Drills › Relevé
General · Level 1
Relevé Drills
Free
7 teaching drills for Relevé — the progression to take an athlete from first attempt to clean and consistent.
Learning it — First exposures — slow, spotted, full support.
Relevé at Barre (Support → Unsupported)
Hands lightly on barre (or chair back) → fingertips → no hands. Each level: 10 relevé holds of 5 seconds. Progressively removes support while building the ankle strength and proprioception for unsupported relevé. Never rush to remove the barre — the relevé must be strong before it's unsupported.
Look for: Heels high · weight forward on the ball of the foot · squeeze up, not just rise up
Single-Leg Relevé (Balance Progression)
Single-leg relevé: eyes open 5 seconds → eyes closed 5 seconds. 5 reps per leg. The single-leg relevé is what beam turns require — build the single-leg strength and proprioception long before turns are introduced. Eyes-closed testing reveals genuine balance versus visual compensation.
Look for: Heels high · weight forward on the ball of the foot · squeeze up, not just rise up
Relevé Walk (Dynamic Application)
Walk the length of the gym in relevé — heels never touch the floor. 3 lengths. Relevé in competition is dynamic, not static. The relevé walk conditions the sustained relevé strength and teaches the weight-transfer mechanics for all beam walking and turning skills.
Look for: Heels high · weight forward on the ball of the foot · squeeze up, not just rise up
Building it — Reps and consistency once the shape is owned.
Bilateral Calf Raises — Endurance Standard
3x25 bilateral calf raises with a 1-second hold at the top. Build to 3x30. This is the basic endurance standard — a gymnast who fatigues before 25 reps will drop her heels on beam turns and in any sustained relevé skill.
Single-Leg Calf Raises (Competition Load)
3x15 per leg. Competition relevé on beam is always single-leg — bilateral calf raises are not sufficient preparation. Build single-leg endurance explicitly. Progress by adding a small dumbbell when 15 reps become easy.
Ankle Eversion/Inversion Band Work (Stability)
Resistance band around foot: eversion (foot out) x15, inversion (foot in) x15, plantarflexion (point) x15. 3x per foot. Builds the peroneals and tibialis anterior that stabilize the ankle in relevé — the muscles that prevent ankle rolling during beam turns.
Polishing it — Competition-ready cleanup and connections.
Perform the Relevé independently
Athlete performs the full Relevé on their own — spot only as needed. Goal: consistent, confident, competition-ready execution with the cue: "Heels high · weight forward on the ball of the foot · squeeze up, not just rise up."
Look for: Heels high · weight forward on the ball of the foot · squeeze up, not just rise up
Don't just read it — coach it.
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