Because of the oversplits. Sorry to not be more clear about it. Though I suppose one wrong move with an elephant involved could cause some damage too.

I am flat in all of my splits because I used to practise doing over splits with a mat. Now, my teachers will tell me to do over splits instead of normal ones because I still need to feel a stretch instead of sitting there and watching the rest of the class struggle with theirs. I am sure most people that can do flat splits can probabley do over splits. Even if its very small.<P>------------------<BR>*Lil Ballerina* <BR> ~Keep on Dancin!~

I also train oversplits, because I find the splits is no stretch whatsoever, even as square as I can go.<P>However I can still feel a stretch in my hamstrings if i lay on my back and pull a straight leg towards my chest (not to the shoulder because thats easier), ever tried that? Its a bit more difficult.<P>By the way do you all turn out your front leg in the splits? I have tried this and find it impossible, but maybe thats just an old beginner lack of turnout prob.

What you can, are able, to do - and what you should do and stay safe, are two very different things. <P>In my opinion, oversplits are a needless stress on the joints, tendons and ligaments of the hips. This stress can build up over time causing eventual tendonitis, arthritis, inflammation and general wear and tear on the joint. As it is, women in later years suffer enormously from broken hips that often leads to disability and even death. Is it worth it? <P>As a teacher I would never ask my students to do something that might harm them immediately, or have the potential to cause harm in the future. In my opinion, you don't need to do oversplits either to attain or to maintain full splits. I, myself, am proof of that. I have never done an oversplit, but with hard constant work, I did accomplish full splits. <P>Because of much of what the ballet requires, such as turnout, jumping, etc., there is much wear and tear on the hips anyway, there is no reason to stress them further. Hip replacement surgery is not fun.