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Trouble
26th-February-2007, 01:14 PM
ok.. this is something i am struggling with and perhpas somebody could give me some tips on how to overcome it.

I have never been dropped that much but recently, due to weight loss, i am having leaders do it with me more often. I have since discovered though that i am taking the weight on the wrong leg. As i understand it, it should be on the leg nearest to the lead that the weight is taken and the outside leg stretched out. I am finding this impossible as i do the complete reverse. Is it a matter of practicing or do i have a weakness in my legs or does it not really matter.

Help guys.!!! :awe:

BeccaB
26th-February-2007, 02:31 PM
It's usually the one nearest the lead yes, I'm not sure if it's more a style thing which I've heard, doing a drop on that leg gives a better line. I'm sure there's something to do with balance in there too
Sometimes tho I've been led into a drop and ended up on the wrong leg for it, and on certain drops I am guilty of using the wrong leg purposely due to injury.
I'm sure experts amongst us will tell me off too for using the wrong leg, but not fallen yet! (touch wood)

Double Trouble
26th-February-2007, 02:33 PM
I think its supposed to be the leg nearest the lead, but sometimes it feels so uncomfortable and its easier with the other leg.

Piglet
26th-February-2007, 02:36 PM
A tip to get your other leg in on the action.

Find a volunteer to dip you and do lots of them again and again and again. Eventually your "alpha" leg will feel tired and you will have to use your other leg.

I don't think it really matters unless you wanted to take your dancing into competitions, but I've been told by a judge that sometimes the judges don't even notice if you use the wrong leg. (Maybe that depends on how long you are in the dip for though).

Blueshoes
26th-February-2007, 02:58 PM
Hi Trouble,

To do a drop safely and stylishly it's best to bend your right leg (the one nearest your partner) with the left stretched out with your foot pointed and touching the floor. Your body should be straight and your head looking to the left (and not thrown back).

You can practice bending your right leg without a partner until you get used to using this leg, and will be suprised at what angle you can get to unsupported by a partner. For safety's sake (remember if anything goes wrong it'll be you landing on the floor) take as much of your own weight as possible on your right leg and only do drops with someone you trust. If your left leg is off the floor or you throw your head back you will be off balance and your weight will be thrown back, making the move more difficult. If you think someone's going to try a drop with you and you don't want to do it just step back with your left leg and the move becomes impossible.

With your new found skills I look forward to our next dance :).

Caro
26th-February-2007, 02:59 PM
Not that I am in any way qualified to comment on this (so feel free to dismiss :wink: ), but my understanding is that it is indeed preferable to use the leg nearer to the lead for balance purposes - must have something to do with your center of gravity being closer to the guy (especially as you push to get back up again). Also I imagine that with speed and momentum there is a slight chance if things go badly wrong that you might tip over to the wrong side (away from the lead) if you use the outside leg. (back to the center of gravity thing, you want it and your weight to be as close as the lead's body to seem 'lighter' for him - especially if things go wrong I guess).

It's just a matter of getting used to it really, personally I don't do many drops in freestyle but if I do a workshop that involves them, my right thigh will hurt badly for a couple of days afterwards (as that's usually the one nearer to the lead). You just need to get the muscles (quadriceps) used to it (a few trips to the gym might help, but like anything else, you need keep exercising to maintain it). :flower:

Chef
26th-February-2007, 04:29 PM
must have something to do with your center of gravity being closer to the guy (especially as you push to get back up again).

As a leader I would just like to express my view that I much prefer it if the follower doesn't use her leg muscles to push herself up. I would much prefer it if the follower would just use their core muscles to hold thier bodies stiff like a plank while I do the job of getting them back up to the vertical.

When a follower pushes herself up then, for me, it is an unknown quantity and it affects my stability and I have to adjust the power I am using for the lift. As well as this the follower tends to "unlock" her core muscles and starts becoming unstable in that her centre of gravity starts making movements that are hard for me to predict.

As for which leg to use to take the weight on - there are arguements for each choice but we use the leg nearest the leader to be the bent leg so that the other leg can form part of an unbroken line from toe to fingers purely because we think it looks the nicest.

The most important factor we have found for comfort in drops is to adjust the relative starting positions of the leaders and followers feet so when we have arrived at the hold point of the drop then my partners center of gravity (about her navel) is as close to my centre of gravity as possible. When this happens the drops seem effortless. It seems as the two C.O.G.s get further apart the drop needs much more strength from both of us.

Astro
26th-February-2007, 08:24 PM
As a leader I would just like to express my view that I much prefer it if the follower doesn't use her leg muscles to push herself up. I would much prefer it if the follower would just use their core muscles to hold thier bodies stiff like a plank while I do the job of getting them back up to the vertical.



IF ONLY!
I strained my right knee in a drop a few weeks ago, so am avoiding drops.
Had not realised i could use my left leg, must try that.

Mr Cool
26th-February-2007, 08:43 PM
ok.. this is something i am struggling with and perhpas somebody could give me some tips on how to overcome it.

I have never been dropped that much but recently, due to weight loss, i am having leaders do it with me more often. I have since discovered though that i am taking the weight on the wrong leg. As i understand it, it should be on the leg nearest to the lead that the weight is taken and the outside leg stretched out. I am finding this impossible as i do the complete reverse. Is it a matter of practicing or do i have a weakness in my legs or does it not really matter.

Help guys.!!! :awe:
Hi personally I prefer ladies to keep their bodies straight and stiff and leave the rest to me :devil: :wink: :whistle:

:waycool: :waycool: :waycool:

Caro
26th-February-2007, 09:01 PM
As a leader I would just like to express my view that I much prefer it if the follower doesn't use her leg muscles to push herself up. I would much prefer it if the follower would just use their core muscles to hold thier bodies stiff like a plank while I do the job of getting them back up to the vertical.

When a follower pushes herself up then, for me, it is an unknown quantity and it affects my stability and I have to adjust the power I am using for the lift. As well as this the follower tends to "unlock" her core muscles and starts becoming unstable in that her centre of gravity starts making movements that are hard for me to predict.



Interesting point... I understand the unknown quantity bit, yet I've never seen a drop taught without the teacher saying that follows have to help in getting back up by pushing their hips up (I know I said thighs but it was an over-simplification).
My feeling when I do it, is that it's very much a gradual thing (the closer I get to the vertical, the less you carry) so why would that impact you as a lead? Surely the less weight you have to lift up, the better for you ?

Could other leads and people who teach drops enlighten me on that point please? :flower:

Jamie
27th-February-2007, 01:22 AM
I automatically take my weight on my right foot, as most drops I'm put into usually my right leg is on the inside...

I do however sometimes manage to take my weight on my left foot when dropped the other way, it's weird and does seem like I should have my weight on my right but I suppose it looks better to have your weight on your inside leg.

NZ Monkey
27th-February-2007, 12:12 PM
As a leader I would just like to express my view that I much prefer it if the follower doesn't use her leg muscles to push herself up. I would much prefer it if the follower would just use their core muscles to hold thier bodies stiff like a plank while I do the job of getting them back up to the vertical.

When a follower pushes herself up then, for me, it is an unknown quantity and it affects my stability and I have to adjust the power I am using for the lift. As well as this the follower tends to "unlock" her core muscles and starts becoming unstable in that her centre of gravity starts making movements that are hard for me to predict.

As for which leg to use to take the weight on - there are arguements for each choice but we use the leg nearest the leader to be the bent leg so that the other leg can form part of an unbroken line from toe to fingers purely because we think it looks the nicest.
I've always been taught that the follower should use her leg closest to the lead for support because it just looks nicer most of the time, and that she should carry as much of her own weight as possible. So pretty much what Caro said :D

I prefer the lady to take her own weight as it makes recovery from a drop with any degree of musicality (or even just on a beat) much easier and puts more of the responsibility for the followers safety on the follower herself (she's the one with more of a reason to worry about it after all :P). I also think it looks nicer if I don't have to labour to pull my partner up at all and a team effort looks much closer to effortless. It also means that it's less likely to go wrong as the follower is mostly maintaining her own balance, and while that shouldn't matter if everything is perfect that isn't always the case.

Chef
27th-February-2007, 01:20 PM
IF ONLY!

I am not sure what you are saying here. Are you saying that most men are putting you into drops that they cannot get you back out of? If that is the case then they need to learn the wisdom of taking a cautious approach when trying something with a new partner.


I prefer the lady to take her own weight as it makes recovery from a drop with any degree of musicality (or even just on a beat) much easier and puts more of the responsibility for the followers safety on the follower herself (she's the one with more of a reason to worry about it after all :P). I also think it looks nicer if I don't have to labour to pull my partner up at all and a team effort looks much closer to effortless. It also means that it's less likely to go wrong as the follower is mostly maintaining her own balance, and while that shouldn't matter if everything is perfect that isn't always the case.

I wonder if we are talking about two different things and going at slightly cross meanings here. I think of things where the lady takes all her own weight as being DIPS and the man can let go of the follower because they are taking all their own weight and are on balance in their own right. When the woman would be off balance and therefore fall if the man walked away then I think of that as a DROP. A dip should not require any effort from the man because the follower is on balance at all times (even if the pose would look strange if she did it on her own). A drop would require effort from the man in order to make an exit.

I completely agree that having to struggle to get out of a drop looks very undignified for both parties. For him it implies that his ego is writing cheques that his muscles can’t cash and for her it implies that she is much heavier than she looks.

All I started out trying to get across was that it is much easier to lift a person who was strapped to a stretcher than to lift the same person if they were unconscious and floppy. The stability of the person being lifted makes the task of lifting them much easier.


Interesting point... I understand the unknown quantity bit, yet I've never seen a drop taught without the teacher saying that follows have to help in getting back up by pushing their hips up (I know I said thighs but it was an over-simplification).

My understanding of the “push the hips up” bit is that this is done so that makes the follower more straight and tight around the hips section. The absolute killer for getting the lady back up out of a drop is if she lets her hips drop down towards the floor. Even quite small ladies can feel like a ton if they do this. They sometimes get into this situation if they try to push themselves up using their supporting foot. Once they find that they cannot do this from a drop (their knee is nearly at 90 degrees bent at this point) they then try to bring their other foot underneath their bottom and in the process most (I know a few exceptions) followers let their hips sink. I sometimes try the approach of telling the follower to squeeze their buttocks together when in the drop position and for most followers this locks them in position and makes them very easy to lift.


My feeling when I do it, is that it's very much a gradual thing (the closer I get to the vertical, the less you carry) so why would that impact you as a lead? Surely the less weight you have to lift up, the better for you ?

It sounds like YOU are doing it right. At the bottom of the drop your supporting knee is bent at nearly 90 degrees and there is very little push you can give and as you get closer to the vertical you can add more push from your supporting leg. At those times when it all goes wrong is when the lady tries to push her self all the way up from the nearly horizontal on her own and her resulting struggles mean that the man is trying to lift someone that is moving like a struggling child being forced to do something they don’t like. Also the man knows how much strength he is going to put into the lift but he has no idea how much you are going to put in. If you put in nothing he can judge how much force he needs through the whole of the lift so that you arrive upright and perfectly on balance.

However it has to be said that there are some daft leaders who put woman B into a deep drop because they managed it with woman A. A more cautious approach would be to ask the lady first if she is happy about doing drops with you, then try something cautious and see how you get on before going straight for a “hair on the floor” depth of drop.


Could other leads and people who teach drops enlighten me on that point please? :flower:

Hopefully Mr Lounge Lizzard will see this thread and make a few comments. He is the only specialist teacher of drops that I know of. I am sure that he would be able to express things better.

NZ Monkey
27th-February-2007, 02:14 PM
I wonder if we are talking about two different things and going at slightly cross meanings here.

We might be a little bit. Let me try to explain....

When I say she takes her own weight in a drop, I don't mean fully. That would make it a dip exactly as you describe. What I do mean is that she takes as much of her own weight as she possibly can, and the man takes the rest.

I've not seen this in the UK, but from where I am the ladies are taught to drop directly over their own heel, which is positioned directly between the guys feet (unless led to go somewhere else of course for odd drops). At the bottom of the drop they're virtually sitting on the back of that heel, in a dead straight line with their abdominals tensed. Their supporting knee is bent as far as it can be.

This makes the lady quite light in the drop as most of their weight is conviniently supported through a mechanical line of their foot with minimal use of strength from either party. If the guy lets go she will fall of course, but at least she isn't being heavy so she is much less likely to destablise the guy.

This down position also has the advantage of looking very neat, with no knees sticking up past her body in the air.

The guy initiates the stand up, and the woman kicks in and helps as soon as she is able, which is pretty soon since her leg isn't strained already by taking all her weight on various muscles whose names I don't know in her leg.

Does that description help anybody?

Lynn
27th-February-2007, 02:16 PM
I usually go for the 'leg nearest partner' option but sometimes, in a drop or dip the other way, will still use my right leg if it feels more comfortable, simply because its stronger. It would probably be a good idea for me to practice drops the other way to even things out a bit!

Will have to think about how I get back up again - I think it depends on my partner. Some leads expect you to provide some of the 'power' to get back up again I think. Like I said I'll need to think about that one.

I do know that I try to take as much of my own weight as possible as far as I can. Would that make it easier/harder for a lead to bring me back out of the drop?

LMC
27th-February-2007, 02:30 PM
Will have to think about how I get back up again - I think it depends on my partner. Some leads expect you to provide some of the 'power' to get back up again I think. Like I said I'll need to think about that one.

As I'm not exactly small, I don't get dropped that often - and find that I can't take *all* my own weight if a deep dip or drop (as opposed to seducer) is led. Really need to get out of the habit of grabbing the lead's neck in panic when that happens :blush:

Chef said it helps if the follower holds their bodies stiff - plank-like is a good description - I find this (rather than folding in the middle) also helps me keep as much of my weight as possible. I know I'm *really* going to regret saying this... :rolleyes: - but Nigel told me to think pelvic thrust (er, not an actual pelvic thrust, but use the same muscles *just* as the lead starts to lead you out of the drop) to help lift meself back out of a drop (i.e. don't 'lift' from shoulders or knees).

Chef
27th-February-2007, 02:43 PM
We might be a little bit. Let me try to explain....

When I say she takes her own weight in a drop, I don't mean fully. That would make it a dip exactly as you describe. What I do mean is that she takes as much of her own weight as she possibly can, and the man takes the rest.

I can understand that.


I've not seen this in the UK, but from where I am the ladies are taught to drop directly over their own heel, which is positioned directly between the guys feet (unless led to go somewhere else of course for odd drops). At the bottom of the drop they're virtually sitting on the back of that heel, in a dead straight line with their abdominals tensed. Their supporting knee is bent as far as it can be.

There isn't much in the way of regular teaching of drops that I know of in the UK. There is some at weekenders and the odd cute drop once in a blue moon in regular classes. But if you want much emphasis on technique then that is usually found at weekender classes.

Having the ladies supporting foot directly between the leader feet may end up having a pleasing leg line for the supporting leg but I can't see that the woman can put any helpful power through her leg with it almost folded under her with her heel on her bottom. I am sure there are many women out there that can manage it but it sounds like a good way to pull a thigh muscle to me (one has to be more careful as one gets older).

I also cannot see any point in the woman trying to put power into the floor in this leg folded under themself position. The man is in a sideways lunge, his back is vertical and her centre of gravity is pretty much directly below his chin. The amount of power you have in that position make any contribution from the lady in her position seem meaningless.

If it works for you both then I guess it works for you both. There are many ways to skin a cat after all.


This makes the lady quite light in the drop as most of their weight is conviniently supported through a mechanical line of their foot with minimal use of strength from either party. If the guy lets go she will fall of course, but at least she isn't being heavy so she is much less likely to destablise the guy.

I can see this. The follower is putting her support point on the floor closer to her centre of gravity. I have just tried putting my shoulders on the edge of a sofa and putting my right heel under my bottom and my left foot stretched out. I tried to support my weight on my two feet in this way. I must say I found it darned painful. I wouldn't want to do 20 drops in a row in a lesson like that. Still if it works then it works.


This down position also has the advantage of looking very neat, with no knees sticking up past her body in the air.

The guy initiates the stand up, and the woman kicks in and helps as soon as she is able, which is pretty soon since her leg isn't strained already by taking all her weight on various muscles whose names I don't know in her leg.

Does that description help anybody?

I can see how the position of this supporting leg would look very neat.

Yes, the description was helpful.

Icey
27th-February-2007, 02:55 PM
Owing to old injuries and knee surgery my right knee and the muscles surrounding it are not strong enough to take my weight and will collapse. So I can only use my left leg in a drop.

I rarely do drops but if I do I know full well that the line is not as pleasing to look at. But until my right knee is stronger with all the physio I am doing I can't do anything else. I think there will be a residual weakness anyway in my right knee when I get it back to strength.

NZ Monkey
27th-February-2007, 03:05 PM
Having the ladies supporting foot directly between the leader feet may end up having a pleasing leg line for the supporting leg but I can't see that the woman can put any helpful power through her leg with it almost folded under her with her heel on her bottom.

....snip....

I also cannot see any point in the woman trying to put power into the floor in this leg folded under themself position. The man is in a sideways lunge, his back is vertical and her centre of gravity is pretty much directly below his chin. The amount of power you have in that position make any contribution from the lady in her position seem meaningless.As I said, the guy initiates it. The girl just helps on the way up. It doesn't make a big difference in the bottom of the drop, but it's much easier at the end and so the recovery is cleaner.

I don't know if you meant this or not, but in Auckland the guy is taught to keep an even weight distribution as it makes recovery easier and adds to stability.




I can see this. The follower is putting her support point on the floor closer to her centre of gravity. I have just tried putting my shoulders on the edge of a sofa and putting my right heel under my bottom and my left foot stretched out. I tried to support my weight on my two feet in this way. I must say I found it darned painful. I wouldn't want to do 20 drops in a row in a lesson like that. Still if it works then it works.A better approximation would be to hang from a low bar with your arms. Weight through the arms is much more comfortable than through the shoulderblades. The womans weight is supported through her arms and supporting foot, rather than both feet.


I should probably also say that the projected foot slides out from the supporting one on the way down so there's no toppling tree trunk effect which makes many ladies feel heavy. The ''falling'' look is therefore largely illusionary.

As you say though, there are many ways to skin a cat. This is just my prefered one with the reasons I like it. :D




Yes, the description was helpful.:flower:

Chef
27th-February-2007, 03:37 PM
I don't know if you meant this or not, but in Auckland the guy is taught to keep an even weight distribution as it makes recovery easier and adds to stability.

Interesting. So the guy stays split weighted in the drop and the change in his height is done sumo wrestler style? You can use the power from both thighs to do the lift.

I have been doing it by keeping my right leg straight and moving my left leg out to the left to take the drop lower. Just straightening that left leg starts the woman coming up and then I just slide the left leg back to the right. I will give the sumo style a try though just to see what it is like. I am sure it will fit right in with my build.



A better approximation would be to hang from a low bar with your arms. Weight through the arms is much more comfortable than through the shoulderblades. The womans weight is supported through her arms and supporting foot, rather than both feet.

Well I had a sofa but not a low bar.:nice: so I tried it on the sofa.

You give good post. :worthy: Great to discuss stuff with you.

LMC
27th-February-2007, 04:02 PM
Good stuff from Chef & NZ ...

There's hope for me yet. Instinctively, I try to get my heel as close to directly under my buttock as possible. I never knew this was taught as good practice, it just felt easier for me to stay balanced and take at least some of my own weight on that foot, whilst allowing my left foot to slide forward for the 'line'. And yes, it does need good quad muscles! Together with Nigel's advice that the follower uses her pelvic muscles and glutes (i.e. not the thigh muscles) to help lift out, it's all starting to make sense ...

NZ Monkey
27th-February-2007, 09:16 PM
Interesting. So the guy stays split weighted in the drop and the change in his height is done sumo wrestler style? You can use the power from both thighs to do the lift.Actually, this depends on the drop itself I suppose. Cradle or neck drops do require a lunge the way you were describing because your holding your partner at you own arms length (or less) and not your arm length plus hers. Any ballroom type variation is definitely and even split though. Sorry for not being more specific, but it was 2am here in NZ when I was posting :P





Well I had a sofa but not a low bar.:nice: so I tried it on the sofa.

You give good post. :worthy: Great to discuss stuff with you.Thanks! :flower:

Astro
1st-March-2007, 08:35 PM
I am not sure what you are saying here. Are you saying that most men are putting you into drops that they cannot get you back out of? If that is the case then they need to learn the wisdom of taking a cautious approach when trying something with a new partner.









Yes! There seem to be a minority of men who throw caution to the wind with me.

I agree about using the centre of gravity and not the legs.
I remember when I was a newbie having being dropped about 15 times during the old classic "Can I?" It was a fantastic dance, I have no idea who he was, being so new. I would certainly not have been using any leg muscles, simply because I did not have any!

Chef
2nd-March-2007, 12:45 PM
Yes! There seem to be a minority of men who throw caution to the wind with me.

I agree about using the centre of gravity and not the legs.
I remember when I was a newbie having being dropped about 15 times during the old classic "Can I?" It was a fantastic dance, I have no idea who he was, being so new. I would certainly not have been using any leg muscles, simply because I did not have any!

I don't think it is just you. It happens quite often that some men throw caution to the wind (especially it seems with very small/light ladies) and the men get themselves into lunges/drops that they would struggle to get out of on their own, the additional weight of a partner making the process of recovery almost impossible and certainly completely undignified.

I see it quite a bit on the dance circuit and I would hope that it is just part of the learning process for the people that are doing them. They try something that they have either been taught or seen someone else doing, find that they have bitten off more than they can chew and learnt from the experience that either it's not as easy as it looks or they have missed something vital in the lesson. Most people iron out the bugs quite quickly. For a small number of people the learning process can be painfully slow.

There are a number of things that the followers can do to make the whole operation easier - most of them being not to do things that make it harder for the lead.

For the most part, mishaps (provided no one gets hurt) are part of the learning process for both parties. Of course, patience and understanding start to wear thin after many months of the same mistakes being made.

Have fun Astro. I hope you enjoy your dance journey and that we meet some day.

Astro
4th-March-2007, 04:26 PM
There are a number of things that the followers can do to make the whole operation easier - most of them being not to do things that make it harder for the lead.

These?
1. Try to have my C.O.G. near the Lead's C.O.G. just before the drop.
2. Squeeze my buttocks together when in drop position.
3. Don't bother to push myself up until near to vertical.

Have fun Astro. I hope you enjoy your dance journey and that we meet some day.
Thankyou



As i understand it, it should be on the leg nearest to the lead that the weight is taken and the outside leg stretched out. I am finding this impossible as i do the complete reverse. Is it a matter of practicing or do i have a weakness in my legs or does it not really matter.


I remember, as a beginner, intinctively wanting to use my left leg (farthest away from the lead) but as the teachers/demos used the right, I made myself use the right. From the replies to this thread it seems it does not matter (apart from style) which we use. So I am going to try using my left as I use my right for spinning, and thus the right leg is overburdened and becoming weak.

Chef
4th-March-2007, 04:55 PM
These?
1. Try to have my C.O.G. near the Lead's C.O.G. just before the drop.
2. Squeeze my buttocks together when in drop position.
3. Don't bother to push myself up until near to vertical.

Yes to points 2 and 3. On point 1 I would only modify what you said to make it become a case of getting your C.O.G and close as possible to the leaders C.O.G. when you are in the deepest part of the drop, rather than just before the start of the drop. For the drops that we use it means that my partner and I have to start so that her heels are just to the right side of my right foot and her body line is perpendicular to mine. As we go into the drop my left foot slides out to my left, exactly along my body line, as she reclines. At the deepest part of the drop an imaginary vertical line passing through my navel would coincide with the side of her waist nearest to her navel.


I So I am going to try using my left as I use my right for spinning, and thus the right leg is overburdened and becoming weak.

What happens when you want to spin to the left (anticlockwise)? Surely you will use your left foot for spins in that direction. Try to ensure that you practice your spins and turns so that you don't have a side that is dominant (although almost everyone is better at spinning in one direction than the other. Find what you are bad at and make it better rather than playing to your strengths all the time. The way I think about it is if you can only spin one way then it is one half of your possibilites that are cut off from you.

One word of warning about my advice. There many ways of doing things and what I say is only one point of view. Seek out the opinions of many and see what the common themes are.

Martin
7th-March-2007, 02:41 PM
:yeah: NZ Monkey - pure gold and spot on (IMHO)


From the replies to this thread it seems it does not matter (apart from style) which we use.

IMHO it does matter. Using the inside leg (one closest to the lead) keeps centre of ballence close and is more stable.
If you have an injury, of course this is time to adapt or avoid the move.

Using core body and hips to bring yourself up AFTER an initial lead out of the move by the "lead" makes it much smoother.
Some girls also like to "bodyroll" up - hips, belly, chest for added style. This makes it much more of a flow and less of a jerky motion by the guy only.

Picking up a dead weight from the floor, looks like, well, picking up a dead weight from the floor. Even if the dead weight has a stiff body.

Also to note from NZ Monkey, is to keep the trailing foot on the floor, sliding forward and back on the floor - waggling feet in the air not only looks bad, it also mucks up ballence.

Dreadful Scathe
7th-March-2007, 02:44 PM
ok.. this is something i am struggling with and perhpas somebody could give me some tips on how to overcome it.

I have never been dropped that much but recently, due to weight loss, i am having leaders do it with me more often. I have since discovered though that i am taking the weight on the wrong leg. As i understand it, it should be on the leg nearest to the lead that the weight is taken and the outside leg stretched out. I am finding this impossible as i do the complete reverse. Is it a matter of practicing or do i have a weakness in my legs or does it not really matter.

Help guys.!!! :awe:
take your weight on the leg touching the floor to avoid falling over. Other than that, its the comfortable one.

I admit i never read any of this thread :)

Martin
7th-March-2007, 03:04 PM
take your weight on the leg touching the floor to avoid falling over. Other than that, its the comfortable one.

I admit i never read any of this thread :)

Man this is the worst advice I have heard in years.

Both feet (no legs) should be touching the floor, "the comfortable one?" Style and ballence must come into it somewhere???

:what:

Gav
7th-March-2007, 03:06 PM
take your weight on the leg touching the floor to avoid falling over. Other than that, its the comfortable one.

I admit i never read any of this thread :)

I'd suggest having a foot touching the floor, if you're using your leg that's touching the floor, the drop may have already gone wrong. :na: :D

Dreadful Scathe
7th-March-2007, 03:24 PM
Man this is the worst advice I have heard in years.


You clearly don't read any of my advice on the forum then :)

Gav
7th-March-2007, 03:25 PM
Man this is the worst advice I have heard in years.

Both feet (no legs) should be touching the floor, "the comfortable one?" Style and ballence must come into it somewhere???

:what:

Nice edit! :clap:

Too late, I saw the original :devil:

Martin
7th-March-2007, 03:32 PM
Nice edit! :clap:

Too late, I saw the original :devil:

True :blush:

Martin
7th-March-2007, 03:35 PM
You clearly don't read any of my advice on the forum then :)

I will take more notice DS :worthy:

:cheers:

Dorothy
8th-March-2007, 10:06 PM
I usually keep the leg closest to my partner on the floor and weighted.
I agree with DS though, whatever feels comfortable should be fine, and as Ceroc don't generally teach rigid foot positions, it doesn't matter.

Gav
8th-March-2007, 10:34 PM
I usually keep the leg closest to my partner on the floor and weighted.
I agree with DS though, whatever feels comfortable should be fine, and as Ceroc don't generally teach rigid foot positions, it doesn't matter.

I'm not anti-Ceroc, but I can't let that one go. Just because Ceroc don't teach it, does not mean that it doesn't matter.

CerocFusion are teaching more and more simple dips and seducers in rushed intermediate lessons nowadays and very rarely touch on any safety issues at all.
I'm no expert but I often end up having to give advise to each lady that comes through and also helping the new "intermediates" either side of me. :mad:

Nothing personal Dorothy, just ranting really. :wink: :D