Spring Break Exercise and Training Thoughts

Happy Easter from Science in Dance.

I love Easter eggs as much as the next person but once that initial break from the heavy world of Dance has been enjoyed, its probably time to look at what the time can be used for in order to improve yourself before the Dancing kicks in again and the days start whizzing past. In term time or during heavy performance periods there isn't always the time to hit the gym or spend time working on Strength and Power.

The article here, discusses using your down time wisely and we have included some exercises to work on over the Spring Break.

With vocational training or part-time training taking up the majority of practise hours during term time and "in season" Dance hours, it can be difficult to find the time for cross training or supplemental training that improves the physiology significantly. Without programming or exercise planning that takes into account the volume of Dance Training an individual does, adding in extra training can potentially be detrimental to Dance Performance. Therefore, it may be suggested that certain Dance sessions should be exchanged for a form of conditioning. This could be anything from traditional Strength training to Pilates or cross training for cardiovascular fitness.

The research to this date, suggests that Dance training alone does not provide sufficient stimulus in order for the a Dancer's physiology to be improved significantly.

So... even though it may seem productive to have a break from Dancing during a holiday period, and you would be correct, it is however a very crucial and effective time to enhance the physiology.

One can be assured that MORE is NOT always MORE. Therefore, continuing practise of Dance based skills throughout the off-period or break might not be the most effective use of time as you spend most of the term time or in-season practising these skills. The research also shows that once a skill has been acquired it takes a significant amount of time for that skill to become inefficient or less effective in performance.

A more effective use of time may be to improve: muscular endurance, muscular strength, flexibility, proprioception and stability, aerobic capacity, anaerobic capacity and other areas of athleticism.

The BEST thing about utilising this time period is that improvements in these areas are easier to come by when Dance Volume lower and residual fatigue is lower. This would give the body optimal time to recover from cross training and physiology to adapt. Simply put, once an individual returns to Dancing their ability to perform skills with efficiency is maintained but there is an enhanced physiological element which will improve Dance performance.

One of my best pieces of advice for enthusiastic Dancers is to draw on things outside of the Dance world that will improve your performance, whether that is physical or artistic, it is one of the strongest suppliers of Dance improvement. Use your down time to rest from Dance and Lower the volume but also use it wisely and spend some time each day improving your physiology so that when you return to Dancing you can further enhance your skill acquisition and utilise more endurance, jump height and landing ability.

Get in touch for Programmes to be used whilst you are in Dance Training and Rehearsal and "off-season" programmes.

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