Exercises to Help Straighten Your Legs For Irish Dancing

Straight legs are one of the most talked‑about (and stressed‑over) elements of Irish dancing.

For many dancers, they feel like the missing piece:

• “My kicks would look so much better if my legs were straighter.”
• “I can straighten them in drills… just not in my full dances.”
• “I work so hard to focus on it, but it never seems to stick.”

And here’s the truth we see again and again at Move With Meg:

👉 Straight legs aren’t just about doing more exercises.

They’re about understanding why your legs bend, what your body actually needs, and how to train in a way that carries over into your dancing.

That’s exactly why we teach everything using our What, Why, How method – so dancers can work smarter, not longer, and improve quicker.

Let’s break it down.

Why Straight Legs Are So Hard to Maintain

Bendy knees are rarely caused by one single issue. They’re usually a combination of:

• Limited awareness (you don’t feel the bend)
• Tension in the calves or hamstrings
• Back of body needs lengthening
• Tightness in the spine
• Quads aren’t activating properly 
• Front of ankle is tight

So instead of asking “What exercise do I need?”

We first ask: “Why are my legs bending in the first place?”

Once you understand that, training becomes clearer and far more effective.

The What, Why, How of Straight Leg Training

WHAT

Training straight legs means improving:

• Clicks and kicks
• Ability to move across the stage
• Control and sharpness throughout your dance

WHY

If your body doesn’t feel what straight is, or can’t access it, it will always feel natural to a bend.

Understanding why your legs bend helps you:

• Choose the right movements
• Avoid wasting time on exercises that don’t help you
• Build consistency

HOW

This is where our Gold Club challenges come in; because they teach you what exercises are best for you, why they are suited to you and also how to do them. But for now here are three movements we regularly use to support straighter legs to get your started…

Exercises to Support Straighter Legs

These movements aren’t about burning out or forcing flexibility. They’re about working with your body.

1️⃣ Cat / Cow

Why it helps: Cat/Cow improves spinal mobility and flexibility – both of which impact how tension travels into the hamstrings and knees.

When the spine and pelvis is a non-neutral position, the legs often struggle to fully straighten.

How to do it:

• Start on your hands and knees
• Make sure that your wrists are directly under your shoulders and your knees are directly under your hips
• Move slowly between flexion (cat) and extension (cow) - just like the images below show
• Focus on smooth control, not speed
• Use this at the start of training or at the start of the day

This sets your body up to receive straight‑leg work, rather than fight it.

2️⃣ Foam Rolling the Top of the Calf

Why it helps: Tightness at the top of the calf (just below the knee) is a very common, and often missed, contributor to bendy knees.

If this area can’t lengthen, the knee will naturally stay slightly bent for protection.

How to use it:

• Use your foam roller to slowly roll over the upper calf
• Pause on tender spots and breathe - try and stay relaxed
• Avoid rushing – this is about nervous system response, not pain tolerance

This can immediately improve how straight your legs feel in standing and movement.

3️⃣ Seated Wall Hinge

Why it helps: This is a brilliant awareness and control exercise for straight legs.

How to do it:

• Sit with your back against a wall, legs straight forward
• Extend your arms up in line with your ears
• Hinge from your hips, keeping your spine long
• Take a video or photo from the side

Do this AM + PM to see how your body changes throughout the day.

Why Exercises Alone Aren’t Enough

Here’s the honest part:

You can do a range of exercises… and still struggle with straight legs in your dancing.

That’s because progress comes from:

• Knowing why you’re doing each movement - it is all individual to you!
• Understanding what you’re trying to change
• Applying it consistently 

This is where structured guidance makes all the difference.

How the MWM Gold Club Supports Irish Dancers

Inside the MWM Gold Club, dancers don’t just get random exercises.

They get:

• Clear explanations using the What, Why, How method
 
• A Straight Legs and Extension Challenge that can be completed any time

• 15 other challenges to complete! (all are finished within 5 days)

• Before/after testing to track real change
• Guidance on how to apply corrections into dancing
• A supportive community that focuses on progress, not perfection
• Mindset, as well as movement classes
• Monthly Correction Clinics with Meg and Goal Setting with Annabelle

Our 16 Challenges are designed to:

• Help dancers identify their personal blockers
• Improve awareness and knowledge
• Reduce wasted training time
• Create changes that actually carry over onto stage

And because they are always available, dancers can return to it whenever they need it.

Straight legs aren’t about pushing harder.

They’re about understanding your body, training with intention, and choosing quality over quantity.

When you know:

• What you’re working on
• Why it matters
• How to train it properly

Progress becomes clearer and confidence grows.

If you’re ready to stop guessing and start training smarter, the MWM Gold Club is there to support you every step of the way. You don’t need more exercises. You need the right ones, used in the right way.