[systemor]

im really new at the whole breakdancing scene but i was just at a dance last night and i have a few questions... i'm a really bad dancer alone... so i guess i want to mix top rocking while im dancing alone at a club or at another dance...

i find the beat... its just i dont really know whats the matter with me :| i cant seem to just move to the beat... keep my feet movin... and the bigger problem, what do you do with your hands... relaxing them is what i think but still they dont really move :P

i know you all probably started out like me so have mercy

right now all i can do is a six step, a swipe, turtle, and right now im working on a kip-up any other moves i should be learning??

for the kip-up i can get up fine just cant seem to pull myself over so i stay up... im working on it :P

[odi rao]

It's good that your asking this. It's usually over looked especially by people starting out.

Put your hand on your hip, touch your forhead, roll your hands around, touch the floor...

[PhillyBBoy88]

yea like he said it is usually overlooked which sucks, but im not sure what odi rao said in the 2nd half of his post....

to find the beat you should practice on a couple songs all the way though just doing your top rock... try to hit the beats with your feet and you'll soon be able to toprock to music naturally.

hand movements should be sometime that has some type of singnificance to the music, just swinging your arms makes you look stupid unless you do it in some controled way. I think tensed up arm movements look tighter then loose ones, but its all your style.

[systemor]

i've watched a few video's teaching toprock... 1 from this site actually... and its wierd... they look good doin it... i just look jumpy and non-fluid...

i'm not really "feet co-ordinated"... i want them to slide and do the same stuff as the video's but they just dont :-p...

[amenologist]

it helps to know the music you're stepping to, most stuff you'll hear is 4/4 so that means the pattern is basically
1---2---3---4---
the 1 and the 3 are the "downbeats" and the 2 and the 4 are the "backbeats"... in most music there is a kick drum hit on the 1 and snare and/or claps on the backbeats; it'll be easier for you at first if you just try to step on the downbeats OR the backbeats, not both in every bar of the song...

[PhillyBBoy88]

dont try to copy the video... i havnt seen the video myself but im guessing it actually is a little modified version of basic toprock. Just do basic steps like in Chucky's Clip then improvise from there... forcing yourself to copy someone elses toprock will get you crushed and made fun of...

keep in mind i have never seen the video so if it is basic toprock on there i do appoligize

[lil'kiwi]

i usually do some robotic movement for my toprock...and then some aerobic movement......then swing my legs around to gain momentum to do power moves....

[bboyarfen]

sometimes i throw some arm waves into my tops


but usually i just jump around like a fuckin dumbass til ppl make a circle

[friscoflip319]

yah, i'm a noob too. just started breaking this week. i rave and do otha stuff too. i usually throw in some pop and lock or rave/techno type stuff. arm waves look cool too. the important thing to do is to look natural and keep it loose. it looks really bad to keep ur arms perfectly stiff and to the sides while toprocking...(like some filipino ddr players..)

[Anubis2002]

most people dont add liquid or raving arm movements for the simple fact that they look out of place

[electron]

Originally posted by odi rao It's good that your asking this. It's usually over looked especially by people starting out. Put your hand on your hip, touch your forhead, roll your hands around, touch the floor...

that's good advice for an uprock ( touch the floor )
but tops usually have more arm movements that aren't touching the floor

adding character is a really good idea- like touching your forehead, throwing dice, boxing, swinging your arms , putting them on your hips, that kind of stuff

erm, but try to make it look at least half natural so you're not cartooning something when you're out there - toprock is supposed to get you in to the music

[ultraman__26]

i swing 'em wide.depends on ur individual style.anyone checked out tosh's toprock guide?
pz

yah its all your style. moving them is important though. i open them go with the flow and some times do gestures with them and shit. like grab the beak of my hat. or if i dont have a hat. just make the motion. its all your style though

[Conceited23]

but usually i just jump around like a fuckin dumbass til ppl make a circle

truest words ever spoken, always works!

[ultraman__26]

Originally posted by bboydoped yah its all your style. moving them is important though. i open them go with the flow and some times do gestures with them and shit. like grab the beak of my hat. or if i dont have a hat. just make the motion. its all your style though

ur own style,no one can critisize ya.
pz