What Is a "Readiness Rating" and Why is it Important?

When you come to physical therapy for your follow-up visits, I'll ask you how you've been doing. And yes I DO mean how is your pain and how is your function, with regards to your injury. But I‘m also asking how you are in general.

And when you do strength coaching with me, at the start of every workout, I ask dancers "How would you rate your readiness for this session?"

⬇️ 0 = feeling not prepared at all 👎

↗️10 = very ready 👍 

This number reflects how prepared your body and mind feel for training that day.

When choosing a number, I encourage dancers to think about things like:

• Sleep: Did you sleep enough and well last night?

• Fatigue: Are you physically exhausted and sore or fairly energized? 

• Stress: What’s happening in your life outside the studio? (work, school, relationships)

• Mood: Are you mentally present and focused, excited about your day or in a funk?

• Illness: Are you feeling run down or slightly under the weather?

Why This Matters for Dancers

Ignoring answers on the lower side of the spectrum won’t make them go away. Dance culture often pushes the idea that you should give 100% (or more), every single day. But biologically and physiologically, that’s just not realistic. Your nervous system, muscles, and energy systems all fluctuate depending on the demands placed on them. Some days your body is ready to push hard. Other days it’s asking for something different.

Using a readiness scale helps you acknowledge those fluctuations instead of fighting them. And when you work with your body instead of against it, training becomes more productive and often safer.

Using Readiness to Set Expectations

One of the biggest benefits of a readiness scale is expectation management.

Let’s say you wake up after:

• 5 hours of sleep

• A stressful rehearsal week

• Feeling slightly run down like you might be getting that bug thats knocking everyone out

Your readiness might be a 4 or 5 that day. That doesn’t mean you shouldn’t dance or train. It just means that expecting your absolute peak performance may not be realistic.

Instead, your focus might shift to:

• Quality of movement

• Staying present in class or rehearsal

• Managing effort wisely

• Taking care of your body

And that’s still valuable work.

This Is About Awareness, Not Limitation

Sometimes dancers worry that acknowledging fatigue or stress means they’re “being soft.” It’s actually the opposite. High-level athletes in many sports regularly monitor readiness because it helps them train more intelligently. The goal isn’t to avoid hard work. The goal is to understand when to push and when to adjust.

That awareness can help you reduce injury risk, improve training quality, and build better long-term consistency.

Before your next class, rehearsal, or a workout, take 10 seconds and ask yourself, “Where is my readiness today on a 0–10 scale?” Then let that number guide your expectations. Your body will thank you for listening.

*If you are interested in custom strength coaching with Dancer's Choice, click here to learn more.