Pre-pointe exercises and beginner pointe training – Here are a collection of my top strength, control and stability exercises to get you ready for pointe work. These exercises are designed for students who have several years of ballet training and are actively working towards their first pair of pointe shoes. However, these exercise are also great for beginners who want to strengthen their ballet-specific muscles, as well as more advanced students who are already dancing en pointe but wanting to improve. Obviously, preparing for pointe work is a massive topic, one which deserves it’s own post, but this post is specifically to give you some safe and effective exercises that you can start right now.
To be successful and safe dancing en pointe, you of course need great ballet technique, but you also need to be strong! You need strength in your core, hips, glutes and deep turnout muscles, quads, calves, ankles and feet. Phew! That may seem overwhelming, but with the right exercises, you can prepare for pointe work – and improve your pointe work – effectively and efficiently.
There are of course loads of great pre-pointe exercises, but in this video I go through some of my favourites. I have chosen these particular exercises because they are safe and effective for pretty much everyone. This group of exercises also covers pretty much all of the muscles you need to strengthen.
If you’ve been preparing for pointe work for awhile and are hoping to get your first pair of pointe shoes soon, it is highly recommended you undergo a full pre-pointe assessment. A pre-pointe assessment is carried out by a qualified physical therapist or teacher and is designed to assess if you are ready for the physical and technical challenges of pointe work. You can find out more information here.
Also, if you are an adult student working towards pointe work, you are likely to encounter particular challenges. Check out my guide to starting pointe work as an adult. Adult Specific Pointe Training (This article was also featured in Pointe Magazine.)
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Any questions about the exercise, leave a comment below or message me.
Happy Dancing!
**Disclaimer – these exercises are not a substitute for technique class, but rather they are designed to compliment the work you are doing in ballet classes.
