Toe Touch Drills for Dancers and Cheerleaders

If you're in cheerleading or do pom routines for dance team, you need to be able to execute a killer toe touch. Sometimes referred to as "russians" by dancers, the best toe touches have these things in common: height, extended legs and pointed toes. To achieve a great toe touch, you need to have a good deal of flexibility as well as strength in your legs and core muscles. The following toe touch drills will help you with this difficult trick.



Stretching

Before you work on toe touch drills, be sure to get in a good stretch. Recommended stretches include lunges, the pike, the butterfly, the straddle and the splits.

For more information on stretching and improving flexibility:

-Leg Stretches That Increase Flexibility

-Front Splits Training For Dancers



Squats and Lunges

These are basic strengthening moves that every dancer and cheerleader needs in order to execute a variety of skills. When doing these exercises, avoid bringing your knees over your toes-this is hard on the joints. Do at least 30 squats and 20 lunges on each leg.



Straddled Leg Lifts

Toe touches require a fair amount of hip flexor strength. If you have weak hip flexors, do these toe touch drills every day and you'll be amazed ath the improvement in your toe touches!


Start by sitting in a wide straddle. You can place your hands on the floor behind your thighs, or hold them out in second position. Lift your right leg a foot off the floor, leaning back slightly. Hold for a count of three, and then bring your leg down until it is just an inch from the floor. Repeat ten times on each side, and then ten times with both legs at once.



V-ups

Dancers and cheerleaders often forget how essential a strong core is for all jumps, and especially for toe touches. The great thing about v-ups is that they simultaneously work the core and the hip flexors. Lie on the ground with your hands extended behind your head. As you raise your legs up in the air, bring your torso off the floor and touch your toes with your hands. Lower your legs and upper body slowly to the floor. Do two or three sets of ten reps.



Repeated Toe Touches

Of course, one of the best ways to improve toe touches is to do a ton of them. For these toe touch drills, you'll have to do at least ten toe touches, pausing two or three seconds between each toe touch. This will get tiring quickly, but it will also build strength in your legs and improve your stamina.