Jeanne Weller | Strength & Conditioning for Irish Dancers on Instagram: "Are you an irish dancer who is always leaning forward on kicks?⁣❌ ⁣ When this happens, I usually hear dancers trying to fix this by… ⁣ 👉 “Thinking harder” about keeping their body steady⁣ ⁣ 👉 Pulling their arms back more⁣ ⁣ 👉 Stretching their hamstrings so their kick gets higher without them having to lean forward⁣ ⁣ When in reality, the root of staying upright in kicks is usually a combination of...⁣ ⁣ Hip stability and

I’m not afraid to admit that I NEVER had my splits as a dancer. Once I locked in on my strength training, my kicks were up to my face. The reason being that kicks in irish dance are ballistic, not static. The requirements for ballistic movements consist of significantly more strength and power than it does flexibility. Do you still need flexibility? Of COURSE. But the strength aspect of high kicks are often overlooked, leading to frustration in dancers after months or even years of just stretchi