Literature Review 5: "Can Ballet Lessons Improve your football skills?"

During one of my discussions with fellow dancers/ teachers in the industry, we came across the topic of what can be done to prevent an injury, or what help/ guidance was given to us personally when we each had our own injury’s. 

     When I became injured my foot went into plaster cast and then I had to wear an air cast boot for some time afterwards.  Once I began walking steadily again I began my physio treatment.  The physio itself built up the muscle strength in my leg and I received ultrasound treatment on my foot.  Once the physio treatment began to take effect I decided to begin my gradual journey in getting back into dance.  A previous teacher of mine suggested that ballet was the best place to start.

   It was whilst we were discussing this theory that someone mentioned that athletes such as footballers do ballet to not only help with their injuries but even to help with their game.  This interested me greatly so I decided to take it further by investigating this theory.

I came across this article and found this quote:

 “England captain Rio Ferdinand was so good he won a five-year scholarship to the Central School of Ballet before becoming a professional player. Former Manchester United striker Dion Dublin used the dance discipline to aid his recovery from a career-threatening injury. Queens Park Rangers had a tie-up with the English National Ballet, prompting the unforgettable sight of 6ft 2in, 100kg centre back Danny Shittu in a tutu. Even Wimbledon during the years of the so-called ‘crazy gang’, featuring the likes of Vinnie Jones and Dennis Wise, trained with a ballet.”

I have highlighted a certain part of this quote as it refers specifically to an injury.  Although ballet did not cure him, it aided his recovery and although ballet was only a small contribution to his recovery, he was still willing to do it.  I wonder though whether this was recommended by a professional in the medical industry, someone within the sports industry or someone in the dance industry.

I referred back to my own experiences, the fact that a dance teacher recommended ballet to me to aid my recovery process made me wonder if other teachers were encouraging this.  Further into the article it states:

“Zalcman, a former professional ballet dancer who trained at the Royal Academy of Dance, has been taking classes at Pineapple for more than 20 years. ‘Often people are either very supple but weak, or strong but their muscles are tight,’ she says. ‘With ballet we try to achieve both strength and flexibility – it’s very unique in that way. Dancers need to be very supple but very strong. My classes are designed for anybody, regardless of experience, ability or physique, and I have people from all walks of life.”

I remember being hesitant about joining a ballet class as I didn’t want to draw attention to my injury by disrupting the class or by not being able to join in with certain exercises and having to explain myself.  I commend this person for opening up their class to all no matter what their ability or physique.  If this message was included in the advertisement of a dance class, would dancers recovering from an injury feel more willing to attend?  Are there enough dance classes out there opening up their lessons to those of all different abilities and physiques?
Another quote from the article is:

“‘Ballet is also very disciplined so it focuses the mind, which is crucial in football – there is a lot going on mentally in a match and you have to be aware of what’s going on around you, and my classes are the same. It’s also very elegant and very graceful, traits which could be attached to many of the greatest footballers to play the game.”

If ballet focuses on the mind as well as the physical aspect of it, could this aid how a dancer copes mentally with the recovery process of an injury?  The way in which ballet focuses on the mind can be very calming and help you to control your feelings and emotions, e.g. not getting overwhelmed/ or overreacting to the outcome of an injury and its effects on you personally. 

   “Joining Zalcman’s class on a busy Monday night isn’t scary at all. Sure, there are participants of a higher standard than me, I’m aching from the previous day’s game and I’m one of only two blokes, but once I’ve had a good stretch and mastered my stance, the backdrop of classical music makes the experience quite therapeutic”

Music has been said and proven to be a form of therapy for some individuals, but can it calm and aid dancers too?  From experience, dance classes always free me of any other worries or stress and I do find them to be very enjoyable and calming.  However, it’s only as soon as that music starts that I feel that sense of relaxation and letting go of all my problems outside of the studio.

This particular teacher who teaches at Pineapple dance studios states:

“‘We work a lot on the correct posture, which is very important not just for ballet but in everyday life, especially if you sit in front of a computer or have to stand all day,’ says Zalcman. ‘I teach people how to stretch properly so they can go away and do it safely themselves. This helps to prevent injuries such as pulling your hamstring or calf strains. For anyone doing any kind of physical activity ballet is really going to help them. You don’t need to be physically fit, but come regularly and you will get fit. You’ll be blown away by what you can achieve.”

I am pleased to know there are teachers out there who are addressing this issue and ensuring that people are made more aware of what they can do personally to prevent injuries.  In the last module I came across an article where a woman observed a dance class where the teacher did neither a warm-up or cool down.  During my training I did have a “led cool down” from the teacher, however, we were always instructed to cool down ourselves.  At the age and standard I was at, this was something I should have been able to do myself.
    The sentence that stood out the most to me personally was “You’ll be blown away by what you can achieve”.  This is a positive, forward thinking message.  More messages such as these and advertisements to the public encouraging all abilities to attend dance classes need to be put out there for all dancers to see.

http://www.metro.co.uk/lifestyle/818437-can-ballet-lessons-improve-your-football-skills