With the upcoming competitive dance season and the Winter Olympics just around the corner, what better way to tackle a dancer's physical and mental preparation than looking to the practices that the country's most elite athletes use? From March through to June dancers really need to meet their maximum in terms of fitness and technical ability. They have, after all, been training intensively since August. When it comes to perfect execution of a group or solo performance on competition days, the mental component of things comes into play. When dancers are going to one competition after the next, it becomes a bit of a marathon where they need to be absolutely on top of sleep and nutrition in order to perform at their best for the duration of the competitive season.
Here's a list of tips and tricks that are used by Canada's olympic athletes that dancer's can apply to their own routine as they prepare for the exciting season ahead:
1) Diet and Hydration: High performance athletes must eat every 3-4 hours and within 90 minutes of working out. Start each day with a nutritious breakfast of complex carbohydrates (like steel cut oatmeal) and lean protein (cottage cheese, egg whites, nuts, fish or chicken). Drink plenty of water throughout the day and hydrate during your classes with either water or sports drinks.
2) Sleep: Try to get to bed before 11pm and sleep for 8 - 10 hours in a very dark environment. Avoid watching TV or being on the computer 30 minutes before bed. This will give you optimal hormonal release while you sleep.
3) Warm-up and Recovery: Be sure to warm-up prior to class with at least 10 minutes of light jogging or skipping rope. You can even try reverse lunges to improve body awareness and co-ordination. After your class, cool down with gentle stretching, foam rolling or massage to avoid soreness and injury. You want your body to feel good the next time you take class.
4) Mental Preparation: Dancers and athletes have a range of techniques to ensure that they are mentally present on the big day and during their performance. Do some research and find out what might work best for you. Some things include finding inspirational quotes or mantras, watching videos of other professionals for motivation, finding a "pre-game day" and "game day" ritual. In the moment when you are attempting challenging steps, find out which visualizations work best for you. Of course, there is the power of repetition. Do challenging sequences over and over again in rehearsal until your body can do it without even thinking. Finally, don't forget to breath!
5) Your Team: Teachers should be there to push you to meet your maximum potential. Hopefully they are able to assess whether a "tough-love" approach or more gentle encouragement works best for each individual. Competitive team members also need to be there for one another in class and at competition. Telling each other that they are capable of achieving a difficult step and pushing one another when things get tough is very important. A positive team atmosphere is essential.
Olympic athletes are known to train together even though they may compete against one another. Training with a friend increases your accountability and your commitment to your dancing will go up.
6) Complimentary Training: Any additional exercise you do outside of class should be varied. This means that you shouldn't always go for a jog at the same pace for the same amount of time on the same path. An athletes body will grow accustomed to that kind of repetition quickly and improvement will cease. Instead, vary your cardio with things like jogging, jumping rope, biking, or going on an eliptical trainer. Find different ways to strengthen abdominal muscles and switch it up from one work out to the next. Lastly, don't forget to strengthen your back! Dancers get pre-occupied with abdominals and legs often forgetting that leg lines and turns will become so much stronger with increased strength across the back. Do push ups, use a swiss ball or thera-band to get your back in tip-top form.
Best of luck to our competitive team as we gear up for the exciting season ahead. Hopefully these tips will help everyone surpass their expectations and goals for the year.
Sincerely,
Madame Jete
