Focus on Form: Touch Your Toes!
May 9, 2007
TO NEWS PAGE
In cheerleading today, it’s not enough just to “throw” a skill. Whether cheering for your school’s football team on the sidelines or taking to the mat front and center for competition, form matters. Here at iC, we want to help you to “perform” your skills and routines rather than “throwing” them. In our Focus on Form segments, we’ll provide tips from experts in their respective fields to help you to be the best. This month, iC’s Gina Pongetti, who holds a Masters in Physical Therapy, helps you to “Touch Those Toes!”
Good, thorough stretching isn’t to be taken for granted. From performing at your peak to avoiding injury, flexibility is a key attribute required of today’s cheerleader. In fact, many leg injury can often be attributed to improper stretching, specifically of the hamstring. Hamstring flexibility will improve your form in basket tosses, jumps, including toes touches, split leaps and pike jumps, as well as stunts, such as Heel Stretches and Arabesques.
The hamstring is the big set of muscles that runs in the back of your thigh. There are actually two of them--an inner and outer muscle. And it’s important to stretch both. The muscles start up the lower back, down the back of the leg and attach to the bone after it crosses the knee joint. Less than desirable form or injuries are often the results of only part of the muscle being stretched.
Here are some examples of how to stretch the hamstring!
- Seated hamstring stretch
First, sit on the floor with lets straight out front. Then, with a Straight back (this is the part most people do not do), stretch down, thinking about bringing your ribs forward and down. Do not round your back! If you do, you will not stretch the top part of the muscle!
-You want to make sure that your knees stay straight at all times, so, if you cannot straighten your legs and keep your back straight, then move your legs apart a little into a bit of a straddle position.
-You can also make the stretch specific to the outer or inner hamstrings (most people have one tighter than the other!). If you roll your legs inward (toes in) then the outer will stretch more. If you roll your legs outward, then the inner hamstring will stretch more!
- You can do this same stretch standing. Place your foot up on a chair, mat, or something else manageable. Use these checkpoints to make sure you’re stretching right--
- First, make sure your hips are pointing straight forward. Find your front hip bones and make sure that you’re square facing forward.
- Second, make sure the foot you’re standing on is pointing forward- no duck feet!
- Then, stand up tall. Do not over arch your back, but let it naturally arch as you extend as tall as you can be.
- Last, lean forward as if you were hinging at the hips. Do not hunch forward, you will not get as good of a stretch!
- Splits will help to stretch the hamstring of the front leg. It’s very important your hips are “square” (facing forward) when you do your splits. If you feel like you’re turning your hips when you go all the way down, use a mat to support you in order to maintain a squared-off angle.
- You can also get a hamstring stretch when you are in straddle, or “pancake” position. When you lean to the center, it stretches the inner hamstring and the thigh muscle. You can stretch the hamstring when you lean to one leg or another. Remember, the more in line your hips are with your leg, the better the stretch!
What should you avoid? Stretches such as seated pikes with one leg bent backward are very bad for your knees and do not give you any more stretch than these exercises.
Have fun, touch those toes!
Gina M. Pongetti, MPT , MA
Gina Pongetti received her Masters in Physical Therapy from Marquette University and her MA from Michigan State University . She is a member of the American Physical Therapy Association and the Performing Arts Medical Association. A former gymnast and dancer, Pongetti has coached and choreographed for women’s gymnastics at all levels, from recreational through Elite and collegiate. Her work has also been presented at the USA Gymnastics National Congress and she has also been a part of the Medical Staff at USA Gymnastics events.
Before beginning any stretching program, be sure and consult with your personal coaches and instructors to develop a custom plan that is right for you.
