What stretches should i do to get a better bielman position ? My foot is still a couple of inches away from my head , and no matter how much i stretch , it doesn't seem to get closer.

Well. My heels stop around my lower back, so in my eyes you are doing pretty well. But I'm not a skating judge, either.

This position is exactly like one of the more advanced yoga postitions (although in yoga it is probably named after an animal or a mountain or some such). If you can find the Yoga magazine website, they have instructions for all sorts of positions and preliminary stretches to get you there. Sounds like what you are looking for.

Backbends, splits, hamstring stretches, quad stretches, shoulder stretches, calf stretches, and the list goes on. Everything factors into a biellmann. If you can't bend your back, you're not getting your leg ANYWHERE. If your quads don't stretch, forget about getting your leg back. If your hamstrings don't stretch, have fun pulling one and waiting even longer for it to heal and then get a good position. You have to be able to stretch ALL of these things for your biellmann to be on it's way. You don't have to be able to do the splits all the way down, but it looks nicer if you can. (I can't quite yet, but I'm getting there)

Hope this helps! Pulling muscles is NOT fun at all!! STRETCH CAREFULLY!!!

~Jess

Hi there,

In addition to stretching carefully...hold the stretch longer than you think you need to. A study was published in some medical journal a few years ago that said for muscles to lengthen (thereby increasing flexibility), a stretch must be held for at least 60 seconds. Which is much longer than most people think is necessary.

I teach dance at night, and I always have adults come up to me and say "I'll never be flexible. Stretching doesn't work" When they start stretching with a stopwatch and actually adhere to the 60 seconds thing, they do improve.

60 seconds is a long time when you're in an uncomfortable position, so breathe your way through it and use a timer until you get a feel for how long you need to hold. Find a good yoga teacher!

Good luck!
Julie

I thought the Bielmann position was more like a vertical split with a hand hold. To get more of a split in a standing position, think about pressing INTO the hand that is holding your foot/blade -- this should help straighten your leg and holding arms.

If you're trying to get your foot to touch your head, then you need to stretch every part of your body and practice the position off ice.

Also, to increase flexibility, stretch after you skate when your muscles are warm, in addition to stretching before you skate. You gain flexibility by stretching after skating--you maintain flexibility and avoid injury by stretching before you skate.

I'm just a beginner skater, but I used to be a ballet dancer, and here's what I did to develop a nice line with that posture:
Do the splits on the ground with one leg extended in front, one behind - if you can't do this comfortably, work on getting this first.
Bend the knee of the leg behind you so your foot is pointing up towards the ceiling, and reach behind to catch your foot with one hand
While holding your foot, swing your arm around so it curves over your head, and bend your back backwards, pulling your foot towards your head - this is pretty much the Bielman position
Once you are able to comfortably touch your foot to your head, increase the stretch by slowly straightening your back leg, whilst keeping your head as close to your foot as possible

Basic additional pointers:
- remember to keep your shoulders down, because there is a natural tendency to shrug which doesn't look nice
- if you can't manage to balance with both hands on your foot, one hand is all right, but use the opposite hand to foot (right foot, left hand and vice versa) and use the other hand on the floor to balance
- try to bend your back evenly, so not just in the lower back, but spread the curve through your upper back, too. If you feel a lot of pressure in your lower back, it means your upper back is too stiff
- as has already been pointed out, stretches need to be held and gently eased into - no bouncing! Just take the position as far as your can in a comfortable stretch (no pain, just stretch), hold it until you don't really feel the stretch, then go a little further, hold it etc.
- remember to breath. I find when bending backwards, it's common to unconsciously hold your breath, which really doesn't help. Slow, steady breathing will help you gradually ease into deeper stretches

Another back bend is to kneel on both knees, and bend back to put your head between your feet, but you may not be able to manage this yet.

Hope this makes sense! It's hard to describe just using words

I was told by one of the coaches at my rink that not everyone can actually do this position, it depends on how long your legs are compared to the rest of your body. I am not sure if that's correct but that's what I was told. You sound like you're getting close though!

__________________
The hardest thing about ice skating is the ice.

Here is a good guide to proper stretching without injury:
http://www.cmcrossroads.com/bradapp/...g_5.html#SEC38

If you can do the Bielmann on the ground either standing or lying flat, you will be able to do it on the ice. In fact, it is easier to do it with a skate on because that takes less flexibility grabbing the skate than grabbing your actual foot without a skate.

Also, a common mistake I often see when people have recently go their Bielmann is that they drop their body forward so that their leg gets higher. The result is ungainly. Instead, they need to pull their body up.

__________________
Where there's a will, there's a way.

I think it could be possible that some people aren't able to do this position. I'm sort of just on the cusp of being flexible enough (i can grab my foot with both hands but when i try to pull my leg up, I lose the spin and attempt not to take a wipe out).

I've been looking at a lot of pictures of bielmann and catchfoot spins and what I've noticed the most is that those people have great flexibility in their shoulders. I don't.

They have to get their foot away from and above their head to get the position correct and to do that, you need to have shoulders that can flex behind one's ears. I would practice doing bridges (where you're upside down on all 4s pressing up and arching your back. . .like the middle position of a back handspring) and just stretch your should muscles.

__________________

"Without Vision the People Perish"
שלום לעולם תמיד