Keep it Safe: Grand Battement

This is one post in a series, on ways to avoid injury while pursuing your ballet-based fitness goals.  This class is about wellness.  When it comes to the choice between "perfect" ballet technique and protecting yourself from injury, ALWAYS choose to protect yourself.

What is "perfect" is what is "perfect for you!"

Let's talk about GRANT BATTEMENTS...

THE IDEAL:  Grand battements (essentially, large kicks) are performed to the front, side and back, usually at the end of the ballet barre class, to build strength.  Though the leg is moving powerfully, the dancer tries to make the movement look effortless, while keeping the upper body still.  In an ideal grand battement, the working leg reaches a position at least 90-degrees from the standing leg, but dancers often aspire to get their leg higher.  The dancer also controls the leg's decent so that it closes softly.  Here is an example of nicely done grand battements: 

THE PROBLEM:  The average human leg can weight about 15-20 lbs.  Lifting or kicking that much weight is not an insignificant task and requires much strength and control.  The ballistic movement of a grand battement can strain back muscles.  Kicking too hard, without sufficient flexibility, can also injure soft tissues (muscles, tendons and ligament) in the groin and hip.  Grand battements to the back can be particularly precarious to the lower spine, if not performed properly.

HOW TO KEEP IT SAFE:  Aim for a grand battement that is within your body's normal range of movement and strength ability.  If that means you can only get your leg to a 45-degree angle (or even less), that's just fine.  You will develop strength and ability over time.

If any particular grand battement combination is just too much for you, either skip it or substitute low battements for the grand battements.

When performing grand battement to the back, always allow your upper chest to cantilever forward slightly.  This helps diffuse the force from your leg and protects your lower spine.

In this class, we will integrate demi-plies into our grand battement combination.  This gives your back a moment to release tension, so that it doesn't become "gripped" by the end of the grand battement combination.

Here is a nice video with some grand battement tips:

Safe dancing, everyone!