Does anyone have any good stretches that will help me with the splits?

Answer 1

WARNING LONG, BUT IT HAS ALL THE INFO
Make sure you are warmed up. Without this you could harm yourself. This can be as simple as jogging in place for a minute or two. Also, doing lunges on each leg beforehand will help.
Start by standing with your feet together. Reach down and try to touch your toes. Do not bend your knees at all (you may not be able to touch your toes... it’s alright). Bring your body down to your leg. Rounding your back so that your hands are closer does not help your stretch, so try to keep a straight back and bring your abdomen closer to your feet.
Sit on the ground with your legs straight out in front of you. Reach over your legs towards your toes. Once again it is important to keep a straight back and get your chest and not your arms closer to your legs.
Hold your right foot and bring it up to your mouth and hold it there for 30 seconds. Then do the same with the left.
Repeat the last step, except this time bend one leg behind you in order to stretch the other. Do this with both legs.
Stretch your Sartorius muscle. This is the muscle, in a split, that you feel in your back leg between your leg and body. To do this you have to kneel down, put your hands on the ground, and then straighten out your back leg. You may put your knee on the ground but remember that if you do this then you have to try to bring your crotch closer to the ground. This stretch will need to be held a lot longer than most (1-2 minutes on each side)
Do the above and more to get your straddle (side) split:
Standing with your legs in an "A" position, reach your arm over your head towards the opposite leg.
Sit in a straddle on the ground and reach out in front of you, trying to get your chest and stomach as close as you can to the floor.
While sitting in a straddle, bring one arm over your head and towards your leg, keeping your body sideways to your leg. Do this on both sides.
Sit in butterfly position (like Indian style but with your feet together). Press down your knees to the ground with your elbows or your hands. Press your abdomen closer to your feet.
Once you can do the splits in every direction, you can stretch farther past the split line. This is important for advanced dancers, gymnasts, and cheerleaders, but should only be worked on if you can already do the splits well:
Use an 8-inch mat. Put your front heel on the edge of the mat. Stretch through the splits and hold for 100 counts. It also helps to have someone nice press down on your shoulders as you do this, so you can stretch even farther.
Kneel with your back knee bent up against a wall or mat and your front foot on the floor, knee bent. Stretch through the splits and press down then release, down, release, for 20 counts.
hope it helps good luck ^_^

Answer 2

To work on a straddle or Russian split,
1) sit on the floor with your legs as wide as possible,
2) have someone push down slowly on your upper back from behind.
3) As your partner pushes, breathe in and hold the breath, and you push against them (keep your back straight rather than rounded)
4) Let the breath out as your partner releases the pressure and you come up slowly
5) when you get comfortable, move your legs wider apart and repeat the exercise.
(warning this exercise is not for the weak -- if you feel an unhealthy pain, stop)

To work on a regular split (one leg forward, one leg back), requires several exercises....
Exercise A
Do high kicks, keeping your legs straight every day

Exercise B
1) stretch by bending at the waist and let your head hang down toward your toes while keeping your legs straight (dont bend at the knee)
2) As you get comfortable (this may take days or weeks) hold your ankles and pull your head toward your feet - Keep your back straight rather than rounded.

Exercise C
1) Prop your leg up onto a bar (a ballet bar or a rail on a porch or anything just a little higher than your waist)
2) Bend at the waist forward over your let
3) Reposition your self so you can bend to the side over the same leg.
4) Be sure to do the other leg.

Note that most people will favor one leg --that is one leg will be able to do a forward split more easily than the other.

Answer 3

Sit on floor and spread your legs as wide as possible. Lean forward, lean to the left, and lean to the left hold each for 30 secs.

Pull legs together into a Pike stretch. Lean your head as close to your knees as possible and point your toes; hold this for 30 secs. Repeat with flexed toes.

Lay on your back and do 10 kicks. On the 10th kick, hold it and pull it close to your head; hold for 30 secs. Pull leg, to the left and then to the right. Repeat with opposite leg.

Sit in split with a pillow or book underneath your front leg.

Answer 4

Lay on your back on the floor and raise your leg, pulling it as close to your body as you can, then roll over so your legs are split on the floor.

Answer 5

do lunges, but go farther down. meaning you back leg is stright out and your front bent. and switch out every 10-15secs. do butterflys but push ur knees down so it could hit the ground and then hold. i hope i was any help.