Parents Painful Curled Toe Exercise

[gym1024]

My 9 year old DD informed me that she is having to curl her toes under and support her weight during warmup at practice. She is allowed to use the ballet bar to help balance, but she is not allowed use it to support her weight. Anyone know what the purpose is of this exercise? She said it's terribly painful and some girls cry. Before I say something to the coach, I'm looking for feedback from others.

 

[GYM0M]

Can't think of one, but I'm fairly new to gymnastics. Unless they are wanting her on pointe like in ballet....but even then I think she's border line age for pointe shoes.

 

[gym1024]

Thanks for your response. I wondered about that, but wasn't sure if en pointe the dancers curled their toes under. The bearing of her weight on curled toes is what concerns me.

 

[GYM0M]

No, dancers do not curl their toes under. The more I think on it, it could be a way to stretch their feet, but I am not aware of any benefits and can count lots of different exercises that would have same results without strain

 

[Azgymmiemom]

My dd does not do this...they stretch other ways, but my ds's group walks around the spring floor with their toes curled under like this. It does stretch their feet and they don't complain about it, but I think it's gruesome.

 

[2G1B]

I have never seen my kids do this in practice; but my 9 yo DD does it on her own at home sometimes. I tell her to stop it.

 

[gym1024]

Do they actually raise their heels off of the ground? It's like going up all the way on your tip toes, but the toes curled under.

 

[mommyof1]

There is a stretch where you stand on one foot and press the top of the other foot/toes into the floor, but I have never seen anyone try it with both feet at once. I have only ever heard ballet teachers tell kids NOT to stand on curled toes.

 

[gym1024]

Thanks!

 

[profmom]

Our boys don't do that one that I know of, but they do have some three-minute toe-pointing exercise that generates a lot of complaining from a lot of boys. DS would rather work on his center split than do that drill, whatever it is, and that's saying a lot!

 

[KnowNuthin]

As far as I know, no one at our gym does this--neither do we walk across the gym's spring floor with toes curled. My daughter had to do the latter at a gym she was visiting (West Coast) but that's the only time she's had to do that. The best explanation I have is that this helps stretch their feet.

 

[thefellowsmom]

Our girls do a stretch where they sit on their heels and then push themselves back and up onto their toes. Then the lift their butts up into the air and back down a few times. And then they go into a downward dog like position and go quickly from front of toe to ball of foot and back several times. Does that make any sense at all?

It appears that they have control over how much weight they put on their toes and how deep the stretch is at all times because they are always supporting themselves with their arms.

Flexibility on the front of the foot for toe point and then just general toe strength would be my guess.

 

[Fliptwisttumble]

The girls at our gym do exactly the exercise you explain..... Up onto the front of their toes then off, back on their toes. there are some other things they do with their toes in that position as well. Not sure why, the rationale, etc.

I asked her about it once as it looked painful but she really shrugged it off and gave me an eye roll like "oh, mom....."

 

[my4buffaloes]

The girls are out gym do this. They hold on to the balance beam some but most of their weight is fully on their curled under toes. They hate it, but I figure it is for flexibility in the toes.

 

[Kiwi]

Yikes! Never seen it. Feet aren't designed to be used that way, I can't think of any real benefit.