STRETCHING And COOL DOWN – mUvmethod - 1 Is Your Warm Up Reducing Pain and Preventing Injury, or Causing It? Are your dancers experiencing chronic pain and soreness in their hamstrings, hips, backs, necks and shoulders? Every time they sit down do they quickly become tight, stiff and feel stuck? If so, you may need to examine your warm-ups, stretch routines and cool downs.
For more details on our products and services, please feel free to visit us at Yoga for athletes, Dance teacher training & Dance conditioning Much of the stretching being carried out by dancers has been handed down from teacher to student, and it isn't necessarily up to date with the information we know these days. Nor is it up to date with the amount of hours dancers are putting in each week. Dancers are being pushed at an accelerated rate with vigorous training and higher demands. The way in which you warm them up and cool them down may need to be adjusted to meet these demands. Before a dance class (or any workout session!), it’s important to take some time to give your body a proper warm up. An effective warm up should consist of a series of activities designed to gradually increase your heart rate and blood flow to muscles. Two main reasons for warming up are to reduce the risk of injury and to prepare the body for the activities to come. Your Stretch Routine or Cool Down should be done at the end of class when the muscles are warm and the dancers don’t need to be prepared for quick and dynamic movement HOW TO STRUCTURE YOUR WARM UP, STRETCHING and COOL DOWN Designing an efficient and effective warm-up, stretch routine and cool down can be a challenge! It is important to understand that they are different things designed for specific results. A detailed understanding of anatomy and physiology is necessary to create the right sequences and routines for you and your students. Without the knowledge you may be increasing your dancers chance of injury and creating chronic pain in their bodies. An efficient warm- up consists of several elements: ● A “Warm – Up” Phase ● A Dynamic Phase ● An Active Phase The warm-up phase should last 2 – 4 minutes and consist of gentle movements designed to “get the kinks out”. It should bring mobility to the joints and feel good. Examples Include: ● Supine Spinal Twists
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