Year 10 Dance · Making Dance — Choreograph and Perform · 11m read

Advanced Technique and Injury Prevention

As skills advance, so do demands on the body. Understanding injuries and prevention keeps you dancing for life.

Learning objective: Refine advanced technique and apply injury prevention principles.

By the end of this lesson you can:

• I can refine turns, jumps and extensions.
• I can explain common dance injuries.
• I can apply prevention strategies.

Your body keeps the score. Your body records every rep, every landing and every rest day. Smart dancers train technique alongside recovery so their bodies keep scoring points, not injuries.

Dance smarter

ADVANCED SKILLS:
• Multiple turns, elevation, extensions, floor transitions, partnering.

COMMON INJURIES:
• Ankle sprains, shin splints, stress fractures, hip and lower back strain, overuse injuries.

PREVENTION:
• Warm-up and cool-down, conditioning, correct alignment, progressive training, rest, appropriate floors and footwear, nutrition and hydration.

RICER (soft tissue injury first aid):
• Rest, Ice, Compression, Elevation, Referral.

| Risk factor | Prevention |
|---|---|
| Fatigue | Rest days, sleep 8–10 hours |
| Poor alignment | Technique feedback, mirrors, film |
| Hard floors | Sprung floors, correct shoes |
| Sudden load increase | Gradual progression |
| Inadequate nutrition | Balanced diet, iron, calcium |
| Ignoring pain | Report early, see a physio |

Key ideas at a glance

• Periodise training: Plan peaks and recovery.
• Cross-train: Swimming, Pilates.
• Sleep and nutrition: Recovery tools.
• Pain is information: Act early.

Worked example (Easy)

What should you do after spraining an ankle?

1. RICER. Rest, ice, compression, elevation, referral to a health professional.

Answer: Apply RICER and seek professional advice.

Worked example (Hard)

A dancer feels shin pain after increasing classes from 3 to 7 per week. Advise.

1. Cause. Sudden load increase → overuse (shin splints/stress fracture risk).
2. Immediate. Reduce load, ice, see physio.
3. Long term. Gradual increases, proper floors and footwear, strengthen calves.

Answer: Reduce load and seek physio; increase training gradually.

Common mistakes

• Dancing through pain Worsens injuries. Fix: Stop and assess.
• Dancing through pain Turns minor injury into major. Fix: Report pain early.

Nutrition and the dancer

Dancers need enough energy for training. Under-eating (relative energy deficiency) can cause fatigue, bone weakness and injury.

Key nutrients: carbohydrates for energy, protein for repair, calcium and vitamin D for bones, iron for oxygen transport, and plenty of water.

Practice questions

1. The "R" at the end of RICER stands for:

   1. Run
   2. Referral
   3. Rest
   4. Repeat

   (1 marks)

2. Give two strategies to prevent overuse injuries.

   (2 marks)

3. A sprung floor helps:

   1. Speed up turns
   2. Absorb impact and reduce injury
   3. Improve lighting
   4. Nothing

   (1 marks)

4. Which nutrient supports bone strength?

   1. Calcium
   2. Caffeine
   3. Sugar
   4. Salt

   (1 marks)

5. Explain two strategies to prevent overuse injuries.

   (2 marks)

Summary

• Advanced skills need conditioning.
• Know common injuries.
• Prevention and RICER.
• Prevent injury with load management, rest and nutrition.