Topsy Turvy Tips for Mastering Your Tilt

As with most dance moves, flexibility is an important part of this move. For tilts, you need to work on hip flexibility as well as strengthening your hip flexors and the muscles surrounding them so you can produce a clean tilt that you can support without holding your feet. 

If you can already do your splits, working on your oversplit can increase your hip flexibility. Make sure to be fully stretched and warmed up before going into oversplits. Also, make sure not to bounce in order to prevent injuring yourself. 

This stretch doesn't only increase your strength in your split and open up your hips. If can also teach you how to distribute your weight with your leg up which is an important part of doing your tilt. When doing wall splits, there are two ways to do it; standing with your split vertical and as a straddle split sitting down. In both cases, you should work to get your body as close to the wall as possible.

There are some stretches that are awesome for tilts that you might want another person to help you with while you are working up to your tilt. 

You can sit in a butterfly stretch while a partner pushes your thighs down (this is a great hip opener).

You can also stretch in an actual tilt while your partner pushes your leg up into a deep stretch.

• Make sure to stretch your turn out.
• Make sure to distribute your weight on your entire foot, not just your heel.
• Make sure your supporting foot is turned out.
• Stretch everyday!

• Don't over-stretch!
• Don't bounce in your stretches (especially not oversplits).
• Don't rush it! You're tilt will come with time.