Preparing for my interview...

As it was the first week back I have recently been looking into more professional sources to gather more information on my topic of inquiry, I have been looking into warm-ups, cool-downs and how to improve flexibility. I had been looking at these 3 things separately for a while, but only recently I have started to look at them as a whole and should they be used together, or not?
As most people are aware of you should only stretch when a body is fully warmed up and prepared for stretching which is 'common sense' for a dance teacher but looking into this more I have come across many different opinions on this topic, some sources think certain stretches should be involved in a warm-up and others say stretching is not necessarily during a warm-up and if anything only causes injuries rather than preventing them! I want to look into this more, and I have added questions to my interview which focus's on this more.

IADMS

IADMS- International Association of Dance Medicine and Science

I have recently been reading a resource paper: ‘Stretching for Dancers’ by Brenda Critchfield. This was published by IADMS in 2011. I have also looked through the references use to this piece and found she had used quotes and information from ‘Essential of Strength Training and Conditioning-3^rd Edition’ by Thomas Baechle, and I really enjoyed his book. Here is the link https://www.iadms.org/?353 

Flexibility versus Range of Motion (ROM)

Range of motion is the degree of movement in a moving joint. Depending on the structure of the joint and what type of movement is necessary. The human body has many different joints and this provides us with stability and structure, joints let us achieve everyday movements. There are many different factors that can affect the range of motion in a joint such as; biomechanical and physiological factors, the shape of the bones involved is a very big factor too, the connective tissues (joint capsule and ligaments) all these factors stabilize and can also restrict a joint, but this helps us stretch to a safe range. Range of motion can also be shortened down to ROM.

Understanding flexibility as a dancer is very important, I like this resource paper as it focuses on the science behind it, my other professional sources have also looked into this but IADMS is dedicated to improving dancers health. The soft tissue structures gives a dancers the ability to stretch and improve their flexibility. Muscles, tendons and connective tissue helps us smoothly move through our personal range of motion ROM. Dynamic and static flexibility are the two components you can split flexibility into. Dynamic stretching is the active range of motion (ROM) we contract the muscles which gives the body ability to move a particular joint. For example a grand battement, pushing off the floor and contracting the muscle for the height of the grand battement. Static stretching on the other hand is passive stretching and the muscles do not contract while using the range of motion ROM. An example of static flexibility would be uses a hand to pull the passive leg further than a dynamic stretch. Both dynamic and static stretches are important but dancers and teachers should be aware that static stretches and injuries as your pulling and helping your muscles to stretch.

Type of Stretching

There are many different techniques to stretching; such as dynamic, ballistic, static and proprioceptive neuromuscular facilitation (PNF) and each technique has advantages and disadvantages which we should be aware of. Also prolonged stretches should be avoided. Prolonged stretches elongate ligaments and joint capsules which should help dancer’s stability. This type of stretch can lead to loss of stability and serious injuries. I do not think many teachers use this technique as you have to hold the stretch for 20 minutes or longer and having that time spare during class is very rare.

Here is a table I found on this article which I found interesting:

Stretching Technique	Advantages	Disadvantages
Ballistic Stretch- A brief, bouncing, swinging stretch.	Useful tool for coordination	High risk of injury
Dynamic Stretch- Controlled, dance-like movements that prepare the body for activity.	Improves coordination without risk of injury.	Not as effective as static stretch in producing long-term gains in flexibility.
Static Stretch- Held for 30 seconds.	Useful in maintaining flexibility.	Needs to be regular to produce long-term gains in flexibility.
PNF (Proprioceptive Neuromuscular Facilitation)	Effective in producing long-term flexibility over time.	Needs professional guidance to avoid risk of injury.

As you can see from this table they are useful when you want to increase the range of motion (ROM) but some of them are better than others, and the most effective techniques are the ones with high risk of injury. Many sources have researched into these techniques to find which ones have shirt term or long term gains, dancers should try out all types with an experienced teacher and see which technique suits their physique more.

When to Stretch

A mistake many dancers make is the differences between warming up and stretching, they are not the same thing. The aim for a good warm up is the body temperature should increase this means the core and muscle tissues should increase in temperature too, you should see slight sweat appearing on the skin but not too much. The focus of the warm-up is not to increase a dancer’s flexibility, it is a much better time to stretch at the end of class or rehearsal when a dancer’s body have been exercised and active for 1-2 hours. When a body is at normal body temperature and you apply a small amount of pressure on a stretch, connective tissues are warm and they can lengthen more effectively it can be 4 times more effective than a bigger amount of force. Most dancers want to improve their flexibility and you want the effect to be long-term, for long-term effects tissue length can last up to twice as long if it’s a low-load stretch and the tissues are warm, on the other hand stretching when muscle tissues are at a higher temperature there is a less of a risk on injuries. One technique of stretching is holding a stretch while cooling down, this also gives a greater increase in tissue length.

Before a demanding class, rehearsal or a performance it is best not to perform major stretches as it has been proven to have an effect on strength, power, endurance, balance, and grip strength, sprint time, jumping height, reaction time and movement time. You need all of these skills during a dance class, rehearsal and especially a performance. Dancers will especially find the fact that the magnitude of jumping deficit is 5-30% this also has an impact on ankle plantar-flexion strength and will decrease (25% on average will decrease after a 30 minutes stretch.)

The conclusion to this piece is during a warm-up you should keep stretches brief and only hold for about 10-15 seconds, no longer then there is an unlikely risk of performance problems. When a dancer is aiming to increase their flexibility it is best to save major stretches until the end of class and should practice this regularly at least up to 6 weeks probably more until the dancer can see a change occur to their flexibility. Research in this area is always evolving and it is always good to keep up to date with new evidence or sources.  

Benefits of Stretching During Warm-Ups

Experts Debate Benefits of Stretching During Warm-Ups

Published by Human Kinetics 2008, this is an excerpt from ‘Essentials of Strength Training and Conditioning, 3^rd Edition’ by Thomas Baechle.

During a warm-up, most teachers prefer to use the static stretch technique when it comes to stretching at the beginning section of class, we do this in hope of enhancing the dancer’s performance and reducing the risk of injuries. More recently there are more reviews of literature that question static stretching in this practice and there is very little evidence that stretching pre or post-participation can prevent injuries and even muscle soreness. Depending which sport you are warming up for, it can increase the range of motion for gymnastics or dancing but it can also compromise muscle performance. Teachers especially, need to analysis the benefits and risks when choosing weather or not to include static stretching as a section in the warm-up, it is more important to focus on strength and conditioning professional performance rather than risking static stretching.

Some studies have been shown that if you perform static stretching during a warm-up it can lead to a decrease in force production, power performance, running speed, reaction and movement time, and strength endurance, after reading this I could connect to this piece as I teach a stretch class on a Saturday afternoon and the students that stay for ballet afterwards lose a certain aspect of speed I normally put this down to being tired at the end of a long day but it could be an effect from the stretch class, I find their allegro and beats tend to have less control and they ‘throw’ themselves around rather than staying in control of their body. This article then goes on to say PNF stretching and ballistic stretching have also been shown to have a damaging effect to a dancer’s performance.

On the other hand dynamic stretching could be an alternative compared to static, PNF and ballistic stretching. Teachers and students need to question and look into the advantages and disadvantages of stretching during a warm-up. There is evidence that dynamic stretching can improve subsequent running performance so this could be an alternative option when performing stretches in a warm-up.

Obviously there are different amounts of stretching required for a warm up and this depends on what type of sports the body is preparing for. Dancing, gymnastics and diving need more stretching compared to jogging or cycling. Teachers need to design a warm-up based on what they are teaching and only choose certain exercises that are appropriate in their class.

A warm-up should start with a period of time performing constant slow activity for about 5-10 minutes. This section of the warm-up is to increase the body temperature, increase the heart rate, blood flow, deep muscles temperature, respiration rate and perspiration and to decrease viscosity of joint fluids. The second section is certain exercises in the style of the class you are teaching and 8-12 minutes of dynamic stretching focusing on the range of muscles you will be using during the class. A warm-up should progress gradually, the core temperature should rise but without your students feeling tired.

I think teachers should be aware of all studies and reading this article has made me more aware of many different opinions compared to other sources of literature I have read, I want to find more sources like this one; debates, discussions and arguing their opinions across.

Methods of Stretching

Dance UK information sheet. Warming Up and Cooling Down. By Helen Laws, Caroline and Matthew Wyon.

Static Stretch-
Static stretching is a very popular stretch and is one of the safest methods of stretching, static stretching can also be very popular for dancers recovering from an injury. Current research has been aimed towards static stretching, and it is not proven to prevent an injury but is an essential part of cooling down. This includes all types of stretching methods, all muscles should be warm before starting to stretch, so cooling down is a perfect time for deeper range stretches.
With static stretches you need to place yourself or a student into the correct position, gently move (not push) deeper into the stretch, the dancer should feel the stretch but it should not be causing pain. You then breathe slowly and evenly while holding the stretch for 30+ seconds during a cool down. If you are stretching during a warm up you should hold it for 10 seconds just for the muscles to relieve stiffness.
With static stretches if the dancer or dancers are completely warm you can then release for holding the stretch but then return to the same position and hold it again.

PNF Stretch-
This type of stretch is aimed to improve your flexibility and should only be carried out when dancers are fully warm. PNF stretching is a popular name for this stretching method but it stands for 'proprioceptive neuromuscular facilitation' the small sensors that identify muscle tension (proprioceptors) are used to achieve maximum elongation of the muscles without initiating the stretch reflex.
PNF stretching works in the way of finding a position that you can feel the stretch and again the dance should not be feeling pain. After holding the stretch for 10 seconds you apply resistance to the chosen muscle for 10 seconds, this stretch is often used when in partners. After 10 second you relax the muscle and gently increase the stretch to the point of feeling the stretch, not pain. Try and repeat this another 2 times.

Plate 17. Anatomy and Kinesiology for Ballet Teachers. By Eivind Thomasen and Rachel-Anne Rist (1996) PNF stretching technique, a partner assisting with a hamstring stretch.

Dynamic Stretch-
Dynamic stretching is often used during an effective warm-up, this type of stretching involves moving a muscle or joint through its full range, I slightly disagree with this part, as I believe full range stretches should be performed nearer the end of the class when the body is completely warm and supply, a cool down is perfect for full range stretching. But anyhow dynamic stretching is full range movement in a slow and controlled manner, you should not hold this stretch but continuously keep moving.

For example: if you wanted to stretch the hamstring muscles, you could use a slow grand battement, extending the leg devant, side and derriere. I believe less and less teachers are using this technique to stretch, after more research on different types of stretching most teachers know not to use full range stretches during a warm-up or the beginning of class.

 

Ballistic Stretch-
This type of stretching is similar to dynamic stretching, the only difference between these two is ballistic stretching is bouncing in a stretch, this means the speed of starching is fast and can be forceful. This type of stretching is rarely used, I can not say I use this type of stretching in my classes, you need to be sure all students are completely warm, warm enough for jumps, leaps and energetic movements otherwise this will lead to injuries and harming you or your students.
I think this type of stretch is becoming less and less popular. I think this is a dated technique which was very popular but after more research I believe there are better methods to stretch.
This type of method would be finding a full range stretch and bouncing or swinging at a fast speed, normally with your body weight pushing down to deepen the stretch.

Anatomy and Kinesiology for Ballet Teachers

This professional source has helped me a lot! 'Anatomy and Kinesiology for Ballet Teachers' written by Eivind Thomasen and Rachel-Anne Rist in 1996 (published by Dance Book Ltd.) Recently I have re-read section 3: The Dancer in Action I found the beneficial stretching, warming up and warming down, breathing and balance sections (found in contents) really helped me in my topic of interest. It has also lead me to research more into stretching and flexibility. Stretching was already a big part to my topic of warming up and cooling down, but researching into factor that affect flexibility and how a child's body develops and becomes less flexible around the age of 10 or 11 (dancers may improve their flexibility throughout adolescence.) After warming your body up dancers tend to perform mid range stretches and save full range during the cool down when the body is completely warm but I want to research more into this.

I trained at Tring Park School for the Performing Arts and during my time at this school the Director of Dance was Rachel-Anne Rist. She was one of my many ballet teachers and I also took dance A 'level and again Rachel-Anne Rist was one of my teachers on this subject. This was one of our books we revised for our exams so we spent many classes reading through and taking notes. Having one of the authors of this book teach and train me at college and having the opportunity to study this book together has really helped me and motivated me. I have also seen Rachel-Anne Rist name when reading 'ISTD Foundation in Dance Instruction' in the acknowledgements they thank ISTD staff for their contributions.

ISTD Warm-up

ISTD Warm up

I have recently been reading a source written by Hazel Fish MSc BSc(Hons) CertEd(PCET) MCSP SRP AISTD DipHSW and it has been posted on the formal ISTD website, but was first published for DANCE magazine, Summer 2002.

Why should we warm-up?

The majority of dancers that injure themselves when dancing is normally the case of not warming up correctly or not warming up at all, your body needs to be prepared and your mind needs to be focus which is why we need to warm-up, I know some injuries are unavoidable and this is not always the case. From a young age of being at school during PE lessons and elite athletes both know it is important to warm-up before exercising, this is what makes your exercise programme successful, and prevents injuries.

A large amouth of dance teachers and students do not understand what a successful warm-up should consist of, especially in ballet. Most ballet lessons start at the barre with plies, tendus, rond de jambe and so on, but your body should already be warmed up before any set exercise take place in the studio, this will ensure all students are prepared for class and the least likely chance of any injuries.

A good warm-up is a handful of exercises performed at the beginning of class, a dancers body needs to be fully warmed up before any activities. A warm-up is designed to improve performance standards, focus the mind mentally, and reduce any chance of injuries.

A warm-up should benefit a dancer a number of ways such as:

·         Increased elasticity of the muscle/tendon unit

After performing a good warm-up a dancers should feel greater flexibility in their joints, which reduces the risk of any injuries. Muscle elasticity depends on blood saturation, so when the muscles are cold (before a warm-up) with low blood saturation the muscles are much more vulnerable to damage. Your muscles are very alike a blog of Blu-tack, when Blu-tack is cold it snaps apart easily, but if the Blu-tack is warm it is able to stretch much more, this is how our muscles work too. During a warm-up all the warm blood travels through your muscles warming the muscle fibres to make them more elastic.

 

·         Breathing becomes faster and deeper

This allows the dancer to breath in deeper breath of oxygen and breath out carbon dioxide.

·         A rise in the heart rate

Oxygen and glucose travel to your muscles for energy production.

·         A rise in the internal body temperature

In our skin we have capillaries which open up when we start warming up, the dancer will begin to sweat.

·         More efficient transmission of signals along motor nerves

Muscles to contract smoother and react quicker, even our muscles have to coordinate with each other.

·         Improved proprioception

Proprioception is the body’s ability to sense movement within joints and feel a certain position, this enables a dancer to know where their limbs are in space without looking. Being able to feel the position on your body, and knowing you are in the correct position with the correct posture.

·         Time to focus

Allowing the dancer time to focus herself, being distracted and not having their full attention on the class will only lead to injuries or an unsuccessful class.

 

·         Increased joint range of movement

During the warm-up there will be an increase in the extensibility of tendons, muscles, ligaments and other connective tissues.

·         Change from parasympathetic to sympathetic control of the autonomic nervous system

Allowing your body to rest for small breaks and then exercising again

·         Redistribution of blood 

Your body is an incredible instrument, when warming up your blood is directed away for certain areas (for example the gut) and pumped towards other areas such as muscles etc.

·         Release of energy fuel from storage

Glycogen turns into glucose with the help of hormone glucagon.

The warm-up should be specific

When performing a warm-up you need to make sure the standard fits the dancer’s ability and especially their age. A 5 year old would be exhausted after warming up for a couple of minutes, but a full time dancer or student need about 10-15minutes to be completely warmed up and prepared for class. Many people forget or do not realise the fitter you are as a dancers the longer your warm-up should be, making sure it has the same effect on your body.

The warm-up should gradually increase muscle and body temperature without causing tiredness or reducing energy stores, it should not include technical steps or exercises, a warm-up should be easy to follow.

It is very important to remember who your warm-up is aimed towards, you need to take in to consideration what age are they and their level of fitness and relating the warm-up towards what they will be doing in class on that specific day. Concentrating on movements and exercises that will warm-up the correct muscle for what they will be using in class, relating a warm-up if you are planning on practicing grand allegro compared to partner work (both men and women would need different warm-ups in this case) or adage etc. Also being aware of which style of dance you are teaching, a ballet warm-up would be very different to a tap warm-up.

When warming up for a performing or just in general, the teacher needs to be aware of long rest periods, if you spend time on costumes, hair or makeup the body might lose the benefits of a warm-up they carried out earlier in the day. Many dancers spend a lot of time sitting around a theatre if they are not rehearsing their section or getting ready backstage, this is a mistake many dancers make.

Never let your kids sit in the 'W' position!

http://www.davidwolfe.com/kids-w-sitting-position/

I found this little article really fascinating. It is slightly off my topic of inquiry but I found it an interesting read. I have since then researched more into this sitting position. I always told my students not to sit in this position but I did not know it had this many bad effects to it.