North Dakota State University from Fargo, ND

You’ve heard all the usuals before – point your toes, keep your back straight, strong arms – but here are 5 easy-to-miss tips for perfecting toe touches!

1) Jump through your toes. Lots of dancers have a habit of releasing their toes from the floor during their prep and then jumping from the balls of their feet. This limits your height so be sure to check that you’re jumping (and landing) through your toes – they should be the last thing to leave the floor on the way up and the first to return on the way down!

2) Snap down. You should be snapping your legs up to hit your toe touch but don’t forget to snap down as well. How you come out of the skill is just as important as how you get into it! Remembering to snap your legs down after you hit the top of your jump will make the skill stronger, cleaner and sharper.

3) Look up. Keeping a spot above eye-level throughout the skill will help you maintain a nice straight back and we want to see your face not the top of your head.

4) Turn out from your hips. You want to prep and land parallel but make sure you’re rotating from your hips while on the way up so that you’re fully turned out at the top of the jump. Turning out from the hips gives your legs a much greater range of motion and will also help to keep your back straight. If you have a habit of sticking your bottom out behind you in your toe touches you’re probably not turning out from your hips – problem solved!

5) Engage your core. It’s easy to do this in your prep but remember to engage your core throughout the entire skill – prep, jump and landing. This will ensure that your toe touch is controlled and lowers the risk of injury.

Did you find these tips helpful?