How to improve your turnout in ballet

Turnout is a fundamental aspect of ballet technique, yet something that most dancers struggle with. There are 3 different places we get rotation from: the hips, the knees and the ankles, however our turnout must primarily comes from the hip socket as relying too much on the knees and ankles can cause injury.

Best Stretches

Great turnout comes mainly from the combination of stretching and strengthening the hips. Let's start by having a look at some of the best stretches. Stretching is an essential part of ballet training to improve flexibility and open up the hips for a better turnout. Here are some effective stretches that can help with hip opening in ballet:

Butterfly Stretch:

Sit on the floor with the soles of your feet touching each other. Hold onto your ankles and gently press your knees down toward the floor. Maintain an upright posture and feel the stretch in your inner thighs and hips. You can use your elbows to apply gentle pressure on your knees for a deeper stretch. Hold for 30 seconds to 1 minute.

Frog Stretch:

Start on your hands and knees and slowly widen your knees apart while keeping your feet together. Lower your hips toward the floor and feel the stretch in your inner thighs and hips. You can gradually increase the stretch by sliding your knees farther apart. Hold the stretch for 30 seconds to 1 minute.

Another variation of this stretch involves lying on the floor with the knees bent and facing outwards, with the soles of the feet touching. Whilst keeping your hips on the floor, press your heels downwards and hold for 10 to 20 seconds. Release and repeat until you feel the hips have had a good stretch.

Grand plié in 2nd stretch:

Stand with your legs in 2nd position and bend your knees whilst you bring your upper body forwards and push your knees backwards with your hands. You should feel a gentle stretch in the hips. This is also a great stretch to do before box splits to open up the hips and to get the most out of your stretch.

Pigeon Pose:

Begin in a push-up position and bring your right knee forward, placing it behind your right wrist. Extend your left leg straight behind you and keep the one stretched. Slowly lower your upper body toward the floor, feeling the stretch in your right hip and glute. Hold the stretch for 30 seconds to 1 minute and repeat on the other side.

If you are working on your front splits, try keeping the body upright to work on your back flexibility and gradually bring your front heel forwards until your front leg is at a 90 degree angle.

Double Hamstring stretch:

Sit on the floor with your legs extended in front of you. Keeping your back straight, slowly hinge forward from your hips and reach for your feet. If you can't reach your feet, you can use a strap or towel around your feet to help. Feel the stretch in the back of your legs and hips. Hold for 30 seconds to 1 minute.

For an even deeper stretch of the hip rotators, try turning out your legs in this and open your feet out to first position with your hands.

Hip Flexor Stretch:

Kneel on one knee with the other leg forward, keeping your knee bent at a 90-degree angle. Engage your core and gently shift your weight forward, feeling the stretch in the front of your hip and thigh. Hold for 30 seconds to 1 minute and repeat on the other side.

Happy baby:

This is a great stretch for opening up the hips and a similar area to the previous stretch. Lying on your back, bend your knees and hold onto either your heels, calf muscles or thighs, then open your knees out to the side and press your legs down towards the floor. This stretch can also be done focussing on one leg at a time while the other leg is stretched out on the floor.

Sandwich stretch:

This stretch has a few different names, but it involves placing on bent leg on top of the other, whilst seated and the folding the upper body forward with the hands reaching in front of you. Not only is this a great one for opening up the hips, but you will also get a glute stretch too.

Glutes stretch

Tight glutes will restrict your turnout, so it is important to stretch them as well as the hips. My favourite glute stretch involves lying on your back with on leg bent, knee facing out to the side, with the other leg bent in a table-top position. Then holding the back of this leg, pull towards your chest and hold for 20-40 seconds. Repeat on the other side. If you are not able to reach your legs, a modified version of this is to sit with your back against a wall, both knees bent, and place on leg on top of the other in a turned out position. To increase the intensity of the stretch simply puls both legs closer towards you.

Box splits

Start by sitting with your legs in a 'V' shape and then reach your hands and upper body forwards. As long as you keep your legs turned out (avoid letting the inside ankle bones from dropping down to the floor), this can be a stretch stretch for the hips. If you have a stretching elastic, wrap it around your feet, letting the band go behind your back and it should help to keep your legs turned out while you stretch forwards.

Remember to warm up your body before stretching and avoid pushing beyond your comfortable range of motion. Consistency and gradual progression in your stretching routine will yield the best results over time. You may also want to consult a dance instructor or physical therapist to provide personalised guidance and help you develop an effective stretching routine.

Best Exercises:

Stretching, however, is only part of good turnout. There is no point in having impressive hip range if you then can't hold it whilst dancing. Here are some of the best exercises to strengthen you turnout:

Clamshells:

The classic! If you're not already familiar with the clamshell, then start by lying on your side with your knees bent and your feet together. Keeping your feet together, lift your top knee as high as you can without moving your pelvis. Lower your knee back down to the starting position and repeat about 20 times at a moderate speed. You will feel this in the glutes, which will in turn help you to hold your hip rotation when standing.

Multiple tendus:

Done in the right way, focusing on rotation from the hips both as the leg opens and closes, this is a wonderful way to strengthen your turnout in a safe way. It may not be as interesting as some of the other exercises in this list, but that doesn't mean you'll benefit any less!

Frog Lifts:

Again, targeting the glutes, lie on your stomach with your legs bent, turned out from the hips, and with your feet touching. Keeping your feet together, lift your thighs off the ground as high as you can without arching your back and lower back down. Repeat between 10 to 20 times and consider doing 1 leg at a time if you are just starting out.

Pliés:

Pliés are an essential exercise for improving turnout. You can start off with pliés in 1st and 2nd positions and move on to 4th and 5th as you get more practised.

As you bend your knees, keeping your heels on the ground, lower your body as far as you can without losing your turnout. You should try to keep your knees back as far as possible, bending straight over your feet and never bending inwards. As you straighten your legs back up to the starting position think about lifting your hips and squeezing your glutes.

Lateral Leg Rotations: Lie on your side with your legs straight and your feet together. Your legs should be slightly forwards, so that when you look donw you should be able to see your lower legs and feet. Keeping your hips facing forwards, lift your legs off the floor in a parallel position and rotate to first position. Repeat this rotation from a turned0in to a turned-out position about 20 times on each side. As as added bonus, this is also a great exercise for core strength and should help with movements like grand battement or développés à la seconde.

Attitude lifts:

Sitting on the floor with your legs in 90/90, place your elbows on the floor and lean forwards. Now try to lift your back leg off the floor whilst maintaining yout turned out attitude position. This is one of the harder exercises, so you may only be able to do a handful initially. However, with perseverance, you should try to work up to about 20 lifts on each leg.

Resistance Band Exercises: Using a resistance band can help activate the muscles that control rotation and strengthen your turnout. Attach a resistance band in a loop to your barre or even a piece of stable furniture and place one foot inside the loop. Step forwards until your feel the band is taut and place your feet in 1st position. From here, lift the resistance band leg forwards (away from the barre), leading with your heel. You will feel you adductors activating as long as you keep your hips and supporting side still and straight. Repeat slowly on each side between 10-20 times.

Balances in turned out position:

Maintaining your turnout whilst holding a balance is a lot harder than it looks, but as very few balances in ballet are in parallel, it is definitely something that shouldn't be neglected.

You can start simple with balances in a turned-out 1st or 5th position on demi-pointe and build up to harder balances on one leg like arabesques, retirés or even with your working leg à la seconde (no-one's favourite!). Stay near a barre in case you need to steady yourself and set yourself the challenge of stay on balance for a few more seconds each time you practise. But remember- never sacrifice your turnout for a longer balance or higher leg!

Prefer to follow a video? Here are a few of the best exercises you can get started with:

Other things to remember:

Work on Your Hips:

Turnout comes from the hips, so it is essential to work on hip mobility and flexibility. Practise exercises that stretch and strengthen your hip muscles and use a foam roller or massage ball to release tension in your hip muscles, which can restrict your range of motion.

Strengthen Your Core:

A strong core is essential for maintaining proper alignment and stability in ballet. Strengthen your core muscles with exercises such as planks, crunches, and Russian twists. A strong core will help you maintain proper turnout and prevent compensations in other parts of the body.

Practise Regularly:

Stretching and strengthening is crucial for improving flexibility and mobility in the hips and legs. Incorporate the above exercises into your daily routine for best results and to avoid feeling overwhelmed, start with just a few and build your way up.

Work on Your Feet:

The position of your feet can affect your turnout. Try strengthening your feet and ankles with exercises such as rélèvés, tendus, and metatarsal exercises with a resistance band. Pay attention to the position of your feet when performing exercises, and work on maintaining proper alignment.

Why you shouldn't force your turnout

Forcing your turnout in ballet can pose several risks and potential issues. While developing turnout is essential for proper alignment and movement in ballet, pushing it beyond your natural range or forcing it can lead to the following risks:

Strained Muscles:

Forcing your turnout can strain the muscles surrounding the hips, including the hip rotators and adductors. Overstretching or forcefully rotating the hips can lead to muscle imbalances and strains, causing pain and potential long-term injuries.

Joint Injuries:

Forcing your turnout can put excessive stress on the hip, knee, and ankle joints. This can increase the risk of joint injuries, such as sprains, strains, and even more severe conditions like labral tears or cartilage damage.

Compromised Alignment:

If you force your turnout beyond your natural range, it can compromise your overall alignment and stability. Ballet technique relies on proper alignment to distribute forces evenly through the body, and forcing turnout can disrupt this balance, leading to poor technique and increased risk of injuries.

Overuse Injuries: Constantly forcing turnout without proper strength and conditioning can lead to overuse injuries. Ballet requires a gradual and progressive approach to training, allowing the body to adapt and develop strength over time. Pushing your turnout excessively or too quickly can strain the muscles, tendons, and ligaments, leading to conditions like tendonitis or stress fractures.

Compensation Patterns:

When you force your turnout, you may compensate for the lack of natural range by altering your alignment and technique. This compensation can lead to faulty movement patterns and inefficient muscle recruitment, which can increase the risk of injuries in other areas of the body, such as the back or feet.

Psychological Impact:

The pressure to achieve a perfect turnout may lead to psychological stress and self-esteem issues. Ballet dancers often face expectations and comparisons, which can create a mindset of pushing beyond their limits. This can result in emotional strain, burnout, and a negative relationship with dance.

Improving turnout in ballet requires consistent practice and dedication. By focusing on hip mobility and flexibility, strengthening your core and turnout muscles, using resistance bands, stretching regularly, and working on your feet, you can improve your turnout over time. Remember to be patient and persistent, as it takes time to develop a good turnout. With dedication and hard work, you can achieve a beautiful and expressive line in your ballet technique. Listen to your body's limitations and consider working with qualified ballet instructors, physical therapists, or dance specialists to help ensure a safe and healthy approach to developing and maintaining turnout.

If you enjoyed this article, why not check out some of my other posts, such as:

The 5 Best Exercises To Stop Sickling

Interested in on-demand training? Head to www.myballetcoach.com for more!