1 Thing Athletes Could Learn from Dancers

Lifters and athletes should watch "Swan Lake" and take notes. In one Tchaicovsky's most famous works, the ballerinas hop lightly and gracefully across the stage. Every movement the dancers make is incredibly precise and effortless.

From a young age, dance coaches repeatedly drill this pattern within their students. The goal for a high level dancer is to appear weightless and be light on the feet. The ballerinas develop a tremendous amount of bodily awareness through years of intense training.

Channel your inner ballerina. Learn to be light on your feet.

Now, I've had the privilege to work with and observe both young athletes and professional or high level athletes. One of the most surprising things I have noticed in many of these individuals is the inability to absorb a load efficiently.

Basketball players, tennis players and other athletes do not know how to land well. I've seen many fast, agile, powerful and strong people who seem to have lead feet. I hear my friends stomping up the stairs or dragging their feet on the floor. I watch runners slam their heels on the treadmill with each stride.

For some, this fault is a matter of awareness, while others may need to work on motor control.

Safe, efficient movement necessitates control. Hurling your body onto the box for a box jump is not going to improve your athleticism. Instead, learning proper sequencing (heel-toe to toe-heel) will spare your joints and allow you to float over the box.

At NYU Langone, they performed a study on both athletes and dancers. “We realized that dancers aren’t getting ACL injuries, yet they jump a lot,” Dr. Liederbach said. In sports like soccer and basketball, ACL tears are common. Nearly 200,000 people per year are destroying their ACLs, and it may be preventable in some cases.

Look at the landing position of these two. Which looks more stable?

Many of the dancers in this study plantar-flexed (or pointed the toes) upon landing, whereas the athletes absorbed the impact with the entire foot. Additionally, there was less of a valgus knee in the dancers on a single-leg jumping test than with the athletes tested. These deficiencies may contribute to the higher percentage of ACL tears in athletes as compared with dancers.

Well-trained dancers preform drills learning how to land gracefully, and many of them practice barefoot or wearing minimal footwear. Athletes, however, may not (depending on the coach) have the same type of instruction.

Over the summer, I was working with tennis players at a camp from the ages of 10-13. One of the most important elements of our sessions was learning how to land properly. I had them do a series of different jumping drills, all with an emphasis on "quiet" landings. I reviewed the sequencing of the movement from the start until the finish of the jump, and I had them repeat the drills until I was satisfied with the outcome. I believe proper jumping mechanics are an absolute priority for athletes of all ages (and anyone who's looking to improve power output). My goal is to make my clients more explosive while maintaining control. There is no use in having someone try for a 45" box jump is he or she cannot control the landing.

If you are utilizing explosive movements (box jumps, jumping lunges, broad jumps, etc.) in your workouts, make sure you place an emphasis on bodily awareness and mechanics. You may save your joints from jarring landings and improve your overall level of athleticism! Channel your inner ballerina!


Works Cited:

1. Dufek, Janet S., and Barry T. Bates. "Biomechanical Factors Associated with Injury During Landing in Jump Sports." Sports Medicine 12.5 (1991): 326-37. Web.
2. Liederbach, Marijeanne. "Incidence of Anterior Cruciate Ligament Injuries Among Elite Ballet and Modern Dancers." The American Journal of Sports Medicine 36.9 (2008): 1778-799. Web. 12 Mar. 2015.