How To

How to Prevent Common Breakdancing Injuries

By Rena Sherwood, eHow Editor
Use your head when it comes to preventing breakdance injuries
Use your head when it comes to preventing breakdance injuries
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It looks exciting and astonishing. Even small children have learned how to bboy or break dance. But you can learn how to wind up in the Emergency Room if you don't use common sense. You need to build your body up to the incredible demands of break dancing. You need to see break dancing as just part of a long routine.

Difficulty: Challenging
Instructions

Things You'll Need:

  • Pads for wrists and knees
  • Series of warm up routines
  • Series of cool down routines
  • Professional instruction in any kind of dance, martial arts or gymnastics
  • Regular doctor check-ups
  • Patience
  • Bike helmet (optional)
  • Wrap bandages (optional)

    You Make Me Feel Like Dancing

  1. Step 1

    See your doctor to help devise a plan to get your physically fit enough for break dancing.

  2. Step 2

    You need to be physically fit to even attempt break dancing or bboying, or you will give yourself a bad injury. Your body needs to be strong enough to take the strain. You need to have muscle and not just be thin.

  3. Step 3

    When you're fit, start taking professional dancing, gymnastics or martial arts lessons. Although you always hear about the great break dancer who was self-taught, most need some kind of professional instruction to learn balance, weight-training and stretching in a supervised setting. Only after a while of being supervised can you attempt to warm up and try break dancing on your own.

  4. Step 4

    Always do basic warm up exercises and stretches at least twenty minutes before attempting break dancing. Incorporate push ups and a handstand near the end of this routine. This helps build balance and the upper body strength needed for many break dancing moves.

  5. Step 5

    When possible, wear padding, helmet and wrap strip bandages around wrists and ankles.

  6. Step 6

    Any new moves should be practiced on a gym mat, large piece pf cardboard or some kind of softer flooring than for a professional exhibition. Do the move very very slowly and then gradually go faster. It's best to have a friend nearby who can get help if needed and help keep your body in the right position.

  7. Step 7

    Cool down after a break dancing workout with slow stretches and shaking out the limbs.

Tips & Warnings
  • Helmets, pads and wrapped bandages can be hidden under costumes or wigs in order to give a better appearance.
  • Some dancers learn with heavy padding and helmets first and then after months take them off or reduce the amount of padding.
  • You need to exercise every day, but not necessarily break dance every day, in order to keep fit enough for break dancing.
  • Don't dance if it hurts
  • Don't self-medicate with alcohol, legal or illegal drugs.
  • Don't dance until you have done at least twenty minutes of warm up routines.
Photo Credit

Paris breakdancer image by Hugo

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