Jump Height and the Dancer



Source: Pinterest

Jump height can be affected by various factors such as muscle mass, flexibility, isometric muscle strength, age, height, weight and level of expertise (Koutedakis and Jamurtas, 2004 and Rafferty, 2010). Indeed, even the muscular requirements vary between dance genres. This is seen in a systematic review by Angioi et al. (2009) who found contemporary dancers to have greater muscle endurance than their ballet counterparts. Additionally, recent literature found on-going regular dance classes for ballet dancers to be insufficient in increasing fitness or the levels of strength required in elite dance (Brown et al., 2007, Koutedakis et al., 2007 Koutedakis and Jamurtas, 2004) as well as being unspecific to jumping, despite the large occurrence within dance choreography (Wynon et al., 2006).

Strength, defined as the ‘ability to overcome external resistance or counter external forces using muscle’ (Koutedakis, 2005) is essential for slow controlled movements in dance such as a développé and grand rond de jambs. Additionally, power, the ability to perform movement using force and speed is all vital for jumps such as a pas de chat or batterie. Dancers remain subject to the same physical stresses as sporting athletes. However, although strength training has been part of a ballet dancers training for a great number of years, it has yet to be seen as an integral part of fitness training (Koutedakis et al., 2005). Views of this have been due to the caution of upsetting the aesthetics of dancer’s bodies by fears that hypertrophy may occur. This is due to the requirement for a lean, small body size (Koutedakis et al., 2005 and Twitchett, 2009). A cause for concern is illustrated in a study by Angioi et al. (2009) who found there to be an association between a reduced power in lower limbs and an increase in injury severity within contemporary dancers. In support of this Russell (2013) reported professional ballet dancers saw a decrease in injury incidence following physical training. And previous research has shown that power development such as used for achieving jump height becomes impaired if an athlete incorporates a moderate to high amount of sustained aerobic exercise within a training programme (Hennessy and Watson, 1994 and Kraemer et al., 1995) which may occur via neuromuscular and endocrine adaptions (Elliot et al., 2007).

Supplementary training in the forms of Pilates, Alexander technique, upper body weight lifting and yoga have been popular with dancers over the recent years (Koutedakis and Jamurtas, 2004 and Weiss et al., 2008). However the exercise Pilates has been found to be insignificant in improving strength and alignment within dancers (Bernado and Nagle, 2006). Yet, Russell (2013) believes that this physical exercise which is already popular should be encouraged with greater intensity and training volume in a wider fitness programme.

Plyometric exercises are often included in rehabilitation & regular training programmes to prepare athletes for the demands of their sport (Shiner et al., 2005) by training the muscle to reach maximal strength in a short period of time (Brewer, 2005), however it is uncommon to use within the dancing population. Recent literature, however has shown there to be a possibly beneficial effect of using plyometric and vibration training to develop the neuromuscular aspects of power training within dance, with no increase in muscle bulk (Wynon et al., 2006,. Brown et al., 2007 and Grossman and Wilmerding, 2000).

Extreme neuromuscular control is also required for aesthetically pleasing jumps and as such supplementary training should be pushed towards improving strength and power of the musculature required of jumping for improving the aesthetics (Brown et al., 2007 and Grossman and Wilmerding, 2000). Short term neuromuscular adaption via plyometric training has seen a positive increase in lower extremity strength, power and stretch-shortening cycle (SSC) muscle function within healthy individuals (Markovic and Mikulic,2010), thus suggesting an appropriateness to use as prehabilitation tool.

Repetitive jumping may lead to injury from the continuous trauma of landing (Ortega et al., 2010). Despite, bone mineral density being high within female ballet dancers due to high levels of weight bearing activity (Van Marken Lichtenbelt et al., 1995), fatigue has shown to be detrimental to performance within sport (Twittchett et al., 2011) and it is logical to apply this to dance. Due to the concerns that dancers do not have the same strength levels of athletes, it may be suggested that dancers are left at even greater risk of injury during times of fatigue (Twittchett et al., 2011 and Koutedakis et al., 1997). Indeed research by Koutedakis et al. (1997) has seen that low levels of thigh strength is associated with a higher severity of injury within dancers at the pelvis, leg and foot (Laws, 2005 and Turner et al., 2003). And many dancers have viewed fatigue as one of the leading causes in a decrease of performance ability in balance, poise, coordination and alignment, consequently leading to injury (Wyon, 2010). However, dynamic neuromuscular training has been found to reduce gender differences in force absorption, active joint stability, muscle imbalances and functional biomechanics causes of injury within the dancing population when weak (Bronner et al., 2003), whilst increasing structural tissue strength (Myer et al., 2005).

As such plyometric training could be used to enhance performance, prevent injury and rehabilitate injured dancing athletes as part of a multi-component physical conditioning programme (Markovic and Mikulic, 2010). Indeed, Allen et al., (2012) and Twittchett et al. (2010) calls for the need to introduce interventions to reduce injuries within classical and contemporary ballet to reduce hours lost from dancing. However, Wyon et al. (2006) and Brittenham (1992) advise that the use of plyometric training should be taken with care due to the high intensity nature of exercises that could cause injury in a fatigued participant. Thus, the effectiveness of a plyometric exercise should not be measured by the exhaustion of the athlete as this may lead to over training and possible overuse injuries (Shiner et al., 2005).

Thank you for reading. In my next blog post I shall be examining which Plyometric exercises to use with dancers. Please comment on this post with any of your own experiences in regards to plyometric training within dance or if you have any questions.

Start Strong, Finish Stronger.