The Benefits of Stretching

Stretching is one of the most important aspects of dance. There are a number of reasons which explain why we need to stretch and how it helps us as dancers. There are lots of different types of stretches that dancers use, and stretches that target all muscle groups in the body. Each different stretch has a different benefit. Here, I have narrowed it down to five reasons why stretching is important.

1. Stretching increases your flexibility. Your dance teachers aren’t just being mean when they ask you to hold the splits for 20 seconds… on each leg… every lesson. By stretching certain muscles, flexibility is increased, leading to better dance performance. Who doesn’t want to be able to kick their leg past their head?
2. Stretching increases the blood flow to your muscles. It might sound a bit confusing but to put it simply, by stretching and moving your body, blood reaches your muscles quickly and warms them up. This results in a decreased chance of injury. Warm muscles are safe muscles.
3. Stretching helps to improve your posture. Stretching specific muscle groups has the potential to better the way we stand and sit. This will come in handy when we are old and grey! Nobody likes having back pain.
4. Stretching can calm your mind! Stretching is very therapeutic, and as a result has the potential to calm your mind. Stretching each day give the body a chance to relax and focus on feeling good!
5. Stretching enhances coordination! By improving your bodies range of motion, the body becomes more stable and has better balance. Coordination comes in handy for a number of sports, not just dance!

There are so many more reasons as to why stretching is important, nut we would be here all day! Now, go and hold the splits for 20 seconds, on each leg, every day!