In order to be able to hang your leaps, you need:
- To Strengthen your calfs, try some rises
Strong calfs are essential to gain the needed height and lift involved in take off of the jumps.
Before the actual technique can be learned, certain muscle groups must be strengthened
- To Strengthen your abdominals, try some crunches and (on the back)leg lifts
Stong abdominals are needed to hold your leg still at the jump's highest point
- To Strenthen your quads, try some (sitting up) leg lifts and Stair running
- It must be clear that a jump/leap does not travel forward at all, but transfers the forward momentum from the preceding skips into pure height- The jumps travel upwards, vertical to the floor, staying in the same spot for the most part- When you push off and lift your front leg, instead of trying to "freeze" the front leg in your mind, imagine it as though the leg continues moving upwards the entire time (athough this actually rarely makes it look as though your leg lifts higher in mid-jump, it ensures that the leg "freezes" in reality instead of losing height)- It sometimes helps to imagine that both the front and the back leg push off at the same time (it helps bring your back leg up for a longer period of time)
- With chairs - With a friend/teacher/parent holding you - With the support of a barre or counter or other such object
1. Use a lot of energy in the preceding skips....it helps to prepare yourself.
2. Push off with a burst of energy from the back leg at the same time as your front leg reaches high into the air, just past your waist
3. Snap the back leg up quickly to your butt.(Front leg: keep reaching....reaching....higher....higher)
4. Hold....hold....
5. Now(you've reached the highest point in the jump)snap your back leg straight out in front of you - doing a scissor kick with the front leg(which is now coming down)
6. Land on your toes!
7. Practice over and over
To do ballet jumps (also called, round-abouts, entrechants, ect.):
1. jump off the ground with both feet(just for simplicity's sake, we'll say that the right foot is in front)(*****HINT*****Make sure your toes are pointed VERY hard)
2. bring feet apart and switch feet so that the left foot is now in front....(you should be at the maximum height of the jump now)
3. smack the upper legs(above the knees) together to rebound the feet apart again.....(****HINT****Make the second foot-apart width is larger than the first for a better effect)
4. Land with the right foot in front again and feet crossed
1. Spring off the ground with both feet, trying to get as much vertical height as possible.
2. Pretending your toes are glued together, flex your feet up and turn your feet (gasp) in! (*****HINT*****If this is a right foot butterfly, then right foot toes should be overtop of left foot toes.)
3. Pop your toes outwards, pretending that your heels are now glued together. (*****HINT*****Turn those feet WAY WAY out at this point)
4. Hold in this position - feet flexed, toes way out - for as long as possible until you have to land
5. Land with the foot infront that is opposite to the one you started with infront.
To do twisties, (also called twists, fishes, fishies, shakes, ect...):
1. Start with your feet crossed and your weight on your back foot.
2. Lift the front foot a little off the ground and partially flex the foot.
3. turn the foot way out...then
4. flick the foot inwards and out again in one little bounce on the back foot.
(~*NOTE*~the back foot doesn't jump off the ground, just a little bounce of the weight)
5. Keep practicing them....you should be able to do two or three back-and-forths in one back foot bouncie.
(eek!...too much dance lingo talk...even I'm getting lost!...sorry about that!)
(*****HINT*****To make twisties look more impressive, turn the foot farther in, and farther out, during the movement)
- To increase height on all leg kicks and lifts, practice the front-back splits while watching T.V, or doing homework....ect.
To improve quivers, and hop-to-the-knees, bring the knee past your waist, to your chest level when doing them
Point your toes Cross your feet Stay high on your tippy toes Turn out your feet!
