My team of dancers for the past year and beginning the new one together is experiencing a wide spread epidemic of shin splints.<P>One girl's condition was so bad last year from all her dancing combined (studio and drill team) that the doctor recommended a surgical procedure, but with or without surgery, dance would continue to be extremely painful.<P>We practice on a gym floor, as do so many drill teams across the south. In fact I imagine our set up to be far better than what many schools offer for their dance programs. (When I was in high school, they gave us the cafeteria afterschool)<P>We also practice daily in Bloch hi-top sneakers. My thinking and the promotion I was given about the sneaker style dance shoes was that it offered more support for daily practice than a plain jazz shoe with nothing under your foot except a thin piece of leather.<P>Our regiment is fairly common among most dance/drill teams I know....warm ups, technique and center floor work, across the floor progressions, kick series (which does require jumping), and routine polishing.<P>I'm concerned that either we are approaching our rehearsal time wrongly or our shoes are inadequate, or my girls just need to toughen up.<P>(I am sure a little of the last one needs to happen anyway...haha)<P>Well, does anyone have some feedback or suggestions about this concern. I dealt with the one or two at first, but with 5-6 out of a team of 20...and the problem does not eventually go away....something is wrong.

Hi, folks, should this be moved to Studio?

Yes, please - can you move it into the studio?<P>Usually the two major problems causing shin splits is inadequate warmup - and a too hard floor. And a third can be - too much jumping.<P>The warmup - must be slow - gradual, much like a ballet barre warmup. Many times there is inadequate time for a really good/slow warmup and rehearsal. But the time saved during warmup is paid for dearly by the loss of time due to injury.<P>And yes, the floor has to be well sprung and the shoes of adequate support too. You might also consider cutting down on the jumping and other things that cause a heavy foot-strike. In my experience, I have seen a number of tap dancers with this problem.<P>Let's continue this discussion in the Studio... <P>

I'm moving it now.