How to Do a Split

Whether you are learning how to do a split in order to better your skills as a gymnast or a dancer, to improve your all around flexibility, or just to say you can, beware of what you are getting yourself into. Learning a split is, without a doubt, a frustrating feat, to say the least. A perfectly executed split may take years to accomplish. So, if you're up for a challenge, be prepared for a little pain, continuous persistence, daily practice, loads of patience, and the reward of a great split - eventually.

The Pre-Split Stretch
Now don't go jumping in the air and try to land in a split thinking you'll be able to walk normally tomorrow. You need to warn your muscles of what they've got coming to them. Therefore, stretching before your split is an important detail.

You'll be stretching your hip flexors, which helps your legs ease nicely into the split position. To begin, sit up on one knee. Bend your front knee, and place your hands, one on top of the other, on this knee. Use your hands to gently push your knee forward. If the knee pushes past your ankle, then push your foot further out, away from your body. Then, push the knee forward again. Try to push so that your knee stops directly above your ankle, but not past it. If you push past your ankle, too much strain is put on your knee and can cause injury. Keeping your back and arms straight, your head up, and your stomach muscles tightened, hold this position for 30 seconds.

Next, straighten your front knee, and sit back on your back leg. Put your hands on the floor, one hand on each side of your leg. Keeping your front leg straight, try to put your nose on your knee. If your nose won't reach your knee, just put your head down as far as it will go until you feel the stretch. Hold for 30 seconds.

Slide It Down
Now that your muscles, joints and ligaments have all been warned of the impending pain, its time to slide into your split. Gently and slowly, slide your front leg forward until it hurts. Be sure to keep one hand on each side of your leg for balance and support. Your back knee should be turned down, touching the floor, instead of turning sideways. Your front knee should face the ceiling. Sit up as straight as you can, tighten your stomach muscles, and point your front toe. It may be very tempting to hold this position for maybe 10 seconds, and then collapse on the floor because the pain is so unnatural. You are stretching your muscles in directions they don't normally go on a daily basis, so of course its going to hurt. Expect it to hurt. Bite your lip, and hold this position for 1 minute and 45 seconds. I promise, with practice it will get easier.

Feel The Burn
Don't fall out of your split yet! After the 1 minute, 45 second hold, you should give yourself an extra challenge, an extra burn, and make sure your muscles are being stretched to their full potential. To do this, try to stay in your split and lift your arms over your head. You may have to put a hand down every few seconds to keep your balance, but only use that hand to correct your balance. Then, put it back up over your head. Grit your teeth and feel the burn for 15 seconds.

Now you can collapse on the floor.

Be sure to shake your legs out before standing back up.

Congratulations! You've completed a three-minute split! Feel free to try the other leg too, so you'll be equally stretched on both sides! Follow these simple steps every day, at least once a day, and you'll soon have a split that's all the way down on the floor. Remember though, the more practice you give your body, the faster you'll reach perfection, and the less painful each split will be. It probably doesn't seem possible now, but guess what? One day, you'll slide down into your split, and feel absolutely no pain at all. 'Til then, don't give up!