There is no wrong split alignment.
Different disciplines have different ideal split alignments based on how splits are used, and these ideals shape each discipline's aesthetic. Deviations from the preferred alignment may be considered incorrect within a discipline, but these ideals contradict one another.
Consider the middle split alignment favoured in martial arts (popularised by the iconic image of Van Damme performing a split between two trucks in a Volvo advertisement): chest upright, hips internally rotated, and feet planted. This alignment prioritises strength and stability while replicating the mobility demands of a high kick.
Now consider the ideal ballet middle split: chest upright, hips externally rotated, and legs abducted to at least 180 degrees. Although this position is not typically performed as a split in ballet, it supports movements such as À la Seconde Extension and Grand Battement à la Seconde, which require strong active end-range hip external rotation and abduction.
In reality, both alignments are difficult, if not impossible, for most people to achieve because they move the hips towards anatomically locked positions, requiring greater-than-average capacity in these ranges. Beyond their functional value within each discipline, this may also help explain why these positions have become so idealised.
Unfortunately, if your hip anatomy does not allow these positions, no amount of training, dedication, or discipline will make them achievable. Rigidly adhering to these ideal alignments can also lead to unnecessary frustration, pain, and sometimes injury.
The good news is that you don't actually need to achieve these idealised positions to practise martial arts or perform ballet. Likewise, your split isn't "wrong" simply because it doesn't conform to a strict aesthetic. The most important thing is to find a split alignment that works for you, your anatomy, and your functional goals.
Learn about how hip anatomy influences splits training.
Being hypermobile can limit your flexibility.
Hypermobility describes a joint, or multiple joints, that move more than average or have a greater passive range of motion than expected. This may be due to an injury (e.g., a ligament rupture), pathology (e.g., a heritable connective tissue disorder), or simply a benign trait (i.e., joints that move more than average without causing other symptoms).
Flexibility, on the other hand, describes the functional ability to move the body in specific ways that express the range of motion.
Flexibility is much more than the sum of joint range of motion. It involves strength, coordination, motor planning, proprioception, balance, tissue tolerance, and a sense of safety. Flexibility requires training and practice, regardless of how mobile a person's joints are. While having above-average joint range can contribute to greater flexibility, it is also common for people with joint hypermobility to be less flexible than average, or to be very mobile in some joints and stiff in others.
Because hypermobile joints have less passive stability and impaired proprioception, they require more muscular effort to stabilise. This means they are at greater risk of injury. Fortunately, one of the protective roles of the neuromuscular system is to limit access to joint ranges that we cannot control or that are otherwise vulnerable. This often results in reduced tolerance to stretching and increased nerve sensitivity.
If you can bend your fingers right back, or your elbows or knees extend beyond straight, but you can't touch your toes, your hypermobility may actually be limiting your flexibility. It may feel like you are locked out of, or simply can't get into, a particular position. If this is you, the best way to improve your flexibility is to focus on building strength through range and on improving joint control and coordination, while gradually exposing your body to the positions it resists.
Learn more about loading hypermobile joints.
You don't need to train flexibility unless you have flexibility goals.
In fact, if you don't enjoy flexibility training, I'd recommend prioritising other forms of exercise.
While flexibility training offers some general health benefits, for most people it isn't as effective for cardiorespiratory health as cardio, nor is it as beneficial for bone density, balance, and metabolism as strength training. Even as we age, flexibility isn't usually the primary limiting factor for functional abilities. Flexibility training is best for improving flexibility. Flexibility training is best for improving flexibility.
That said, if flexibility training is your thing, go for it. Many people enjoy stretching, and some find it more accessible than other forms of exercise. It is certainly better to stretch than to avoid physical activity altogether.
To maintain good health, the World Health Organisation (WHO) recommends at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity or 75 minutes of vigorous-intensity aerobic activity each week (or an equivalent combination), along with strength training on at least 2 days per week. Depending on how you train, flexibility sessions may contribute towards these recommendations.
The Australian Physical Activity Guidelines were recently updated to include functional activities that target mobility, balance, and coordination on at least 3 days per week. Again, this doesn't mean you have to stretch if it's not your thing. Plenty of other activities, such as dancing, tai chi, bowls, breaking, bowling, hiking, paddleboarding, surfing, skating, rollerblading, parkour, horse riding, or hula hooping would fit the bill. Finding an activity that you enjoy and can be consistent with is the most important thing.
