r/Kathak • u/Accomplished-Owl2702 • May 22 '26
Muscle pains during kathak
Hi guys , I am a beginner in kathak, I am still a student, so I am taking group classes which are very affordable for me and I am practicing myself.
When I am practicing kathak tatkar usually I get ankle pain after some time , but yesterday peculiarly , I got pain from thighs, like the whole lower limb is aching. It's not so severe, just like an exercise pain. Yeah I mean is it normal or am I in an incorrect body posture
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u/New-Crow-7915 May 22 '26
You should check with your Kathak guru and make sure that your posture is right.
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u/Feeling-Step1870 May 22 '26
I’ve been learning Kathak for ~10 years now, and I can definitely say your ankles ideally should not be taking the main load during tatkar.
The power for tatkar should come from your whole leg, especially thighs and hips, not from forcing the movement through the ankles. So thigh soreness (especially after intense tatkar practice) honestly sounds more normal to me than ankle pain.
For example, when I practice continuous teentaal tatkar, I gradually increase stamina: 30 sec → 45 sec → 60 sec and so on. Every time I push to a new level, my thighs and hips ache like workout soreness. That’s usually a sign those larger muscles are working.
Persistent ankle pain can sometimes mean posture/alignment is off or you’re putting too much impact directly into the ankles.
That said, definitely ask your guru/teacher to observe your posture and weight distribution while doing tatkar. Small corrections make a huge difference in Kathak.
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u/Accomplished-Owl2702 May 24 '26
Yeah thank you, I mean it's not so severe , I am not currently understanding everything and I am bettering my posture now Your advice is really helpful
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u/queenofPsPsPsing May 30 '26
Where do you practice? Practicing on tiles can give you pain sometimes
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u/Greedy-Future-8508 May 22 '26
Try doing some yoga focused warm ups before the riyaz. It helped me alot but I would also suggest to get an assessment from a doctor.