Oasis of Line Dancing
Why My Leg So Pain? (Why Some Suffer Ache/Pain After Dancing?)
We often heard friends complaining of leg pain or ache after a dance session. We wonder why? Our kaypo bird finds out…
Should we stretch our muscles and warm up before line dancing? Why bother? You probably would respond. Is it really necessary? Yes, you need at least a short warm-up. Just like when you have to warm up your (old) car, so it won't give you problems when you get out on the road, and stay loyal to you in the long-term - you have to warm-up your body. If we want to get on the dance floor and give the best possible performances, without having to worry that our body will betray us, we have to warm it up.
The warm-up is just the beginning part of the dance. Dancing warm ups are important to prevent muscle strains and tears. Just like any other physical activity, you need to have your body ready for the additional movement that line dancing requires. Take a few minutes to warm up and you'll increase the blood flow before you begin the rigors of the dance.
Warm up before stretching. Stretching is not a warm up. A warm up should raise the pulse rate and get blood flowing into the major muscle groups. A good way is to walk from your home to your dance lesson. Stretch a warm body – muscles first, then joints, and only then nerves
How?
Touch your toes to get the kinks out of your back and limber up those muscles. Once you've touched your toes, stretch high into the sky with your arms extended as though you could reach the ceiling.
Stretch your arms in front. Interlock the fingers of your hands and reverse your hands so that the palms face outward. Push straight out and straighten your elbows. Bring your hands, still locked, straight above your head and stretch high. Bend to one side and then to the other with your arms straight above the head.
Create a wide "V" stance with your feet and turn your upper body to the side. Put your hands on your right knee as you bend it and straighten the left to stretch the hamstrings. Do the same movement on the other side.
Remain in the wide spread stance and straighten your knee as you shift your hip to the opposite side of the straightened knee. You should feel the pull on your upper thigh. Do the same on the other side.
Place your arms to your side with your feet in a comfortable position. Bend your arms at the elbow and pull back, thrusting your chest forward as you attempt to touch your elbows together. You should feel this in your chest and shoulders.
Grasp your shoulder with your hand and extend the elbows, drawing circles with them. First have them go clockwise and then counter clockwise. This warms your upper body and prepares neck, arm and back muscles for dance.
Extend your arms straight out from your body at shoulder height. Twist your upper torso at the waist, first several times to the left, then to the right. This twist prepares your back and the abdominal muscles, particularly the oblique.
Tips
Ø Stretch as much as possible and focus on feeling the muscles as you stretch. Whenever you dance, you need to be with your body and know each muscle intimately. Stretching helps you achieve this and allow you to perform at your peak.
Wah! So cheem, got anything easier to digest or not? Sure, click 