Whole books are written in stretching – I have several on my
bookshelf. Here are just a few ideas to consider.
Most dancers think they should stretch – yet, in my
experience, few know why, what a stretch actually is, or how to do it
effectively.
There are good reasons to stretch – to reduce muscle
soreness after a concentrated session or to increase (or maintain) flexibility.
It has now been shown that stretching before dancing does not reduce
injury (and stretching on a cold body increases injury). Some extreme
forms of dance may benefit from stretching before dancing (on a warm body) –
but belly dance does not fall into that category.
However, too much flexibility is more likely to cause injury
that too little. If you are a naturally flexible, possibly you would be better
to spend your time on strength and control.
What is a stretch?
Your muscles are made up of fibres that slide in and out. Think
of a pack of cards; split it in half and ruffle the two halves. Push them all the
way in – that’s a fully contracted muscle. Pull them out that is a stretched
muscle. (Pull too far and that’s a torn muscle) Now, your muscle has a
preferred position – not all the way out, not all the way in – its “resting
length”. This position depends on genetics, past injuries, and training.
“Stretching” is trying to reset this resting position. (Note
not all flexibility issues can be solved by stretching – many are due to other
factors that cannot be changed. And many so-called flexibility issues in students
are actually issues of control – ie the body is capable of reaching the position
but the brain is incapable of working out how).
So “stretching” is not joint mobilization – the sort of
wiggling about many people do (which has its place but won’t improve
flexibility). Nor, in most cases, can you stretch a tendon without tearing it –
so, no, you can’t “stretch” your Achilles tendon. There are some advanced techniques
that will give a little extension but don’t try it at home.
How to Stretch
Always stretch on a warm body ie one that has been
doing at least 10-15 minutes of cardio.
Target your stretches. Find out what your body needs.
Every body is different. Doing group stretches in a class might build comradery
but is unlikely to be as effective as each person dong their own program.
Isolate single muscle groups where possible. If your “stretch”
uses two (or more) muscles then the ones with the flexibility will move more and
the inflexible bits will stay contracted.
Do the stretch correctly. For instance, watch
alignment. If your feet are meant to be in parallel and you have one turned out
then you will be using slightly different muscles.
Muscles can only stretch if they are not working
(actually there is an exception to this – but again it’s an advanced technique).
So you cannot stretch any leg muscle if that leg is weight bearing. So standing
hamstring stretches only work if you place the leg on a chair, barre etc – you cannot
stretch your hamstring by touching your toes (but you can damage your
lower back).
