[LOBZ]

So, I found myself compelled with this "online battle" idea when it first emerged, and actually actively participated, but now, I just see it as nonsense. It really destroys almost every aspect of what a real battle should be like. After I started battling in real life, I came to realize, that these online battles provided NO preperations whatsoever, except for maybe that extra day of practice, which I could've done without online battling.

Many of ya'll will argue that ya'll know that as a fact that online battling is drasticaly different from a real battle, and ya'll are just doing this to practice. If ya'll are doing it for fun, that's one thing, but if ya'll are doing it in hopes of gaining experience, it's just too much unlike a battle to consider it experience at all. Also, if you're doing it for fun, why not just post up yoru clip and ask for critiques, or comments. By doing a battle for "fun", all you're showing us is that you strive to increase your online reputation. Then again, there's nothing wrong with that, it's just a lot better to go out in the real world and make a name for yoruself. THEN, there are the very few that try to settle online beef with an online battle. That just doesn't make too much sense to me.

In my opinion, the only aspect of a real battle that's incorporated into online battling is the round for round deal. One guy does one thing, next guy will try to top it, or do whatever to his own battle tactics. Every other element of a real battle is completely disregarded.

Also, the fact that it is being done online brings about a whole 'nother factor that completely screws everything up. One person can post his round, and the next person can work on some shit for a couple of days, THEN record and post it up. Better yet, they can run through the set time after time after time again until they get it perfect. The list goes on.

Elements of a Real Battle being taken away:

- MUSIC - I can't stress how much this bothers me. When are you ever gonna go to an event and battle, and be able to go up to the DJ and ask him to play a certain beat... almost never, and if you are able to do so, that's just plain wack. Being a bboy is being able to adapt to the song being thrown at you, and being able to rock it just as well as any other song.

- EXECUTION - Like I said above, people can do something over and over again until they get it right online. In a real life battle, that's just a big NO NO. However, I've seen people do it, but it affects the outcome of a battle by a lot, depending on the rest of the battle of course.

- ATMOSPHERE - In a real battle, you're gonna have people in your face. Time from time, there WILL be shit talking, people trying to mess with your head. Trust me, I've been through a lot of that in battles being one of the underdogs of my scene. Depending on the crowd, the battle can change drastically. I find myself doing the best in battles where the crowds hyped compared to just a couple of people lounging around, watching.

There's more little stuff here and there, but I don't have time to go into further detail.

I'll leave it at this, and maybe I'll come back and make some suggestions for online battles to try to bring online battling one step closer to a real battle.

Peace and Love~

Also, I'm not sure if this is in the right section or not. Mods, feel free to move it around.

[MrSander7x]

^well said

[Bboy EZ]

I read your whole post, and it makes sense. However, I disagree with you to an extent. Let me provide the sentence that I feel best describes your position in relation to online battles:

"If ya'll are doing it for fun, that's one thing, but if ya'll are doing it in hopes of gaining experience, it's just too much unlike a battle to consider it experience at all. Also, if you're doing it for fun, why not just post up yoru clip and ask for critiques, or comments. "

Now, it's true that online battles are not anywhere comparable to real face-to-face battles, as you clearly stated, which you know we all will agree with. However, getting down a foundation and proper move set is essential in succeeding in the real bboy battle. With this in mind, think about what online battling can offer besides reputation. With online battling, you can be implicitly asking for critiques and comments, and this can be a fun way of doing it. You can simply have a big ego and enjoy defeating people. You can be practicing a freestyle routine to see how you would pan out in a real battle, such as adjust all the factors that would be existent in a real battle (set the mp3 player to random so you don't choose what song, use a hardwood floor, and don't cheat by doing sets over and over again). Although I do agree that the holes you exposed in online battling, such as people who do their sets until it is perfect, and music issues, are existent and important, I don't think this necessarily leads to the conclusion that it isn't "experience at all," for the mere fact that if they are cheating, they will have specific experience with that specific song and routine they are practicing.

[competent]

with all this said i come to see that you are generalizing but i dont blame you. some cats on this site are wack in that sense. you have a valid point. so power to you.
now when i online battle, i post the round once and only once!! if i fuck up then too bad. then i post it then i get comments sayin i aint clean which is prolly true so i strive to get clean. the thing that pisses me off is why do these things take forever for just a couple of rounds. you can finish it right away if you just post honestly instead tryin to perfect a crazy move til the battle. and during the voting procees i always ask for honest tips and critique so in the end i ll end up a winner to myself becuz i know what to work on. i actually online battle to practice flow and sets. like what looks right or fly. i can tell you right now that the sets i used in my online battles are nothin compared to my real life sets. online battle sets are first drafts or like baby rounds. good post man keep it real.. does this mean you ain t in the tourney no more.???

[Ill Will]

I agree 110% i dont think online battles are legit at all its just a way to make u feel special. its nothing like a real battle. the real thing is 100X different

[artoooor]

i agree with you, now lets battle......online........hahahaha joking :|

[cypherstyles]

LOBZ, I agree with almost everything you said. I've been in plenty of real battles and the energy of it and competition between the bboys is a really raw dope essential part of a true battle. Real battles are always best, but for people without other bboys to battle in their communities there are 2 good things about online battles compared to just practicing alone, #1 you can play off the other person just like a real battle. If you see them do a windmill and you can do it better with your own style and flourishes than you can show em up and incorporate your own strengths to beat them. Getting the chance to watch someone elses moves, see their weaknesses and play off them in your bboying makes online battles better training for that aspect of real battling than just dancing by yourself.

#2 I think it pushes you harder when you're recording to get it just right to battle someone than if you were just practicing by yourself or just posting a random clip with no competition. I know when I record myself dancing I try to get it just right, while if I'm practicing and no one will ever see it or challenge it, there's less incentive and pressure to push myself to do my very best. That's just my opinion, like I said LOBZ I think you're largely right, but I think there are some good things about online battles that make them better than practicing alone, especially for people without other bboys in their communities. Respect - BBoy GRIZ

[Bboy Blessed]

Word up

[LOBZ]

To Bboy EZ

Yeah, you pretty much pointed out some of the suggestions that came to my mind *Setting mp3 player or whatever music player to random, not doing sets over and over, etc.) Unfortunately, this is and will always be the internet, and people will always be able to lie without us knowing.

Two scenerios that would make online battling slightly more like reality is either A, if both dancers had an incredibly good webcam, they could do a live battle, but that's just slightly unlikely. Another scenerio, is to just both be online at the same time and record under a time limit and upload under a time limit. Then again, that would require one to have good equipment for recording and uploading. As for music, either go by the trust you have for one another and pick a song randomly, or someone else that's possibly judging could select and provide a song for both to use.

To Bboy Jurock

Yeah, there ARE those who actually try their best to make an online battle as realistic as possible, and I believe you're one from what you've inputted. I can't really say though since I havn't seen any online battles lately, simply because I use my online time watching footage of real battles, or doing homework. Also, you mentioned that you do online battles to practice flows and sets which brings me to my point where one could just practice by himself, or, record it and ask for critiques and such, but I suppose it wouldn't hurt entering it in an online battle since it's going to be posted up anyways.

Oh, and I was never going to enter the tournament, just judge it, because I don't think the majority of the people's judgment on this site is valid, not saying I'm any better, just think my voice could help out.

To Bboy Griz

Yeah, I completely forgot about the whole, no one in the community to break with factor. It's just I find it hard to believe anyone lives anywhere, where there isn't another bboy/girl. I thought I was alone for the longest time, but realized I was just too scared to go out looking for them, and once I found the guts to branch out in the community, I found a bboy scene that has been nothing short of amazing. Also, before I got into the scene down here, I myself found myself participating in online battles as much as I could, and I suppose it does help a bit for those who literally have no one else to break with, but once you get with the scene, everything just falls into place, and online battles just kind of become obsolete.

And to your first point made, I stated this in my post
"In my opinion, the only aspect of a real battle that's incorporated into online battling is the round for round deal. One guy does one thing, next guy will try to top it, or do whatever to his own battle tactics."

Thanks to those who took their time to read what I had to say.

Peace and Love~

[bboy_epidemic]

lol im juss too tired and lazy 2 record another set haha. ya i agree, i've been in real battles and its way more hyped and fun and requires more work than online battles. but hey i get bored and i wanna have fun. its good to let ppl see wut i got and give me advice or they ask me for help and advice, and i give it too him. pfsh i do better in real life newayz, i dont wanna show everythin i have and watch ppl bite it there's too many noobs on this site and defiantly think they're goin too.
plus its good to see how you progress recording yourself as time goes by

[Bboy BlueBerry]

EXACTLY LOBZ

online battles are dumb..... why? cuz in a real battle, there is no reset button... if u messed up on ur set, then u messed up on ur set... u can't rewind ur life, and fix it to make sure its perfect

but Lobz already cleared about everything i would say

[killatay]

^^wurd!!

but yo...for the tracks we could just ask the bboy.orgigains to just choose the song for us!! and we rock the same song each round!

[D.n.A]

Dude, killatay... You always say "I DON'T LIKE SHOWCASIN SETS YO", but you're in an online battle right now... Kinda sad, init?

[killatay]

well...i dopnt but ima go ahead and do this one..but these r just basic sets! nutin spectacular! and we've always talked about how we've always wanted to battle each other so i said y not....

[bboyimage]

they really arnt l-wood doesnt do any of his special sets on any online battle that iv seen so far and neither do i.. but alot of times I DO do battles to try to put some pressure onto meeh and see if i can land everything i plan out in my head to see if i can create a brand new set... i unno its confusing