[blue steel]

can someone explain to me how to correctly do a half-split?

for the life of me i can't seem to slide back up with any consistency at all. hell, i don't even get into the half-split position all too smooth either, i kinda just fall into it. for the last couple of weeks i've been working on my leg stretching for better flexibility, but i'm missing that sense of grace that seasoned lockers have.

not only that, but i may have aggravated the tendonitis in my knee because of half splits and kneedrops, so would it be wise to dance with knee supports/pads?

[Electrolux]

you should always wear knee supports/pads!

[blue steel]

ok great, i didn't want ppl to think i was some kind of scrub if i rocked kneepads, even if they were under my knickers. to me it made sense for bboys to wear the pads, but now i know it's indespensible for lockers as well.

[blue steel]

ok forget i even asked, as there's an older thread explaining it.

[Electrolux]

well, have you worked it out then?

i think the more momentum you have going down the more you will have going up. i think you should try a hop up when you want to go down, and also use a hand to push yourself up.

then over time, hopefully, you'll need these aids less and less

[Bboy-Ronnie-D]

its imperative to wear pads if you wanna do knee drops. believe me i learned the hard way. if you dont wear em. it leads to nothing but bruised knees

[Electrolux]

regarding the half-split...

i don't know about anyone else, but I've found that the harder I kick the space in mid-air (approx arms length in front of my right hip) with my left foot, before pulling my left leg diagonally back (the more diagonal the better), the easier it is rise up

obviously, this may not work for everyone. however it works for my body and i thought it might help others too.

[blue steel]

i got a really good piece of advice from my teacher about kneedrops/half splits, and she said the key to doing these moves was in having good core strength.

i know wavedash mentioned having good body control, but i now realize that i have to use my abdominal muscles to support the tension on hips to slide myself back up. so long story short, i'ma have to lose some weight around that gut, and do some pilates to get those abdominal, back, and smaller torso muscles stronger to gain the graceful body control that i'll need.

[KaBlammyman]

Originally Posted by blue steel

i got a really good piece of advice from my teacher about kneedrops/half splits, and she said the key to doing these moves was in having good core strength.

i know wavedash mentioned having good body control, but i now realize that i have to use my abdominal muscles to support the tension on hips to slide myself back up. so long story short, i'ma have to lose some weight around that gut, and do some pilates to get those abdominal, back, and smaller torso muscles stronger to gain the graceful body control that i'll need.

well said

[domiru]

Are kneeguards necessary for half-splits? I've gotten bruised knees (the bent leg) from practice... Or am I just performing them incorrectly?

[Scramblelock]

wear kneepads

[Bboy-Ronnie-D]

definatly get kneepads

[Electrolux]

kneepads will preserve your longevity as a dancer. so why the relunctance to wear them? you will be doing half splits with so much more conviction when you wear them

[domiru]

^^ True that, I already fear going down into the splits from jumps!

What type of kneeguards would be suitable? The only kind that comes to mind are the skating gears, but they seem kind of bulky.

Thanks for the help guys

And also, I have a friend who is not very flexible but would like to learn the halfsplits as well, any suggestions? Inflexible as in his hands go maybe to his shins on a stand-and-reach.

[blue steel]

well, after a few months of practice, i've been using asics brand volleyball pads, and i swear by them. it's got that memory foam stuff and it's pretty thick but still allows a wide range of movement. those go for about $18 US. there's also memory foam kneepads by bodyglove that work well but are harder to find.