1. Stretch It Out Before You Break It Down
A practice at home, dance class or stage performance, always starts with warm ups and stretches. These are probably the most important things a breaker can do to prevent many break dancing injuries. Stretches should be easy to begin with and grow with intensity as the body warms, and the muscles and ligaments become more flexible. All dancers, including breakers, must take care of their bodies and proper dance preparation is a big part of that.
2. Loosen Up Every Little Joint
Make sure that the joints are loosened. Break dancing puts a great deal of pressure on the wrist, ankles and knees. Do circular rotations with the wrist and ankles in both directions to work out any tightness not taken care of with warm ups and stretching. Do similar rotations with your knees to prepare them to break dance.
3. Clothes, Pads, Gloves and Other Means of Protection
Wear proper clothing and protective gear for break dancing. The arms, legs, elbows, knees and feet need to be covered. Especially when practicing, wear elbow and knee pads to avoid break dancing injuries. Wear helmets when practicing head spins to avoid head injuries. Wear the helmet when performing whenever possible for added protection. Use open fingered protective gloves to protect the hands and knuckles from scraps and cuts while breaking. If you do lots of handstands or handsprings, wear wrist supports for extra support.
4. Have Dance Mat, Will Break Dance
Practice break dancing or perform break dancing on the correct type of surfaces. Dance floors are, of course, the perfect surface for break dancing. When you're out and about performing away from a proper dance floor, use dance mats to add cushion and support to your body to avoid possible injuries.
5. Learn to "Break" the Correct Way
Learn to do break dancing steps and maneuvers correctly from a certified dance instructor to avoid injuries. Learn the counts and learn how to place each part of the body during each step. Don't rush the learning process or you'll end up with an injury. Practice each break dancing step or maneuver slowly over and over again, making sure that you understand the step before giving it full out performance effort.
6. Young Break Dancers Need Extra Protection
Be particularly careful with children learning how to break dance. Their bodies are still growing and need professional guidance to learn how to break dance properly to avoid becoming injured. Don't force their bodies to move in a manner or direction that they are not yet able to do. They need to learn the importance of stretching and warming up before breaking. In addition, they should always wear as much protective gear as possible for all practices and break dancing performances to avoid injuries.
