Ballet Essay -- Ballet Training, Dancing

Football is a very physically demanding sport. According to Taylor (1969), â€Å"Professional football is basically a physical assault by one team upon another in desperate fight for land.† (pg. 23) The body is used as weapon to prevent an opposing player from crossing into another's territory. The body must be strong and well equipped to endure the stresses of physical contact. The body is very susceptible to injury when engaging in football. It is important for those who participate in football train their bodies effectively. The same can be said for ballet. It is a physically demanding activity as well but the body is used as a form of expression. According to Huwyler M.D. (2002), â€Å" For the dancer, his body in his means of expression, the instrument is his heart. Ballet is meant to be graceful and elegant, it does not appear to be a physically demanding sport as football is. Looks are deceiving, According to Kennedy M.D and Hodgkins M.D. (2008), â€Å"The grace and a rt of the ballet performance belie the great physical strain of the body as a whole. (Preface) Ballet places a great deal of strain on the body; it is important that those who participate in ballet receive adequate and effective training. When to begin training Ballet training should begin as early as possible for children who aspire to be professional dancers. The beginning stages of ballet training should be designated for: the development of coordination, rhythmic ability, musicality, and most important of all for enjoyment. A strong commitment regarding pursuing a profession in ballet should made by the age of ten. Due to the physical demands of ballet technique it should not be introduced until the age of ten. According to Howse (), ballet training should not... ...be related to a football player who desires to increase or improve their skills. A football player may achieve such results by performing a particular activity with increasing resistance, increasing speed, increasing duration, or any combination of these. (Dick, 2002, pg. 218) For example, if a defensive back desires to increase his strength; defensive backs are required to be strong and powerful. A defensive back could increase the training volume performed in seated bench press as a means of achieving overload. The principle of overload consists of three training variables, duration, frequency, and intensity. These variables must be increased or manipulated to experience increases in the improvement of performance, skill, and technique.. Following proper training guidelines will enhance the performance of any athlete not just a ballet dancer or football player.