your school so that you have peopleâ€™s names and phone numbers. You can then contact them with more information.

4) Tell all current team members to find five new people to try out for the team.

5) Pretty much anything else you can think of will work! Leave comments if you have suggestions.

Examine willingness to learn. There is a lot to learn once someone makes the team. Examine how willing someone is to learn all this material.

Examine work ethic. In addition to being willing to learn, people must be willing to practice. You must examine how hard a person works and how much they will practice. You can make notes of how people are improving from day to day of the tryout process. Those who practiced the most will be noticeably better than those who did not practice at all.

Examine potential. Itâ€™s not necessarily about how good the person is during tryouts; in fact, itâ€™s about how good a person can be once competition/performance season arrives. Thus, it is important to examine how â€œgoodâ€ a person will be by this time.

Examine flexibility. Many teams will examine how flexible people are at the time of tryouts (for example, if they are able to do the splits or not). I donâ€™t think that this is absolutely necessary because flexibility can be developed if a person has a good work ethic, stretches a lot, and practices frequently.

Things to consider beforehand

Team size. How big do you want your team to be? There are advantages to having a small, medium, or large team.

Team type. Many teams will change what type of dance they are performing. For instance, a drill team may switch to becoming a pom team or visa versa. You must consider this before the tryout process.

Team cost. Potential team members must know how much it will cost to be on the team, in terms of time and money. They will need to know the commitment that needs to be made. At least have an estimate on how much team uniforms will cost as they are not cheap.

Suggestions.

Have a parent meeting. Let parents know what their children are doing. Most parents will be paying for uniforms, so be ready to tell them what the financial cost is.

Make it easy to get to the tryout process. This doesnâ€™t mean that making the team should be easy. It means that if a person wants to try out, all she needs to do is fill out a few forms. If you add too much paperwork, less people will be willing to try out. Who wants to fill out lots of paperwork without knowing for certain that they will make the team?

What do you do when it’s over?

Drill Obsession — Sun, 24 Jun 2007 03:33:12 +0000

The school drill & dance season is over. For some states, it ends around March or April. So, what are you supposed to do until June (when school gets out)? What do you do in the summer? If you currently just sit there and wait until next year, I have some suggestions.

Do tryouts/auditions before the school year ends. This knocks out a few weeks between March and September. It also gives you a chance to get to know the new team for awhile instead of waiting until September.

Practice with the new team. Obviously, you’ll have to do tryouts before you have a new team to practice with. Summer practices are generally easy, fun, and not required; however, they are encouraged and most people will go to them because they still have that new excitement that they’ve made the dance team.

Work on a routine. Do you ever get stressed out because you don’t have enough time to make up the routine? Do you frequently run into trouble while making the routine? Well, start working early so you don’t run into stress! At least pick music and have some basic formations and moves. That should take some time.

Relax. Yes, you should work, but relax as well. After a year of hard work, you deserve some rest. Generally, you should leave about 2 weeks after state as free time. It should be like other sports, where there are a few weeks in-between seasons for people to take a break. During the summer, practice frequently, but don’t make people burn out. Two practices a week or less should be good, but make these practices worthy. Teach the dance techniques so that everyone will have a basic foundation down.

Remember to have a fun summer!

New forum for drillobsession.com

Drill Obsession — Thu, 21 Jun 2007 01:57:33 +0000

I have added a forum/message board to the site. Feel free to register for an account and talk to other dancers or anyone interested in dance. Everyone is welcome.

The forum is meant to be a place for asking questions and receiving responses; however, you can add comments and talk about pretty much whatever you want. Have fun & enjoy.

Click here to register for an account

Creating a new routine

Drill Obsession — Fri, 25 May 2007 07:46:56 +0000

Need help with choreography? Feeling thoughtless as to what moves you want to put in your routine?
Whether it’s hip-hop or lyrical, every kind of dance needs choreography. The hardest part of choreographing a dance is getting started.

It’s OK to feel lost when you start creating a new routine. Here are some methods and tips to get you started.

STEP ONE
Listen to the music. An important part of choreography is making sure the moves match the song. Listen to the music several times and imagine what you could be doing. In a way, you’re seeing what the music “tells” you to do. It’s hard to understand the concept if you don’t try it yourself. Turn on the music, and let your imagination flow. Write down any ideas you get. If it’s hard for you to put the dance in your head, stand up and do the moves. It might also be helpful to listen to the song, maintain the mood of the song in your head, and then try to think of moves. This way, you can ensure that the mood of your choreography matches the mood of the song. Keeping the mood of the song consistent to that of the dance is important for engaging the audience.
Don’t stress over “bad” ideas. Generate ideas and don’t worry about whether they’re good or bad, at least not now. Write down a list of moves that you like. You can eliminate any ideas that you don’t like later.

Ok, so now you have a list of ideas. Step one is complete. Now your job is to choose which ideas you want to use. Things to consider:

STEP TWO
Reality test. All the moves you want to put in your routine have to be possible. A risky move is different than an impossible one. If you know that you or your team will not be able to stand on your heads by the time the performance season comes, then take away the idea. On the other hand, if you think that doing something risky/difficult is possible, then I’d say to go ahead and work hard to achieve that goal. Moves that are “risky” can often be perfected if they are practiced enough.

Eliminate ideas that you don’t like so much. Listen to the music and go down your list of ideas. Cross out the ones that seem unfit for the music or that you might not like anymore. The rest of the ideas will go into the routine.

Not enough ideas for your routine? Repeat step one: listen again and create more ideas. Do it now and don’t procrastinate!

After step two, you should have a list of ideas/moves that you want into your routine. Now your job is to organize these ideas.

STEP THREE

Create counts for each move. If, for instance, you do decide to stand on your head during your dance, then you need to see how many counts it would take. Again, it is a good idea to do a “reality check” with this. Actually try the move and see if you can finish it by the count specified. If not, feel free to change things now since the routine is not yet set in stone. You don’t want to give too much or too little time to do a move. Make sure it’s just right. Definitely focus hard on this because if for some reason, you did not give yourself enough time/counts to do something, you may have to make adjustments that may change the entire routine. That would be adding unnecessary stress to your life.
Create smooth transitions from one idea to the next. Be creative! It might help to listen to the music as you choreograph the transitions.
Write/type the routine. This will help you memorize the routine. Nothing’s worse than creating a dance and not being able to remember what you put in it! Writing things down also makes you feel more organized and confident about what you’re doing. If you dance with a team, it helps to give each member a handout of the moves so that they can practice at home and just look back at the handout if they forget anything.

You’re done!

You’ve finished the basic part of the dance, which is the choreography. Now your task is to work on how to best perform the routine so that it generates an appropriate response on the audience. I will write an article about this next week. Keep dancing!

How to create stunning formations

Drill Obsession — Sat, 05 May 2007 16:24:31 +0000

When it comes to formations, many teams like to keep it safe. The typical, easy formations are usually boring lines and boxes. Although it’s easier to make these formations perfect, it is dull and unappealing to the audience.

Audiences like to see teams take risks. That includes using new and interesting formations. Go ahead, brainstorm. Here are some tips for formations:

Find something that takes up the entire floor. If you are performing in a gym, utilize the entire space. Although it is good to stay tight and close together, move away from each other every once in awhile. It creates contrast and makes the performance more interesting.

Don’t play it safe. The easy formations may look nice, but aren’t very impressive. Take a risk by doing something new. Instead of a box formation, try something with harder with curves. Of course, if I offered any suggestions, then the formations wouldn’t be unique to you. Try to make formations that express your team, the music, and the dance. Spend some time drawing formations on paper.

Make formations mathematically workable. Before you start working on a formation, make sure it’s possible to even do it. Work out the spacing in between people beforehand. Once you begin working with the team, there should be little confusion. Making formations “mathematically workable” means that no rules of geometry are violated. This may sound ridiculous, but I have had this problem once. The formation was supposed to be four lines, forming a square. Someone decided that the spacing between people horizontally, vertically, and diagonally should be an arm span. As you could predict, the diagonal spacing was in fact not supposed to be the same as the horizontal and vertical spacings. This is one example of violating Pythagoras’s Theorem.
Let everyone contribute. Tell all the team members to draw their own formations. You might get some great ideas!
Watch and learn. If you are thoughtless on what formations to create, watch another team and look at the formations. Don’t steal a formation, but modify it and make if your own.

Most importantly, be creative and take some risks.

How to improve your kicks

Drill Obsession — Sat, 28 Apr 2007 05:53:13 +0000

A reader has requested that I create a routine for kicks similar to the one I created for the splits. So here it is . . .

As I said for the splits, it’s important that you follow the routine so that you can get the kicks that you want in the time that you want. This will take three weeks of strong commitment and dedication. Good luck!

Read the bottom (*) for information about getting high kicks.

To start off . . . See how flexible you are. If you can do the splits or are very close, that’s great! If not, that’s fine, too. Just make sure you are simultaneously developing your kicks and flexibility (see this post for lots of helpful stretches and a good, 3-week stretching routine).
Week 1: At first, practice kicking without music and without counts for twenty minutes each day, twice a day (including weekends!). It is important to do this twice a day because the skill can be easily lost. Doing it several times is a way of drilling into your mind all of the correct things that you need to be doing–this ensures that you will do it right when you are performing. The purpose of this is to see and feel what a kick is supposed to look like. If you can, tell someone to watch you, record yourself with a video camera, or do it in the mirror. Watch yourself both from the front and from the side. Here are the things that you want to accomplish at this primary step:
Good posture: keep your body stiff, shoulders rolled back and down. Arch your back. This is not an easy step, but it is a very important one.
Straight legs: legs should never be bent in a kick unless specified. Both legs should be straight when kicking. Most teams use one preparation bounce before starting their first kick. Remember to keep your legs as straight as possible during this bounce and use your feet (rather than your knees) to propel yourself.
Staying in one spot: Practice staying in one spot (unless, of course, you are supposed to move while kicking). Personally, I think this is the most difficult step. When kicking, it is so natural to stray from where you started; however, in a routine, this will mess up the formations and kick lines will become jagged or diagonal. This is one of those things that require lots of practice. Tip: stick a piece of masking tape to the floor and use it as your starting point. Be careful, however . . . if at the end, you end up at the same spot, it does not necessarily mean that you haven’t moved. This is why it’s helpful to videotape yourself or tell someone to watch you. Some people have a tendency to kick out of place and then pop back into the place where they started at the last kick.
Technique: Straight legs is part of the technique. For a front kick, kick to the middle towards your nose (rather than straight up towards your shoulder). Also, side kicks should be at a 45Âº angle from a front kick. The round kick (also called fan kick) is a little tricky. The kick should go in an entire circle (not just straight up and around, forming a “D” shape). Technique, like everything else, takes practice.
Adhering to team style: Several other details may be unique to your team. Some teams have their own “special” kicks and other teams may have certain ways to do certain kicks. Dance is about unison, so remember to ensure that you are practicing the technique from your team. The above details (ex: good posture) are universal and applicable to all teams.
Just a tip . . . Try to kick on the floor. Lay down on your back with good posture–your back should be arched so that the middle of your back is not touching the floor. Now practice your kick technique.
GOAL: Be able to do kicks properly. This week, do not worry so much about kicking in time or kicking up to beat with the music. Develop proper technique. While in the first week, you should be building leg strength from all the practice. Remember to work on your flexibility (for high kicks) by stretching daily.

Aaaah, one third of the way through! Now just two weeks to go. Stay motivated!

Week 2: So you’ve developed the proper technique. Now it’s time to start putting things together. You should practice 30 minutes a day at the least. Here are some 2nd-week things to work on and accomplish:
Kicking in time: now is the time to count out your kicks. Build onto the technique you’ve developed in week 1. Create a kicking routine or use the kicking sequence that is in the routine you are performing with your team. You should have technique already perfect from week 1. The goal now is to put that technique in time. It is a lot to think about, and like I said, it takes practice. Count slowly if you need to.
Sharpness: this is a secondary step of kicking in time. A high kick should be popped up and back down with sharpness. This requires leg strength, which is developed through practice.

Week 3: Now is the time to put the kicks to music. You should have technique, sharpness, and timing down. Now it is a matter of getting everything up to beat. Again, practice 30+ minutes a day is key.

Results for this vary depending on your level of motivation and the amount that you practice. The less motivated put less into their practice and get less accomplished. Become motivated and utilize all your practice time efficiently. Work hard and strive for the kicks that you want. Practice as much as possible and keep in mind the little details and technique because they make a big difference in the effect that you give the audience.

*Reminder: High kicks come from practice and developing your flexibility. Getting high kicks is great, but the technique (posture, sharpness) is much more important. It is easier to work at building higher kicks after you make them “better” by developing the technique. Once you’ve developed the technique, more stretching (to develop flexibility) and more practice (to build leg strength) will contribute to higher kicks.

Good luck and tell me about your results!