Flexibility Exercises for Contortionist

Video Transcript

"Some general areas that you might want to work your flexibility and your muscle strength in is for instance first your back. You saw we did several things in your back using your vertebrae and your ligaments here. It's nice to be able to do just do back bends stretching out that back, getting it more and more flexible. Another thing that you would like to stretch or be able to practice with because stretching is key in contortionism is round your hip socket and around this joint. You want to make sure that your ligaments are long and lengthy versus tight and compact. The longer and lengthier they are, the more and more that they'll be able to stretch in this particular area. Also, you want to stretch your toes. Feel like your leg is one whole unit and you want it to be all the way from the top all the way to the bottom so that it stretches in one particular line. You can be extremely flexible. With that flexed foot, it kind of elevates the whole line. You want to make sure you're extending that line all the way through your foot like there's a string going all the way down to the ground. Some other areas that are also nice to be able to stretch and be flexible with are your sides. You want to be able to be very flexible on your sides so that you can move from side to side and be able to synchronize actually your movements so that they are even and adjustable. Also, make sure you're stretching evenly because it's very important that you stretch your right side just as much as your left because it will look quite odd to walk around with one side of your body very nice flexible and stretchable and your left side not so much. So whatever you do to the right, make sure you do it to the left and vice versa."