Feet & shimmies?

[BellydancerofWillendorf]

Just a general question, When I am working on my shimmies my feet start to cramp up. I am guessing that I am tensing the muscles up, but how the heck do you relax those muscle (or could it be something different?) Any suggestions would be appreciated.

 

[Josephine]

Do you warm up and stretch properly first? If I get cramping anywhere on my body (including my feet) it's either because I didn't stretch and/or I'm dehydrated.

I just had a thought, is it actually cramping or are your feet just getting sore quickly? When I first started doing shimmies, I found that the tops of my feet got really sore but that was because I wasn't used to working those muscles in that manner.

 

[Darshiva]

Actually, the best way I found to stretch my feet if they start cramping up lengthways (in left to right, right to left) is to get out my toe-spacers & wear them for 40 minutes or so, like I was having a pedicure.

 

[LilithNoor]

I wonder if you're letting your centre of gravity drift too far forward, and putting stran on your feet. I try to keep my weight over my heels, and the moment I feel strain in my feet I know i've swayed too far forward and am clenching my toes up to keep my balance

 

[Maysoon]

Do you warm up and stretch properly first? If I get cramping anywhere on my body (including my feet) it's either because I didn't stretch and/or I'm dehydrated.

try this exercise they do in ballet; point and flex your feet, then circle your feet around to the left and to the right. Hope that helps!

 

[Yame]

You're probably tensing up your feet, but only you or perhaps someone who is seeing what you are doing can tell if that's really the case. Next time you shimmy, pay attention to your feet the whole time, before they start cramping up. See if you can spot the tension as soon as it starts building, and try to relax them.

If they cramp up, stop, stretch them, massage them, and then try again once they're better.

I don't believe it's a matter of weight placement. I personally prefer to keep my weight centered (spread evenly throughout the foot) or a few degrees forward towards the ball of the foot, depending on the effect I am going for at the time. I never have my weight back on the heels when doing shimmies. Yet, I have never had a problem with my feet cramping up (and I have a lot of issues with my feet!). I also know a lot of people who use this posture and have never heard of the problem.

So I really think it's a matter of tension building up in a specific body part due to the fact that you are focusing and trying hard to work on something else... some people have issues with their hands, some people clench their jaws, and some people, I guess, get foot cramps. I think it's the body's way of telling you to relax and take a look at the whole picture.

 

[Suzanne Azhaar]

Relax, relax, relax....and just for fun...try gently lifting your toes during shimmy practice. Used to seriously grip the floor with ten toes, cramping my feet to no end (ouch!). Gently lifting toes allowed the feet to stretch/relax. Now it doesn't matter. It's all good. :think: Hope this works for you.

 

[BellydancerofWillendorf]

Thank you all... I have some very good ideas to try!

 

[Sirène]

Found this on YT. She starts the exercises at about the :30 mark.



I've actually been having this problem (foot cramping) lately, mostly after INTENSE leg shimmies. I thought it was lack of conditioning, but I'll watch out for "tensing" next time I'm practicing.

 

[Kashmir]

What sort of shimmy are you doing? Would appear you are tensing your feet - which should go no where near anything that is creating a shimmy! If need be, take the speed down and try and see what is going on and only then bring the speed back up.

 

[LilithNoor]

I don't believe it's a matter of weight placement. I personally prefer to keep my weight centered (spread evenly throughout the foot) or a few degrees forward towards the ball of the foot.

Maybe I didn;t explain properly- what you describe sounds like good posture and placement. It's when my weight drifts much further forward (someone downthread described 'gripping' the floor with their toes, which is very apt) that it all goes pearshaped.

 

[Sirène]

What sort of shimmy are you doing? Would appear you are tensing your feet - which should go no where near anything that is creating a shimmy! If need be, take the speed down and try and see what is going on and only then bring the speed back up.

Don't know if this was directed at me or the OP, but I was shimmying again today and I realized the foot cramps hit about the time I start trying to ramp up the speed. Still working on why...