How to get started

dancersdreamland · Posted: Thu Jun 02, 2005 12:06 am Post subject:

I agree taking the first step to beginning something is the hardest part...it's first having the courage to try, then finding out where to try, and then continuing to try even if you fail a few times. New experiences can definately be intimidating, but I also think the most scary experiences can be the most rewarding.

How to get started with break dancing? My best advice would be to start calling dance studios in your area. If you know other break dancers, find out where they learned or ask them for a few lessons.

I also did a quick google search and found the following website which offer free break dance descriptions (some with pictures and or video) for a few of the moves. Perhaps you can give some of these a try...

~ http://members.tripod.com/floor_master/moves.html - select moves from far left.

~ http://rap.about.com/library/blbreakdancecoverpage.htm - includes video

All the best!

pr · Joined: 11 Apr 2005 Posts: 1011 Location: Göteborg, Sweden

Welcome to DF "InThe_ProcessOf_Learning"! :D

BBoy riPHt · Joined: 19 Jun 2005 Posts: 93 Location: Chicago/Boston

Ok, for all of you starting to learn breakdancing:

This is my introduction to it, for people who really don't know anything about breakdancing.

First of all, I believe that you should not refer to this form of dance as “breakdancing,” as I feel that that is a term coined by the media, and does not accurately reflect this dance. I refer to it as either bboying or bgirling, the difference being obvious (hopefully). I believe that “breakdancing” implies some form of bodily injury, which does seem more likely, but in reality is not, should you take the appropriate steps. Breakdancing is NOT inherently dangerous to your body, and I have the opinion of several qualified physicians and even an orthopedic surgeon to back up my statement.

Ok, on to the dancing itself. There are three essential elements to breakdancing: toprock, downrock (or footwork), and moves in general. Those categories should be learned in order for an aspiring bboy or bgirl. The moves can be further broken down into freezes, power, and blow-ups.

Toprock is, as the name implies, what you do on top, or rather, the dancing you do before you get down on the floor. This may not seem important, but it’s great for two reasons. First, I think it’s kind of dumb to just jump on your hands from the beginning,, because there’s so much that can happen during toprock. Second, toprock (and downrock as well) has the ability to extend and link some of your moves together, because unless you are extremely talented, you cannot just keep doing move after move after move. That will tire you out and probably injure you in the process.

I will now go over two simple types of toprock. First, let me emphasize that these are merely guidelines for beginners, and once you are fluent with these, you will begin developing your own forms of toprock. The “standing six-step,” as I like to call it, involves placing your feet around an imaginary “box” on the floor. The positions I will refer to are as follows:

3--4
|| ||
1--2

Your feet start at the bottom of the box, left at 1 and right at 2. The six steps are:
1. Left foot diagonally to 4
2. Right foot straight up to 4, behind left foot
3. Left foot straight across to 3. You should now be standing on top of the box.
4. Right foot straight across to 3, ACROSS the left foot. You should now be standing with both feet at position 3, but with the right foot over the left one.
5. Left foot straight back to 1.
6. Right foot diagonally to 2.

When you start practicing this, I guarantee you that you will feel kind of stupid. Don’t fear. That’s an essential part of learning any kind of dance, not just bboying.

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-2690335602114982780

The second kind of step is called the “shuffle-step.” This is less complicated than the “standing six-step.” First, stomp your feet together. Then you “lunge” forward with one foot. This lunge can be modified to sideways or whatever suits your fancy. Your feet should now be one in front of the other. You then “shuffle” your feet, or basically switch their positions, twice, as you drop to a squatting position. Then you can go back to the stomp, or to another variation.

There are many other types of steps, most of which you can pick up by watching professional bboys in videos. It is OK to copy steps when you start out, because you will probably start adding your own bit of flair to them as you progress. Now let me say once again. These steps are merely guidelines for beginners, and once you are fluent with these, you will begin developing your own forms of toprock. That’s it for toprock for now.

Downrock is a series of steps you do with at least one of your hands on the floor. The most common of these series is the “six-step.” At first glance, it looks nothing like the “standing six-step” from toprock. But once you familiarize yourself with both of them, you may start to see the resemblance, I hope. This is far more difficult for me to explain in text, but I will try. Pictures are coming later, after my vacation to Asia ^^. Anyways, let’s get started.

1. You start on all fours, facing the ground, but off of it. You should be light on your toes, with a relatively even balance of weight between hands and feet, but nothing more than tires you out considerably.

2. Your first step is with your left leg. It steps straight out between your right hand and leg. At the same time, your right hand comes off of the floor, and your body angles a bit.

3. The second step is with your right leg. It bends in a straight line and comes to rest right next to your left knee. Your left hand is still on the ground, and your right is still in the air.

4. The third step is with your left leg. It bends the same way as the previous step. Your legs should now both be bent. At the same time, your right hand comes back down on to the ground. This should look something like an upside down version of the starting position, except with bent legs this time.

5. The fourth step is with your right leg. It extends out in a straight line and sets down on the ground. Now your left hand will come up into the air, with your right down on the ground. This should look like a mirror of the second step.

6. The fifth step is with your left leg. This is the most confusing step for beginners. Your left leg extends straight out. Your body should now be angled in a mirror of the first step. The left leg should not go in between anything. It simply extends straight out. Your right hand is still on the ground, with your left in the air.

7. The sixth and final step is with your right leg. It just goes right in between your left leg and your right hand. At the same time your left comes down, and you should end up in the starting position again.

Now, from this explanation, you will probably get frustrated the first few practice sessions you have. I apologize, but pictures are on the way. My camera’s not really working right now. Just keep practicing. To you talented individuals who get it right away, keep practicing it until it’s fluid. Keep it fast, and on the beat with whatever music you’re working with. Don’t do it so fast that the steps are no longer distinguishable from each other. Just as with toprock, you can learn new moves by watching videos of professional bboys. Master it in one direction, then learn it in the other direction. Soon you will be great at downrock, and can move on to moves.

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-1562200948820955923
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-973350428872475746

Ok, last but certainly not least, are the moves. There are three categories, freezes, power, and blow-ups. Freezes are what you should start with. Power is what you see gymnasts do, aka all the spinning moves. Blow-ups are just the miscellaneous rolls, extensions and hops that define you as a bboy. Worry about the last two later. Freezes are the best for a beginner.

The two exercises that you should start with for freezes are very simple, but certainly not easy. First, you should practice just a simple handstand. You’ve seen them all before, but they can be dangerous. Don’t kick too hard, or you may go over. If you do, for safety, tuck your chin into your chest and land on your back. It will hurt, but it’s a whole lot better than breaking your neck. To avoid this, either have someone spot you, i.e. stand there and make sure you don’t go over, or practice with your hands a few inches away from a wall. The wall method is preferable, because with the other method, you need a spotter with a lot of training, otherwise he/she may not catch you in time, or may do it wrong and break your neck for you. So for God’s sake, be careful. I am not responsible for any injury caused by improper use of this guide. Use common sense. Handstands are good for gaining balance and learning not to fear the floor. It won’t hurt you too much. You will get hurt. But that’s part of the process.

The second exercise will get you started in what is called a “turtle freeze.” Plant both of your elbows in your stomach. With your wrists touching and hands pointed in opposite direction, support your weight on your hands. For balance, and learning purposes, don’t just get on your hands right away. Try it with feet on the ground first, and then lift them off of the ground. For balance, you can put the side of your head on the ground too. This will take time. It is to condition both your wrists and your abdominal muscles for the pressure they will take in other, more difficult moves. And there you have it!

More tutorials and pictures will be coming at a later date!

Thanks for reading this far. If you get this far and have any questions, don’t hesitate to PM me or IM me. My IM is the same as my username. Thanks much!

A great site to get the latest in bboy footage:

www.bboyworld.com/forum

Go to the New Rawfootage section. Check the videos that have the most views/replies. I personally have a love for the korean style of bboying, so I would check anything from korea or japan, which have very similar bboying styles.

And here's me showing off ^^.

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BBoy riPHt · Joined: 19 Jun 2005 Posts: 93 Location: Chicago/Boston

InThe_ProcessOf_Learning wrote:
i really want to break dance but i have no idea how to get started... where to practice (my living room?)... if i need a mentor or not... and other stuff...

Ok, yes, so, you can read my tutorial pasted before, but on the other questions. I would say any place is good for bboying, as long as there is plenty of space and a good solid floor. My living room doesn't work because there's a basement under it, and there's all sorts of electronics in it that could be broken. Any type of surface works, hardwood being the best once you get going. Until then, some kind of thick carpet is good. To get a good feel on the surface, I would suggest throwing down a large piece of cardboard or a few pieces taped together like I have (see pic above). A mentor is always great, but not really necessary. It seems like you don't have many friends that would be interested in bboying, but just having someone to comment or to try things out would be great. PCE and good luck!

pr · Joined: 11 Apr 2005 Posts: 1011 Location: Göteborg, Sweden

Thanks for your introduction :D and welcome to Dance Forums BBoy riPHt! :D

Medira · Posted: Mon Jun 20, 2005 2:32 pm Post subject:

Wow! Fabulous writeup Bboy! Welcome to DF. :)

dancersdreamland · Posted: Mon Jun 20, 2005 9:46 pm Post subject:

Medira wrote: Wow! Fabulous writeup Bboy! Welcome to DF. :)

Ditto! I couldn't have said it better myself...

pr · Joined: 11 Apr 2005 Posts: 1011 Location: Göteborg, Sweden

dancersdreamland wrote: Medira wrote: Wow! Fabulous writeup Bboy! Welcome to DF. :)

Ditto! I couldn't have said it better myself...
Yep very nice! :)

BBoy riPHt · Joined: 19 Jun 2005 Posts: 93 Location: Chicago/Boston

Hehe, hi everybody, and thanks for the warm welcome.

I'm in Taiwan right now, so I can't get pics for my post up yet. Anyways, I'm just going to add to the moves section of my previous post. More specifically, I'm going to talk a little bit more about freezes.

In the previous sections I talked a bit about how to get started with freezes. However, I realize that some people may have had previous experience with gymnastics or martial arts, and may be able to do handstands and the turtle freeze already. So I'm just going to lay out the basics of some other freezes.

The simplest step up from the turtle freeze is to make it one handed. The one handed turtle freeze is actually called the "air chair." To move from the turtle freeze to the air chair, start with your turtle freeze, and then move your non-dominant elbow out of your stomach. For me, a right-arm dominant, that means that now my hands are placed diagonally from each other on the floor, with my right hand lower than my left hand. Continue shifting your weight over to your right hand. Over time you will gain the strength in your dominant abdominals and your wrist to change your non-dominant hand to fingertips, then to your dominant hand only. And there you have the air chair. Your legs should just be slightly bent, but your body position is basically determined by where it is easiest for your to balance. From the air chair you can progress onwards by shifting the position of your arm. If you are sideways, with your elbow in your side, that is called a side freeze.

More common to see is the inverted air chair. This is simply a freeze with your elbow in your back, with your body upside down. Most of the time the legs in this freeze are actually pointed straight up. This is an extremely strange freeze when you try it the first time. It requires an unusual amount of shoulder flexibility. In order to practice this freeze, start in an air chair position, but with your fingers pointed backwards towards your feet. Then, step with your non-dominant leg over your dominant leg, and rotate your body until it is upside down. There are several key areas that are likely to give way now, and that will need strengthening if you want to obtain this freeze. These areas are the shoulder, the contact point on your back, and your wrist. Once you can hold the inverted position for at least 20 seconds with feet and head touching the ground, you can try to pull them off of the ground. Unfortunately, the only way to learn this is to pull them all of the ground at once, in effect folding your body up. It is very strenuous on your abdominals for this reason, but that is how you strengthen your shoulder and back. Another thing to pay attention to when your practice this exercise is to keep the pressure on the very bottom of your hand, nearly at your wrist. Otherwise, you are probably going to hurt your fingers, probably by breaking them. One last thing to remember is to flex your dominant muscles when you do this freeze. Essentially, as you pull yourself up, push against the ground as hard as you can. This will give you extra balance, and will help with some of the stress that is placed on your back. That's all for now. This is a tough freeze to learn. For most people, it takes several months of practice. When you get to this point, it is definitely best to find a few other friends who are serious about breakdancing, and schedule a time and a place to meet each week to practice for a few hours. Going by yourself at this point will be slow and painful. Best of luck!

wolfhazel · Joined: 18 Jul 2005 Posts: 39 Location: Newcastle, UK

Thanks I've wanted somewhere to start the site you offered is really useful. I wanna incorporate some b-girl moves into my dances. Thank you!

BBoy riPHt · Joined: 19 Jun 2005 Posts: 93 Location: Chicago/Boston

Just a little side note, pictures are up in my previous post for how to do the six-step. Sorry about the bad quality, blame my old camera for that.

fred2028 · Posted: Thu Jun 29, 2006 2:33 am Post subject:

I learned powermoves, then footwork, then toprock. I never was interested in toprock until I went to a formal competition, and I lost interest in it again. I mainly use style in my footwork since there are much more possibilities and it looks cooler.

BBoy riPHt · Joined: 19 Jun 2005 Posts: 93 Location: Chicago/Boston

While I agree that integrating style into footwork is much more interesting than learning toprock, I think that you need a strong basis in toprock to help get your sense of rhythm down, and to get a sense for playing with beats and using the music to accentuate your moves. However, that's not so important with power, obviously, because power is all about endurance and speed, instead of style and precision. I suppose it's particularly dependent on your personal style of dancing.

angel winns · Joined: 11 Jun 2005 Posts: 129 Location: Southern CA

Welcome Bboy

BBoy riPHt · Joined: 19 Jun 2005 Posts: 93 Location: Chicago/Boston

Update:

Check out the short videos posted here (look back at my first post)!