Above diagram courtesy of http://miu.med.unsw.edu.au
A lot of people get so caught up in stretching the large leg muscles before and after dance that they completely forget about their feet. The feet, especially the arches, ankles and Achilles Tendons, are extremely important to warm up. Not warming up the arches can cause discomfort and soreness the next day. Ankles and Achilles Tendons are much more susceptible to injury if not warmed up. An injury to either could easily end a dancer's career, so be good to them!
Click here for some very interesting foot facts!
To warm up the arches
All you have to do is point and flex your feet. You can sit down and do both feet at once or you can stand up and do one foot at a time. It is vital to make sure that you're pointing your feet properly; simply curling the toes is not enough. The point must also come from the arch; the muscle that runs across the bottom of your foot. Every time you point your foot, your should feel a slight sensation in the arch area. If you don't, you're pointing your feet incorrectly, which can lead to some serious foot problems.
To warm up the ankles
Again, this is very simple to do. All you need to do is rotate your ankles in both directions. This seemingly minor exercise is incredibly important to preventing ankle injuries.
The Achilles Tendon
Above diagram courtesy of www.aafp.org/
The Achilles Tendon runs along the lower half of the calf muscle and is connected to the back of the heel. Most dancers overlook the Achilles Tendon in their warmups; however, if not warmed up properly, this little guy is very susceptible to tears. A tear requires serious surgery and can halt and even end a dancer's career. Try some of the following exercises to stretch the Achilles Tendon:
Stand with your feet flat, about 3 feet away from a wall. Keeping your heels on the ground and legs straight, lean into the wall.
Above graphic courtesy of www.uiowa.edu
Stand up straight facing a wall. Place your hands on the wall for stability. Put the leg you're stretching back so that your foot is flat against the floor, toes of both legs pointing straight ahead. Slowly push your torso forward, but just enough so you feel the calf muscle stretching (figure 1). Now bend the knee slightly (figure2) to stretch the Achilles Tendon and the shin.
Above graphic courtesy of www.agingwell.state.ny.us
