Proper Betka Technique

[shwinerz]

Hey guys, looking for advice on teaching and executing betka. I know posture is so important, and thats fine, but the part that concerns me is the legs. I've noticed a lot of teams don't go all the way down when doing betka, they go almost as if they were sitting in a chair then back up. The way I learnt it (noone taught me, but just what I used to do) is go all the way down so your bum is close to the floor. It definitely feels a bit awkward getting up, and has resulted in a lot of knee damage!

I'm looking for advice on how to do it properly, not just how to do it but how to teach it safely.

Thanks!

 

[mrchicity]

Keep your butt on your heels, use your calves to bounce, keep your back straight. Don't go into it like you're sitting into a chair, that'll cause undue stress on your knees and fatigue the quads.

 

[siddyp]

sounds like you may be doing flat footed betke. def don't do that. betke are different than doing squats in the gym. be on your balls of your feet and use calves as mrchicity said.

 

[ishaankolluri]

Keep your butt on your heels, use your calves to bounce, keep your back straight. Don't go into it like you're sitting into a chair, that'll cause undue stress on your knees and fatigue the quads.

When you say keep your butt on your heels are you talking about literal contact or keeping them simply in the same alignment?

 

[singh1234]

Keep your butt on your heels, use your calves to bounce, keep your back straight. Don't go into it like you're sitting into a chair, that'll cause undue stress on your knees and fatigue the quads.

When you say keep your butt on your heels are you talking about literal contact or keeping them simply in the same alignment?

the latter

 

[mafzal]

Make sure knees are wide apart. Girls tend to want to keep their legs close together but that causes pain and stress on the knees. As mentioned above, you should be using your calves and thighs. Being high up on the balls of your feet is also important. From my experience especially with girls, it takes some muscle development. Build strength by going slow first. I'll try to make a video for you.

 

[shwinerz]

Answers here have been very useful. I was confused about butt on the heels but alignment rather than actual contact definitely clears it up. Mariam, I think videos would be a great tool.

Does anyone have any other suggestions/advice for building up the muscle for it? I'll normally go down slowly, and back up slowly, and repeat a few times in each practise but thats about it.

 

[Gurmandanceacademy]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Ax1EjGFz_8&index=11&list=PL5816FDC8B57B6CBA

 

[scaplash]

Hey Shwinerz
One thing that I did with our team is do duck walks where you walk across the practice (see this video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=78fBPxkCfao)
It really sucks to do, but I think its a good way to develop those muscles. We typically do them with our dynamic stretches in the beginning of practice.
-Sonny

 

[angeblah]

I think it's also important to note that executing betka safely requires not just strong legs and feet; the upper body is equally crucial. From the waist up, you should be pulling your weight up and out of your legs. You can do this by keeping your core muscles engaged and lifted.

This way, there's less weight slamming into your feet. Minimizes pain and helps with posture!

 

[RsKderpu]

I highly recommend doing it in a manner in which your Meniscus does not tear.

I say this from personal experience lol

 

[mafzal]

I think it's also important to note that executing betka safely requires not just strong legs and feet; the upper body is equally crucial. From the waist up, you should be pulling your weight up and out of your legs. You can do this by keeping your core muscles engaged and lifted.

This way, there's less weight slamming into your feet. Minimizes pain and helps with posture!

Really good point! The core is so vital in bhangra.

 

[mafzal]

Hope this helps! I tried to incorporate and show some of the tips mentioned from everyone here

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RL4cV1M8h0I

 

[angeblah]

Hope this helps! I tried to incorporate and show some of the tips mentioned from everyone here

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RL4cV1M8h0I

That video is spot on! Thanks for taking the time to make it.

 

[shwinerz]

Hope this helps! I tried to incorporate and show some of the tips mentioned from everyone here

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RL4cV1M8h0I

Exactly what I was looking for, Mariam this is perfect, thank you so much! There are some points we do but learnt some things as well. I do see a lot of girls sticking their butts out and that pelvis movement really explains the difference well.

 

[Basim]

Thanks for putting that video together Mariam; as angeblah mentioned, it's spot on.

A lot of great input have been given in this topic already. I would just add the importance of making sure your team properly stretches their muscles before & AFTER (cooling down, post exercise) when performing these type of activities full-out.

Betke put a serious amount of pressure on the knees, calves, achillies tendons, and the balls of your feet. There are numerous stretches you can do to help get blood flowing to these regions and warming up the joints so that they move the right way. You can google a lot of stretches that target this area; three stretches that I always make sure to do (other than basic stretches) are: 1) push up against a wall and stretch one leg out at a time 2) lunge down on one knee and stretch each leg once at a time 3) get yourself on something stable, move back so that your heels of your feet are hanging, and basically do calf raises.

Hope this helps,

~ Basim

 

[lavesh]

check this out!


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EdptB5YFlfo

 

[karandeol]

if you are hitting them consecutively, at a faster tempo, i recommend you try to keep your toes on the ground at all times when doing them and just bouncing up and down with a straight back. prevents getting your heel caught on the chadra and is a little easier on the legs.