Technical Tuesday Biceps
Femoris
Dancers are often
confused when teachers say “use the inside thigh muscles”, and rightly so. As
you can see by the above illustration, there’s quite a bit going on in this
particular area.
Today I’m going to focus
on the biceps femoris, which despite
its name, isn’t near the biceps of the arm (a more familiar place for the
term). Instead, biceps simply means “two”
(bi). It is one of these two sections of the muscle that is included in what we
commonly call the hamstrings (the hamstrings also include the semitendinosus and the semimembranosus muscles), whew!
The biceps femoris is
involved in knee flexion (pliés), and also in hip extension. It is also
involved when the leg is rotated outward (turn-out).
Because the biceps
femoris is the one hamstring muscle that is attached close to the back of the
knee (the fibula), it is often injured – usually by overuse. Injury to this
muscle causes pain in the back of the knee.
From the Big Blue Book of Ballet Secrets:
Dance History Factoid # 94
“The
biceps femoris is part of the hamstrings muscle group.”
Links of the Day:
Quote of the Day:
Help
expand the knowledge base!
Leave
a comment about any instructions, ideas, or images that worked best for you!
My
latest book is a coloring book! Family Tree Coloring Book is now available at
Amazon.
Want
to know more about me? Read my interview at Ballet Connections:
http://balletconnections.com/DebraWebbRogers
No comments:
Post a Comment