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| Last update: July 17. 2006 02:18:11 |
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SplitsOne of the biggest concerns for many gymnasts is getting their splits. For some, they just want to get one of their splits down, and for others, they want all three splits. The first thing you need to do is convince yourself that you really do want to get your splits (which you probably already do) and, equally as important, that you are willing to endure a little bit of pain to get there. Everyone has heard the adage, "No pain, no gain." With splits, this is very true. It will hurt a little to practice your splits. You will have to practice every day and it will most likely hurt every day until you get to the point where you are comfortably all the way down. There is no way of getting around the pain because you are stretching those muscles and tendons beyond their "natural" tendency and conditioning them to get used to stretching farther. Be aware, however, that even though a little pain is a good sign that you are stretching, severe pain and pain in the wrong parts of your body is NOT a good sign. You have to be able to differentiate good pain from bad pain (or be under the guidance of someone who knows the difference), and if you are experiencing the wrong kind of pain, STOP. Muscles, tendons, and cartilage can tear if stress is placed on them improperly so if you're not sure if the pain you're feeling is good pain or not, ask your coach or someone who is knowledgeable! It should also be important to note that it will be easier for some people to get their splits while some people take a VERY long time in getting there. This is just a matter of how our bodies our built. Everyone's body is different. Because of genes, some people will have tendons that respond to stretching better. There isn't anything a person can do about that. However, if you happen to fall into the category of people who find it more difficult to improve flexibility, don't be discouraged. You can still get more flexible, but it will take a bit more work. Obviously, the best thing you can do to improve your splits is to simply just do them. The more you practice them, the more your muscles and tendons get used to it and the easier it will be. And that doesn't mean you just do it for 30 seconds and consider that practice. You have to hold it for at least two minutes or so. Why? Our muscles have a stretch reflex hard-wired into them, such that when you extend the muscle, there will be an immediate response to contract. This is something that will pass with time, ranging from 30 seconds to two minutes, depending on your body. Therefore, the first minute or so will be painful, but after that time, your muscles will stop the reflex response and you will be much more comfortable. (I have had gymnasts moaning groaning for the first two minutes in middle splits, and then become so comfortable that they don’t want to come out of their splits!) Forward SplitsIt is important to note that there is a wrong way to do splits. You may have seen gymnasts, cheerleaders, or dancers who do their splits with their hips and torso facing sideways. Notice that this is incorrect form (“jazz splits” are especially a big no-no)! In gymnastics at least, the forward splits (where one leg is in front and the other is in back) should be done with the hips square. Ideally, your torso and, as much as possible, your hips should be perpendicular with the direction of your split. You can test this by putting fists on your hip bones while you are in your splits and seeing if the axis of your hip bones is 90-degrees to your legs. If they are not, you are not square! The biggest indicator that you are not square is your back leg. Pay attention to the position of your back leg while you are in a split (or attempting one). If your back knee is not on the ground (i.e. if you knee cap is not touching the floor), you are most likely not square. To fix this, come up out of your splits an inch or two, turn your back leg under, and then see if you can slide back out. Most likely you will not because this adjusted position will be a bit more difficult, but if you can slide back out, make sure that your hips stay square. One way to practice keeping your hips square is to do splits with your back leg bent against a wall. Position yourself so your back knee is on the floor right up against the wall, and the lower part of your leg and foot (pointed, of course!) should go on the wall straight up towards the ceiling. If, when you try to slide out to your splits, your back leg falls out of that perpendicular angle, it means your hips are not square. Only go as far as you can while your leg is still against the wall but you feel a good stretch. One more way to keep your hips square: This will work only if you are very close to your split or all the way down, or if you are good at keeping your balance. While in your split, turn your torso toward the side of your front leg (i.e. away from the direction your body would turn if you relaxed) and place your hand on your back leg. For example, if you were in your right split, you would turn your torso to the right and place your right hand on your left leg (which is behind you). You can also put your left hand on the outside of your right leg. You can then use your arms to pull your torso into a more square position and hopefully your hips as well. Other points about form: your front leg should be straight (you want to be able to get that hamstring stretched out), your front leg should be turned upwards so that your knee cap faces the ceiling, toes should be pointed, and your upper body should be straight up and down and facing forward. Your back will probably be slightly arched, but if you find that your back is arched a lot, it means that your back hip flexor is not flexible enough. Come up out of your split slightly, straighten out your back, and then try to get back into your split. Chances are that you will feel more of a stretch in that hip flexor. Besides just sitting in your splits, you can try to improve them by doing over-splits (which I learned as "super-splits"). In this case, your front foot (sometimes also your back foot, or both) is placed on an elevated surface (usually a panel mat or something similar). Thus, you could potentially go more than 180-degrees in your split. This is a good way to improve your splits because you are now farther away from the floor and forces you to put more effort into holding it. Some things to keep in mind with over-splits: when elevating your front leg, only your heel should be on the elevated surface -- not your calf and certainly not just your toes. When elevating your back leg, you should put your knee on the elevated surface (unless you are able to keep your back leg perfectly straight and turned under) and your torso should be straight up and down (you will have a tendency to lean forward). Middle SplitsMiddle splits are an entirely different monster. It stretches different muscles/tendons and is usually much harder to get than the two forward splits. There are two ways to do middle splits. The more conventional way is to lift your bottom off the floor, lean forward onto your elbows (or onto your chest/stomach if you can), and have the inside of your feet on the floor. (Notice that this is not the "pancake," where you are sitting in a straddle pike and then lean forward to put your chest on the floor. That stretches different muscles/tendons.) The other, less common way, is to sit on your bottom and have your feet on either side of you with your heels on the ground. This second way is more difficult to maintain and is not as effective if you are trying to get further into your split. That is why I advocate the first. Some things to watch out for: There should be a straight line from one foot to the other (i.e. your hips should be in line with your legs). Don't let your hips come too far forward or go backwards (this is especially a problem for very young gymnasts who are not yet aware of their body positions). The best way to keep your hips in line is to do middle splits against a wall, such that you are facing away from the wall, your hips are on the wall and your elbows or chest are on the floor. You can also turn around to face the wall and have a partner or coach push your hips from behind to get you closer to the wall. Unfortunately, middle split does place a great deal of stress on the knees and hip joints. If you have a bad knee, you can do a modified middle split where the bad knee is bent at a 90-degree angle. Your knee should be on the floor along with the lower part of your leg. However, you will not get as good of a stretch with this modification. |
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