How to Improve Your Pointe Range Safely

Book excerpt: Please note that purchase of this hard copy manual does not give you access to the online video course. This must be purchased separately on www.theballetblog.com. Many dancers struggle with achieving a nice line of their foot and ankle, and will often do anything to make it better. Unfortunately, many of the things that dancers do to try to improve their pointe range are potentially harmful. This includes things like stretching your feet under a piano, and using any kind of foot stretching device.In my opinion, pushing your body in the direction you want it to go is usually the slowest and most dangerous way of getting there, and this definitely applies when working with pointe range. Forcefully stretching feet usually stretches what is already mobile, rather than targeting the elements that are actually restricting your range, so will often not give you the result you are after.If you currently have any pain when pointing your feet, I definitely recommend an assessment with a qualified health professional before commencing the program. If you experience any pain with any of the exercises, please discontinue that exercise immediately, and seek help. Often pushing into pain will make it worse, so I DO NOT support the "No Pain, No Gain" theory. This does not work when working on pointe range!To really improve your pointe range and achieve your ultimate potential it is essential to understand exactly where pointe range comes from, and where you are restricted. Every foot is different, and so the techniques that will improve it are different. When I teach dancers the exercises in this program, I recommend that they just do one foot initially, and assess the foot by doing some double leg rises in between each technique. This allows you to work out which techniques really work for you, so that you can refine the process to your individual requirements. As you discover each element that makes your foot feel good, star it on your chart, so that you can work out the most efficient, yet most effective program for your feet.One of the most important elements on achieving your ultimate pointe range is your ability to use it, so please make sure to progressively work on your strength with the exercises at the end of the program. Most people have more range than they can use, so I always focus on strengthening someone's current range before worrying too much about increasing it. You may likely find that as your strength improves - so does your range!