Anyone know the best way to learn how to do the splits & a russian split leap?

Question

Anyone have any good flexiablity techniques and/or streches that i can do to perform these two? I am trying to get back into shape for my tryouts and..(ovibiously its been a while)..any ideas would be great! ; )

Answer 1

Splits. Warm up your muscles before stretching with some light exercise.
1. from a standing position, raise one leg to 90 degrees or more in front and hold for 8 counts, rotate to the side being careful to keep your turn out and hold for 8 counts, then rotate to the back and hold for 8 counts. Repeat reversing direction starting from the back. Next do the rotation without pausing in each position. Repeat for the other leg. You may need to hold onto something at first for support, but is better freestanding because you develop strength and balance.
2. on the floor, put your legs in second (to the side) at whatever angle you are comfortable with and, keeping your back straight, push your lower back toward the floor while reaching forward. A partner could help applying pressure to your lower back. Alternately you can hold a post in front and push your upper body down. Stretch to the point of first resistance and hold. The muscles will loosen and you can go further. Do not stretch into pain as this is an indication of muscle/tendon tearing. Too much damage and you will get scar tissue and loose flexibility.
3. consult "The Stark Reality of Stretching" by Dr. Robert Stark for more tips.

With apologies, the following is a lightly edited version of an earlier post.

Split leaps require flexibility, but are a the core a power move. If you want split leaps to look good you need to be able to jump level to an observer's shoulders or better several times in a row. This requires strength training --running hills, sprints, etc. My favorite exercise is to jump and catch my nose between my heels. You will have a nice split form if you simply extend your legs from this position. Your body is rotated 10-15 degrees above horizontal such that you legs will be slightly higher than your butt at full extension. Your legs should be turned out and toes in point. Ideally your takeoff and landing are in 1rst position. There should be a prep and a polished finish, but I'll leave that up to you. A typical 16 count sequence for splits is pose (4) prep(5,6), one split (7)to get the crowd's attention, another prep (8,9) followed by 5 more splits (10-14), pose (15,16).

Additional notes:
1. Russian split leaps have the toes in flexed position rather than point. Ukrainian split leaps are done with pointed toes.
2. There are two styles for swinging you legs into second. The first is to keep your legs straight and swing them into second (my style). The second is to jump with bent knees and flick the legs out at the top of the jump. Note that doing this will rotate your body backwards. Make sure you land on your feet rather than you head.
3. The hardest aspect of split leaps is sticking the landing. You need to jump high so that you have enough time to get your legs back underneath your body. If you don't have confidence in your landing, you won't have extension in the air. A lot of stages are slippery. Where possible, I put a paper towel soaked with coke at the back of the stage and wet the bottoms of my boots with the sugar water prior to the solo.
4. You need music with a slow beat (or cymbals) that corresponds to the 'hang time' of the leap.
5. All of the split leapers that I know or have seen are male. A lot of the females in my dance group have the flexibility, but lack the leg strength to jump high. I think that a female split leaper would be very impressive.
6. Split leaps can be a competitive sport, particularly at a Kolymenka (the Ukrainian term for circle dance, but broadly equivalent to Jamming). The limit for most guys is 7 or 8, so practice to do 16 and you will come out on top most of the time.
Good luck.

Answer 2

Ive been a gymnast since i was 5 and I'm now 16, Ive been doing the splits since i was 6.
The way they teach us all to learn is to practice a little every day and you should get a little further everyday.
Stretching everyday is also a good start to getting to be able to do splits.

Answer 3

the middle splits? ok, well, lie down on ur back on the floor against a flat wall and have ur legs up on the wall (so u kinda look a L) then just open ur legs and push ur back as close as u can against the wall and have ur legs open as much as u can. hold it for at least 2min. i kno this sounds rele awkward, but i did it and i have my perfect splits.

Answer 4

Lift your leg really high in the air and hold for 5 minutes then add the other leg to the mix hope you don't get hurt!!!!!

Answer 5

The best way is to practice a little each day, and not overdoing it.