Breakdancing Videos....Help

Bboy Fluff · **Breakdancing Videos....Help -** 12-31-2003, 01:27 PM

Hey, I guess I'm kinda new to the forum, and to breakin' in general, but I was hoping for some EXPERIENCED opinions on what(if any) breakdancing videos i should get that would help me learn.

I havent got Basic Moves from this site yet, and I'm still not sure if I should bother, considering i know how to do alot of those moves(even if I cant do t hem, I understand HOW to do t hem)

I did however, get Mike Garcia's 'Learn to Breakdance Vol. 1' and frankly I'm very disappointed....It's extremely cheesy, and not all that helpful for half the moves IMHO. It's of lesser quality than I could have put together with a normal video camera(not even digital) and doesnt have that great of instructions/slow motion replays/etc. Lol, and his up rock looks gay as hell to be honest...but I guess he was trying to keep it simple and cheap.

I'm hoping some people can tell me where to get decent videos that are actually WORTH the money, I dont see myself buying Vol 2 from Mike Garcia, any help? thnx in advance

~Peace easy

Chucky · 12-31-2003, 06:03 PM

Dont get basic moves it is super wack. I would reccomend any freestyle session above 5, all of the out for fame videos. To order them go to freestylesession.com

President · 12-31-2003, 07:22 PM

teach yourself.

ultraman__26 · 12-31-2003, 10:06 PM

word.i started out when someone taught me a baby freeze.after that i got interested and i started looking at pics and learning the myself.
pz

STIFF_UK · 01-01-2004, 12:39 AM

Mike Garcia's vid is HORRIBLE.

Go to www.dmcworld.com - on there you should be able to find the "DMC BBoy Foundations" Video.
The cover looks a little cheesy (you'll see what i mean when you see the guy's face) - but it's probably the best instructional video around.

It's got Trac2, FeverOne, Mr Freeze and Popmaster Fabel teaching the dance. (Trac2 was one of the guys who invented bboying)
Anyway - I've been bboying for four years now and I still watch that thing a fair bit.

If you want a how-to, look no further.

You might be able to get it cheaper than on dmcworld by shopping around. Try yor local video/music stores.
Also websites like www.play.com have some videos are amazingly low prices.

Hope this helps.

Stiff

Bboy Fluff · 01-01-2004, 03:19 AM

Thnx all, for the most part I have been teachin myself, and it will prolly always be that way. Unlike some people, there are no classes around my area, and I've yet to find anyone that's even considered learning to break, let alone someone who does.

The only reason I've even looked to a video is to SEE all the moves...My internet connection sucks hardcore, so videos make take up to 10 mins to download a 45 second clip, and it's just always a hassle. I want to be able to see the actions and try from there, and explanation always is more effective when it's not simply in text form.

Things like mills...lol, I just cant do stabbed mills, or any other. When I stab, my arm seems to be 'stuck' there and I cant collapse, it's things like that that I would refer to a video to cure. I know HOW to do the move technically speaking, as i know how to do almost all moves, I simply cant get it myself without help. I rolled on the floor for hours trying to get it, but I just feel that I'm missing something. That's when I feel I should have some GOOD video to help out, but Mike's sucks hardcore.

But i guess I'm going back to the original way: Read description, Practice, Practice, Practice, hope it comes together.

Offtopic: My mills, if anyone can offer advice:

Like I said, I cant seem to stab without getting 'stuck'(i cant collapse) but I've become quite good at swinging my legs. I mostly start on my back, and start my legs going in the wide V up and around, then just kind of fake the link as my legs tend to come to the ground and it just looks horrible, granted I can do them linked, they're just not correct. I basically stop when i get to my stomach, roll over and do it again from my back. I've noticed that in good mills, you almost 'hop' from one shoulder to the other, completely skipping the chest area on the rotation, but I cant seem to get this right either. I've seriously put in almost countless hours to mills alone and while i seem to be getting faster and more fluid at rolling around on the floor, they're still not mills. If i had a digi-cam i'd upload, but I dont. Any real help?(I know this is the wrong place for the question tho) especially with my stabbing problem? I really mean 'stuck', lol, it's like collapsing would break my wrist. Also, my stab is exactly my handspin stab, should i be doing something different?

~Peace easy

Trainer · 01-01-2004, 04:41 AM

u wanna be on ur back/shoulders as short as possible and u wanna be on ure front as short as possible

if u get enough momentum u wont get ''stuck'' coz ur will just smoothly get on to ur shoulders

all i can say is practice practice practice coz mills arent an easy move to get the feel of

Bboy Fluff · 01-01-2004, 12:32 PM

Now there's absolutely no doubt I'm gunna practice till I get the things down, then practice them constantly to perfect them...but is it really momentum that's getting me stuck, or am I stabbing wrong? It really seems like I'd snap my wrist collapsing, and I've seen the Basic Moves Preview from this site about a thousand times and counting and he goes really slow and smooth on his collapse and I cant figure it out.

~Peace easy

theb · 01-01-2004, 02:48 PM

of course u need to be practicing a lot...

if u wanna check out the other mike garcia's videos u can dl on kazaa and continue laughin....

STIFF_UK · 01-01-2004, 04:08 PM

Fluff - i think the DMC video would be a big help to you.
RThe teaching technique is clumsy at times, but they do a really good job of showing how the moves work.
You gotta thing, you're being tought by people who had a hand in inventing the dance.

They take it a step further back from stabbing, and teach the neckmove part as it was originally done.
From that point the stabbed version is a lot easier.

If you have noone to teach you, i really do think you should get that vid.

It could well be the best $20 you spend.
I'd alspo reccomend Freestyle Session 3. Some of the bboys in that video use THE most basic moves in bboying and do some of the most impressive throwdowns I've ever seen on tape.

If you watch those two videos, you will have a pretty good reference for self teaching.

STIFF_UK · 01-01-2004, 04:12 PM

It's kind of a shame really. Some of the non-teaching footage on mike garcia's first video is actually pretty good.
He's a good bboy, and probably a kinda good teacher too, but the video is appaling.

Bboy Fluff · 01-01-2004, 10:37 PM

Thnx for the help all, I really appreciate it. I think I will check out the DMC video, and like always just keep practicing and grab as many clips off of this site as I can find (9.6-31.2k dial up connection and varies alot, so hard to download) and just try and figure moves out from there.

Is it bitin' to watch other people's footwork and add/modify certain moves and use them urself? I dont mean just normal moves that everyone has mastered...I mean the real, unique stuff.

Thnx again

~Peace easy

STIFF_UK · 01-01-2004, 11:00 PM

You're getting into dodgy ground there.

It's the big debate about where inspiration stops, and biting starts.

Personally I think seeing someone do footwork, and getting inspired to move in a similar way is fine, but when you try to imitate it, you're on the wrong path.

I think if you were to look at a particular move, learn it and use it your own way, then that's not so bad. But learning a whole combination of steps and changing it a little is wrong (imo)

When I started out, I would look at a combination of moves that I liked (ie a section of footwork) and take it to pieces.

I would learn each of the component parts individually, and then link them up my way.
As far as I'm concerned, unless you are taking someone's sugnature steps (which in reality not many people have) - then there's no problem with this approach.

When it comes down to it you have to use your own judgment.

Bboy Fluff · 01-01-2004, 11:14 PM

I fully understand what you mean, and agree completely. For the most part I've just meant specific little moves, not so much combinations of moves. Just like one might see a six-step or a coffeegrinder and learn to do that as well and incorportate that in their own footwork.

To be honest, the moves I have in mind while asking these may very well have set names and be widely used, I simply havent yet been introduced to them by name, only by sight.

And in my situation I honestly dont think it's biting, so I guess I'll take the time to explore

lil'kiwi · 01-02-2004, 02:30 AM

The reason I watch mike garcia videos is b'coz they are the only ones b-boying video in my whole entire shool library...My opinion about them is the moves that he teaches are really basic(I think it is supposed to be this way) and almost the same....once u know how to do a move from there,technically,u can do all the moves in that video.....and of coz,at last he will say wat u will always listen when u b-boy....."PRACTICE PRACTICE PRACTICE".....AAARRGGGHH...if u dont like the first video,dont buy the second one.