Why I Tell Dancers to Stop Static Stretching Before Class

If you've ever come into my office, you know one of the first things I ask is whether you've been stretching. And very often, my answer back to you is to stop.

That usually gets a reaction. So let me explain.

It's not that stretching is bad. It's that static stretching, the kind where you hold a position for a long count, does something specific to your muscles called neuromuscular inhibition. In plain terms, it slows down how quickly your muscles respond when you ask them to do something, like jump.

So when you do a long static stretch right before class or rehearsal, you're actually working against yourself. You don't want your muscles relaxed going into class. You want them ready to fire, for speed, for power, for height, and just as much for stability and control. A held stretch tells your nervous system to settle down right before you're about to ask it to do the opposite.

So What Do You Do Instead of Static Stretching?

Take static stretching out of your pre-class and mid-class routine, and replace it with dynamic stretching. Dynamic stretching is any movement that's repetitive and moves through a full range of motion, instead of holding still at the end of one.

Take your usual calf stretch, the one where you step one leg back and hold for 30 seconds, three rounds a side, and turn it into movement instead of a hold. Step the leg back into that same lengthened position, then press through the ball of the foot to lift your heel up, as in an eleve, and lower back down. You're moving through the same range your static stretch would put you in, but you're asking the muscle to work the whole time instead of just sit there.

A wall plank heel raise does the same thing. Hands on the wall, heel down to get the calf lengthened, then drive through the foot to lift the heel and contract the calf back up.

One More Thing Worth Understanding

Here's something else worth knowing. Your body is built so that when one muscle contracts, the muscle on the opposite side of that joint gets the signal to relax. So if your calves are tight and you actively flex your foot, pulling your toes up toward your shin, you're using your own muscle activation to get your calf to let go, rather than just hanging out in a passive hold waiting for it to release.

It's not a repeated movement the way most dynamic stretches are, but it's still active — and that distinction matters. Active muscle engagement keeps your nervous system primed. Passive stretching, where you're just hanging in a position and waiting, does the opposite.

The Bottom Line

If you can't bear to part with static stretching entirely, at least save the long holds for after class, when you're not asking your muscles to be reactive anymore. Before class and in the middle of it, give your body movement that primes it instead of movement that tells it to relax.