Ballet Boot Training Advice Please!!!

[hckyplyr123]

Hello there, I just purchased a pair of ballet heels and I was wondering what advice is out there in regards to helping me get closer to being able to extend my legs out as well as helping me be able to eventually walk in them. They fit great, they are tight when I tie them so my feet do not slide down in them and they stay where I need them too. Please give me any advice out there that people have that might be able to help me. Thanks.

[Dr. Shoe]

Practice.

[balletboot2000]

As Dr Shoe simply put it. it's down to practice. When you stand up, have something like the back of a chair to hold onto, and simply practice standing up. When you are happy, try walking, with tiny steps. Don't try too much too soon, and remember to keep your toe nails cut short.

[DR Who 3]

I have found that @ night I'll put some weight on my toes ie. a pillow/ heavy blankets and use the weight to strech my feet in the pointe position for a while while i'm in bed before I turn in for the night. This has helped me in walking in my ballet boots. Also I use Leos' gel pads ( Pink ones) for toe padding also I put some thin eva rubber padding on top of my feet to pad the tops of my toes as well. I bought the gel pads @ our local dance store. When I started out I used the hallways in my house as they helped me when I needed to balance my self. Once you solve the toe padding issue then it's a matter of training your ankles/legs to take the strain and build strength in your legs to be able to walk in bboots. I have had my boots since Nov. last year and I try to walk in them 2 to 3 times a week for @ least 1 hr. @ a time. I have gotten to the point now where I walk quite well( not as well as Pata) but my legs get quite tired after my sessions after all I'm 62 years old but I hope this will improve. The more you can practice/walk in the boots the better you'll get. I'm glad to see more people giving these things a try. P.S. I also fashioned a gusset( check my other posts for details) between the heel and sole of my boots to make the heels stronger. I have have read stories of people braking the heels off there boots and I didn't want this to happen to me especialy while I was walking in them. The Best to you. Dr Who 3

[Dr. Shoe]

If you're walking in ballet boots properly you shouldn't be putting any weight on the heel, it is really only there to provide support when standing.

[heelma]

I had one pair of ballet boots over 10 years ago now, and I never made it to walk in them well. I managed to move forward somehow though, particularly when holding onto something. However, I am pretty sure that that's when a bunion started to form on my foot. Is there any trick involved to avoid such an issue? I mean, clearly all your weight lays on your toes, so isn't that just like a "bunion waiting to happen"? This was just another case of "I want to try it."

[DR Who 3]

Perhaps you could ask Pata as she appears to have the most experience walking in ballets.

[Rockpup]

dr_shoe: thats the reason I had to cut 1/2" off the heels of my devious knee boots that I can walk in. In order to put the toe down first I was having to angle my shin forward quite a bit. After cutting the heel I could even walk on a surface where the heel would dig into the dirt without too many issues

[DR Who 3]

I also cut a bit off the heel on my ballet boots at@ first but after I reworked the heel with the gusset I added the amt. back. I found @ first I had a real problem with my ankle/foot /shin conforming to the pointe position when walking that's when I started streching my foot in the pointe position as mentioned in another post. I don't have any problems now with that part of getting used to bboots. How ever after about 2 hrs of off and on walking/standing my upper legs get very tired and I have stop my session. I have found that I put aprox. 30% of my weight on my heels when walking/standing. I make sure my boots fight tight around the top and ball of my foot area this keeps my feet higher and less weight on my toes. This works very well for me I only wish I could find a way to do a video to explain what I'm doing. I'll keep working on it. Dr. Who 3

[devab]

I have found that @ night I'll put some weight on my toes ie. a pillow/ heavy blankets and use the weight to strech my feet in the pointe position for a while while i'm in bed before I turn in for the night.

I happen to use the same technique! It's very convenient and comfortable; I find myself doing it almost every night. It's an easy way to lightly stetch out the entire leg and ankle. And if you place a pillow under your feet it will force your legs to stretch even more.

[DR Who 3]

I'll try the pillow under my feet thing as I have one of those memory foam beds and my heels sink into the foam. Do you have a pair of ballet boots and do you use them? If so please share your expierence.

[balletboot]

i myself have a pair of ballet heels and i love them, when i first got them i couldnt keep my knees straight but after about a week or two if practicing i could straighten out my knees and walk in them with holding onto something, so i would say all u really need to do is practice. its been about 6 months since i got them and now i can confidently walk up and down stairs without holding onto the rail

[DR Who 3]

That's cool I have been working on going up and down stairways as well. This spring I was out west for a while and went out in public and tried to walk down hill, quite the work out and challange as the girl in the German video explaines. And yes I agree the more your able to practice the better you get at walking/standing in bheels. Dr. Who 3

[balletboot]

thats one that i havnt tried is going down hills but i might have to give it a shot now that u mention it

[balletboot2000]

Balletboot, as mentioned by Dr Who, its the practice required at going down hill that is the hardest. Its a matter of practice, but try and make sure that there is something like a handrail nearby to help steady yourself. You'll have to bend your knees. Make sure you are comfy with your toe padding before you go too far.

[balletboot]

yes i would asume that i would have to bend my knees, i can walk around and stand for a couple hours without my feet starting to hurt, i have been wearing ballet boots for about 6 months and all i have done is practiced to get to this point and i can walk up and down stairs and on flat surfaces without holding on to anything and feeling completly comfertable, so some time in the near future i will give it a try.

[Mckailah]

I have a suggestion for those looking to train their feet to be En Pointe. (wear ballet heels or extreme [6 or more inches] high heels) I use this method every night and I can now bend my feet into a banana shape, after only three weeks of training. I don't get any more cramps, and I am also working on building up toe strength while doing this exercise.

Materials:

1 24" x 30" piece of 3/4" plywood.

1 belt (Webbed cloth, not leather, at least 2" wide and 40" long)

2 towels (You can use any cloth to covre the wood and use as a pad.)

Step 1: Place plywood on ground or foot of bed.

Step 2: Place one towel over wood to prevent splinters.

Step 3: Fold the second towel into a square and place on top of the second towel, between the front (the side farthest from you) and the middle of the wood

Step 4: Place belt under the front of the wood with the buckle off to one side, extended to a length that is comfortable for your feet

Step 5: Place heels on the folded towel, and hook feet under belt with belt just behind toes.

Step 6: Extend legs out as far as you can by scooting your bottom back and keeping your heels on the folded towel

You should feel the muscles and tendons stretching as you do this. DO NOT OVER STRETCH! You can actually damage the muscles and tendons in your feet by overstretching. You should feel a gentle stretch to start off with and then gradually increase the stretch. You should feel this stretching feeling start to subside after a few minutes if done correctly. I personally hold this stretch for about 30 minutes and then wait at least an hour before I do it again.

Step 7 (optional): You can use a second belt to fasten the part of the plywood around your calves, if and only if you wist to sleep in this setup. Although sleeping with your feet is NOT recommended, you can search online for a contraption called a night splint which can safely keep your feet bent and "stretching" while you sleep. They are usually used for Planter Fascitis (a condition in which the tendons in the lower arch of the foot have become over stretched or over shortened causing a constant dull to extreme pain in the arch.)

To get a better pointe posture for your feet, bend at the waist while sitting down and try to touch your toes. Most people cannot touch their toes while en pointe, but the closer you get, the more of a stretch you will feel. Again, DO NOT OVER STRETCH!

After a week or so, tighten the belt just a little bit and stretch a little more. A very small amount of tightening is necessary to make a large amount of difference in the stretching feeling.

If you want to build toe strength, while doing this stretch, try to pioint your toes to the ceiling, and hold it for as long as you can, then try to point your toes to the floor and hold for as long as you can.

!!!ATTENTION!!!

I am not a medical doctor, nor do I hold any licenses in medicine or muscular therapy. Take this advise at your own risk and please consult a medical professional before undertaking any new stretching regimine. Please also, look online for a product called the ballet foot stretch @ www.footstretch.com to get an idea of what this stretch does, as this piece of equipment does the exact same thing as what I have explained. This site will also teach you a little more of how to do other stretches and may lead you to other sites about ballet stretching and strength training.

Thank you for your time.

[TaraSterling]

For me, the hot thing about ballet boots (esp. locking ones) is that my sub is *not* able to walk in them... However if it is really important to you, perhaps a real ballet class with dancing on point would be helpful? Is anyone here a practicing/ former ballet dancer? I would be really interested in hearing comparrisons between real ballet dancing on point and fetish ballet boots...

[thehighheelsgirl]

I used to be a ballerina, and I can tell you it def helps me wear ballet boots. As a ballerina, honestly, the heel is more in the way than anything, but you get used to it. If you have strong feet and good technique, you don't need the heel Jen

[derf]

The Devious brand ballet heels are made with the heel too long. Brand new out of the box if you stand up the shoe and look at the heel angle it is angled forward. Tip the shoe back until the heel is straight up. Measure the gap between the sole under the toe and the floor. This is how much needs to be cut off of the heel before you can walk properly in your ballets. If the toe area is not properly padded the shoe will break down around the toe and cause the shoe to lean forward again which may result in another cutting of the heel.

[balletboot]

well with the heels being to long it could possibly be a way for someone who wants to have more of and arch then the average ballet heel, altho that is if the user has there feet and ankles flexible enough to bend that far depending on how much longer the heel is

[DR Who 3]

There was a video on google showing someone walking in their kitchen in red ballet boots and with each step I noticed that the toes semed to crinkle/crush a bit. This is one reason I decided to renforce soles of my boots with 4 layers of fiberglass laminate. I have noticed from wearing my bboots that the leather around the front of the toes has become less rigid. I have read that real ballet shoes do the same thing thats another reason I renforced the soles on my boots. Therefore instead of cutting off your heel go to auto parts store or similar store and get a fiberglass repair kit and build up the sole of your bboots as I did. This has worked very well for me. I don't mean to make the sole a platform but 1/8" or a bit more isn't that much. Remember to taper the layers as you go up the sole to the heel if you want to keep the thin sole look on that part of the bboot. Before the fiberglass has set completly take a very sharp knife and trim the excess fiberglass being very carefull not to cut the boot part of your bboots. You will need to glue some kind of thin wide rubber heel tip to the toe area of the sole you can find these @ a shoe repair desplay @ a local discount store. I hope all this helps. Best to you all. Dr. Who 3

[Trinity]

as everyone else has said walking and practice is the answer but there is a proper ballet training device that i have heard good things about called the ballet foot strercher. it is a sculpted piece of wood that has a stretchy band on the end to tuck your toes under. this then fits snugly to the back of your leg and you can hold in your hand and stretch out your leg and keep training. Trin

[highestheels]

Yes I have seen them. I have made one myself having produced a scale model. Just need to find a strong elastic for the toe.

[daddy's_girl]

i've heard that just using an old belt works....

[Chorlini]

as everyone else has said walking and practice is the answer but there is a proper ballet training device that i have heard good things about called the ballet foot strercher. it is a sculpted piece of wood that has a stretchy band on the end to tuck your toes under. this then fits snugly to the back of your leg and you can hold in your hand and stretch out your leg and keep training.

Trin

I've seen their site. I wouldn't mind having one or two but unfortunately they only accept credit cards. Which I don't have.

[CassieJ]

My wife had a couple of photo shoots this weekend and ended up walking in ballet heels for about 30 minutes on one of them. For the most part, she could get along on her own but we were close to catch her if she faltered. With the other props and stuff, she did almost fall a couple of times but we gave her an arm to gram to steady herself. I will post a link to the images when they make it online.

[Trinity]

I look forward to that link CassieJ, sounds like you had a fun weekend

[GorazdR]

It all comes down to ankle flexibility. You have to work on that. What you need is to incorporate gaines in flexibility with geater strength of your ankle muscles. I use therabands for strength. For flexibility is good if you sit on your feet while watching TV,... or to tuck them under a sofa,... with extended knees (pike position). Ballet dancers do that all the time. Gordon

[Acin75]

@ Mckailah Hello! could you post one or 2 pictures portraying your training? I kind of get the ideam but.. only kind of. A little more enlightment might help me please