Isolating hip drops

[PinkSugar]

Hi there

I've been practicing my hip drops and I can't seem to get that real isolation down. I don't know if this is because I don't have strong oblique muscles to be able to lift my hip enough to get a clean isolated look. I will keep praticing, but the more I am learning the more I am realizing you really do need to have a very strong core and lots of flexibility to master even the most basic movements. I notice they tend to get sore after I've been practicing for awhile, so I don't want to over do it.

 

[Darshiva]

It sounds to me like you're doing everything right, and that all you need is just a little patience (to quote Axl Rose). Also, pay particular attention to giving your obliques a good long stretch after doing your drills, it will help with the soreness & encourage you to give a little bit more each time.

 

[PinkSugar]

It sounds to me like you're doing everything right, and that all you need is just a little patience (to quote Axl Rose). Also, pay particular attention to giving your obliques a good long stretch after doing your drills, it will help with the soreness & encourage you to give a little bit more each time.

Hey Darshiva,

Yes, practice, practice and patience. Thanks for your advice on the stretching

 

[Lydia]

Hi there,, pinky....,,

please try this exerice this will help you i am sure...i give this exercise to many students that have problems because the muscles in that area are short or a bit stiff...if you do this exercise everyday 2 times like just for 2 minutes it is gonna help you a lot.....there are more way,s to strech your ,,it,, band you can see more video,s and read about it ...please try it you will see in 1 week time you will drop much better....have a nice day Lydia

 

[Kashmir]

please try this exerice this will help you i am sure...i give this exercise to many students that have problems because the muscles in that area are short or a bit stiff...if you do this exercise everyday 2 times like just for 2 minutes it is gonna help you a lot.....there are more way,s to strech your ,,it,, band you can see more video,s and read about it ...please try it you will see in 1 week time you will drop much better...

Actually this exercise, if anything, stretches the IT Band attachments - basically the IT Band doesn't stretch - it isn't muscle.

If flexibility is an issue it is more likely to be the lateral flexors. In this case you could try:

• Sit on the floor legs wide, and hips, back, shoulders and head against the wall.
• Bend one leg so the outside is on the floor and the foot is against your knee. Bend the same arm and place you hand on your head - with your elbow against the wall.
• Place the other hand on the floor.
• Keeping everything against the wall, slide your hand away from your body giving yourself a stretch up your side.

However, isolation is more often an issue of control rather than flexibility. You need to be able to rock your hips up and down without twisting forward and back or pushing out to the side (yes, you can bring your hips staright up, you "just" need to recruit a few more muscles into the act). This takes practice.

Once you have this, you need to also learn to hip drop recruiting the standing knee and glute - and adjusting when they fire to keep yourself steady. This takes practice.

So, take it slow - and do it perfectly before adding a layer or speeding up. It should improve with practice - but there are no magic bullets.

 

[Lydia]

hi Kashsmir....perhaps i said it wrong ...and must say ,,it band .,,area muscles hahaha anyway its a real good thing to do...i hope she will try it because i know it helps....

 

[Aniseteph]

...However, isolation is more often an issue of control rather than flexibility. You need to be able to rock your hips up and down without twisting forward and back or pushing out to the side ...

I noticed this when I was a new beginner, especially with hip circles flipping up at the sides. Definitely a control thing, plus a bit of strength.

I've always been fairly flexible, but I don't think this helped at the time. If you HAVE to start small because you don't have the range of movement maybe it helps keeps you focused on getting the move right and controlled (not huge and HEY LOOK - HIP DROP GOING ON!!!!).

 

[jenc]

Are you keeping supported leg softly bent and then dipping that knee slightly when you raise opposite hip? As beginners we often tend to forget that both hips are joined and that in order to go up on one side there needs to be an opposite movement on the other!

 

[PinkSugar]

You ladies are wonderful!!!

I cannot express to you how much I cherish this advice. I will try the excercises you have recommended.

I am now keeping my knee softly bent. I wasn't told to do this until I asked specifically about hip drops. So, I guess I am kind of starting from scratch again. I have the basic idea in my head, but now I am keeping knees soft.

I am veryyy tight to begin with. My teacher has told me I do need to stretch alot, which I am doing every day, so that should definitely help. I'm hoping more muscle control will come in time as I keep practicing. I do think it would help if I do some strength training excercises also.

 

[PinkSugar]

Are you keeping supported leg softly bent and then dipping that knee slightly when you raise opposite hip? As beginners we often tend to forget that both hips are joined and that in order to go up on one side there needs to be an opposite movement on the other!

Hey!

I actually just started dipping my knee, and I see better movement. Thank you for that very important piece of advice!

 

[Chandra]

Maybe it's not...

Maybe it's not so much that you don't have the strength in your obliques as that you are using the just the obliques to lift your hip. Try incorporating the psoas to push the hip upwards and then release it.

 

[Ahimsa]

Despite the fact its called a hip drop 'isolation' every move in belly dance is an 'all body' movement! Check these few points:
- correct posture;
- head up, chest lifted;
- arms and hands framing your body;
- very important - ensure shoulders remain still - do not bop (this ensures all the work is in the hips and that you do not try to compensate with movement in your upper body)
- imagine squeezing your hip right up and then dropping it down (whilst keeping upper body still!)
- keep your knees soft and bent so they can move naturally with the hip movements.
- to make it easier to achieve movement to start off with lift the heel off the floor, so the ball remains gently resting on the floor for balance. However, once you have managed to achieve the isolation you should be able to do the movement with your feet relatively flat (she says, testing the move out in front of her computer...!!)
- relax and take it slow! Do not try to rush or make the move big - this is where you start to see bouncy moves and head bopping! Start really small... you will feel it in your muscles, but that is good! It will come with practice...

Have fun x

 

[Animallover]

You need strong core muscles Ohh no, I guess it's more sit ups for me

 

[Aniseteph]

You need strong core muscles Ohh no, I guess it's more sit ups for me

If you are just starting don't worry about it. Doing the move right and practising a lot will give you the strength and control you need in the right muscles, and be a lot more fun that sit-ups!

 

[Kashmir]

You need strong core muscles Ohh no, I guess it's more sit ups for me

Actually situps are not the best way to build core muscles. When most people do situps they actually use their hip flexors which does sweet FA for your core. Mindful belly dance will help - as will good Pilates or Yoga - or a boring program from a sports rehab physiotherapist.

 

[Daimona]

Sit-ups are boring. Go for yoga or pilates if the dance itself isn't enough..

 

[Shara]

Belly rolls! Lots and lots of them! Leg lifts are okay. Climbing a pole is the best thing I ever did for core muscles!

As for the knees, for almost all of your moves, the knees should be soft (slightly bent) to avoid injury.

 

[Kashmir]

Belly rolls! Lots and lots of them! Leg lifts are okay.

Actually belly rolls don't use your core - they tend to be more Rectus Abdominis. Leg lifts can be done with abs - but if your abs are weak you tend to cheat and use those hip flexors again (and if you must do leg lifts - only do one at a time)

 

[adiemus]

I agree - you're probably best to practice doing the movements you're having trouble with, but doing them slowly, thoughtfully, and watching in the mirror to see that you're doing them correctly.

If you can't get full range (that is, they're not very big) then you need to continue doing them but extending a little further each week.

Far better to do correct movement patterns but small ones, than do big movements using incorrect technique.

Then when you're too tired to practice the movement, try imagining yourself doing the movement (the internal feeling of the movement) and doing it correctly. Even though this sounds weird, it's actually using many of the same neural pathways as you do when you actually physically do the movement. Given that so much of the way we move is not about our muscle strength but is about control, this will help you far more than you realise (and you can do it anywhere!) and you'll find it much easier to 'get' the movements when you go back to actually doing them!

We use this a lot in the rehabilitation work I do - awesome stuff!

 

[Shara]

Major muscles included are the pelvic floor muscles, transversus abdominis, multifidus, internal and external obliques, rectus abdominis, erector spinae (sacrospinalis) especially the longissimus thoracis, and the diaphragm. Minor core muscles include the latissimus dorsi, gluteus maximus, and trapezius.

Core Muscles

The major muscles of your core include:

Transverse Abdominis (TVA)-The deepest of the abdominal muscles, this lies under the obliques (muscles of your waist). It acts like a weight belt, wrapping around your spine for protection and stability.Target Exercise: Plank
External Obliques-These muscles are on the side and front of the abdomen, around your waist.Target Exercise: Arm Sweep
Internal Obliques-These muscles lie under the external obliques, running in the opposite direction.Target Exercise: Crossover Crunch
Rectus Abdominis-The Rectus Abdominis is a long muscle that extends along the front of the abdomen. This is the 'six-pack' part of the abs that becomes visible with reduced body fat. Target Exercise: Crunch
Erector Spinae -The erector spinae is actually a collection of three muscles along your neck to your lower back. Target Exercise: Back Extension
Happy strengthening!