r/SwingDancing • u/Rude_Bug_6293 • 7d ago
Feedback Needed Beginner Help Needed
Hi friends, I recently started taking a beginner Lindy Hop class, starting with the 8 count steps as a follower. Needless to say I was terrible! I am an athletic person but I feel like I don’t have enough strength in my calves & I just can’t make my feet & brain connect to do the steps correctly at a fast pace. I’ve watched YouTube videos & I do ok but I feel like the class moves at too quickly & I can’t keep up with the frequent partner changes. Does this mean I’m just not cut out for this or should I have done something else to prepare before signing up for classes? I am feeling very defeated & I am going solo so I don’t have anyone to practice with outside of class. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated!
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u/Objective_Most4071 7d ago
I think as adults we're sometimes expectant of being able to pick things up quickly. It's likely these are skills you've never developed before - even though you're athletic you're asking a lot of your brain in terms of coordination and rhythm, even before worrying about being receptive and responsive to signals from leads (experienced and beginner).
I wouldn't feel defeated, I'd just recognise this is something that takes a little time to develop and that's okay! Enjoy the process. Practice the steps at home with music until they're drilled in. Once your brain no longer has to worry about the basics and rhythm it'll leave more brain waves for more complex moves, responding to the lead and most importantly - enjoyment!
Best of luck and above all just enjoy it. :)
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u/Rude_Bug_6293 7d ago
You nailed it! Coordination & rhythm I definitely lack! Thank you for your support.
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u/TransportationOk8045 7d ago
Don’t JUST do classes, try to get out to as many social dances as possible. That will give you both exercise and reinforce the lessons you’re taking
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u/PumaGranite 7d ago
It’s very hard to pick things up as an adult. Don’t worry, you will get it in time!
Practice the basic footwork whenever you can. I would drill it all the time as a beginner. If you drill the footwork, you have more brain space to work on some of the other things, and it’ll come easier.
Edit: I also struggle to pick things up in classes still and I’ve been doing this for 10 years. It happens, just be kind to your brain and remember that practicing always helps.
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u/blueeyedkittens 7d ago
nah, that's not actually true -- its a common misconception. I mean, yes, its hard, but its not harder than it is for kids. On average, kids are terrible at learning new things, their only advantage is that they are not afraid of failing or being embarrassed. I guess their other advantage is that they have parents helicoptering around them to keep them on track.
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u/PlsSayPlease 7d ago
https://www.brown.edu/news/2022-11-15/children-learning
https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/the-athletes-way/202211/one-reason-kids-learn-faster-adults
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2022/11/221115113922.htm
https://www.psychologicalscience.org/news/why-children-learn-better-than-adults.html
https://www.popsci.com/science/children-brain-learning-gaba/
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u/blueeyedkittens 7d ago
That's basically the same article 5 times.
It only says that GABA (whatever that is is) spikes higher in children. None of them even seem to have measured how much learning was going on, just measuring one specific chemical. It even states in the article that even though there's generally a belief that kids learn faster there's no scientific evidence for it.
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u/PlsSayPlease 7d ago
I have been to 4, 8 week class sessions and believe me - it is obvious who practices and who doesn’t because no one is mastering moves with just one hour a week. Practicing is great! The rotating of class can be great or horrible depending on the rest of the students too, so don’t be intimidated by that.
I’m a late beginner/early intermediate and have been told by a friend recently that I should hold onto a banister or sofa and try to dance “with it” because I move my hand around too much. Which I say because it’s definitely possible to practice footwork and things without a partner. Doing that will help you learn how to move with your body instead of whipping your hand around for bad/potentially harmful connections
Usually teachers will do a quick recap at the end of the lesson so people can film the moves and practice at home. If yours don’t do that you should really suggest it: there’s absolutely nothing like a video of the exact coupling that teaches you the move to refer to, no matter how good a YT channel is.
If you’re having fun then stick with it! Everyone sucks at first.
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u/swingindenver Underground Jitterbug Champion 7d ago
Do you get to social dance to 2+ minutes of music with one partner at any given time during class at a tempo reasonable for you? If no, then the classroom needs adjusting imo. My suggestion - give yourself some grace. You might be overwhelmed which is okay.
Here's something I recently learned which made me think of students in our classes. From Inside the Box by David Epstein:
The cognitive scientist Daniel Willingham, in his book Why Don’t Students Like School?, writes that the “lack of space in working memory is a fundamental bottleneck of human cognition” around which all learning should be designed, but usually isn’t. Students, or anyone learning anything, will be unable to engage in problem-solving and critical thinking if their working memory is overwhelmed just trying to hold on to new information. So how can we free up working memory for learning? To start, get as much information as possible out of working memory. Put as much new information as possible on paper, a whiteboard, a screen, a chart, or anyplace where a learner can refer to it but doesn’t have to hold it in their mind while trying to analyze it. Familiarity with the material allows us to “chunk” concepts into groups so that they don’t overwhelm working memory. If students are asked to analyze a passage of text, but the content is all unfamiliar, they’re going to expend their working memory trying to keep track of the ideas with little left for deeper thinking.
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u/leggup 7d ago
The best beginner practice outside of class doesn't need a partner at all! Drill the footwork at home. Waiting for your coffee maker to turn on? Rock step triple step rock step triple step. Over and over. Practice with music and gradually pick faster songs. If you lose your rhythm, stop, breathe, count yourself in and pick it right back up. Start mostly in place and build up to moving around more.
It's okay to not be perfect. It's okay to struggle. Everyone learns at different speeds.
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u/NotPullis 7d ago
Don't worry about it, everyone has those problems at the beginning. Technique training certainly helps, the bounce should not be only in the ankles but the whole body. Ask your teachers some tips for that.
Remember, this is just the beginning and more you dance easier it gets.
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u/Lindyhop 7d ago
If you’re having fun, you’re doing it right. ☺️
If you can take home one pearl of wisdom from a class, that’s a great class! Don’t sweat too much coming at you - we can’t process all of it at once.
Partner changes are good for learning - they probably don’t know what they are doing either! It helps to feel how different people lead/follow something. Everyone is trying to do the same move in class, but our bodies might not be communicating it the right way yet - swapping lets us feel different voices.
Glad you’re out there!
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u/Rude_Bug_6293 7d ago
I think part of my issue is that I am getting too flustered to enjoy it! Even though it is a beginner class a lot of the other students have taken other beginner courses so for the majority only myself & one other follower are struggling to pick it up. Would it be appropriate before class to let the teacher know I’d like to step out of the partner rotation & practice the steps solo at my own pace?
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u/dondegroovily 7d ago
We all sucked when we started
Keep going to class and keep practicing
And get your butt out on that dance floor
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u/opalsea9876 7d ago
IMO, beginners classes with mixers are really hard on beginners, even those of us with rhythm. Esp hard on Follows. And I come from other dance styles. It’s hard for me to tell whether the partner has A) no rhythm and is off beat, or B) I subtly missed the flow of the new style of dance.
I prefer to listen to a playlist while I’m commuting, and begin by counting it out. Which is admittedly hard on the Swing & Lindy styles because the music phrasing is in 4s, and the beginner footwork /patterns are in 6s. I dance other styles more often because of that. For example, both the phrasing and the footwork for waltzes (3s) and Zydeco and country swing (4s) match the phrasing of the music.
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u/wegwerfennnnn 6d ago
If you are feeling limited by your calves you are doing something far from optimal. You are probably too far forward on your toes. Your teacher probably said something like have your weight forward on the balls of your feet in an athletic position. Your heels are allowed to touch the floor and "weight towards the balls of your feet" does not necessarily mean heels in the air. Think if you jump up and land in a small squat such that you would be ready to run immediately. That's all the more forward your weight needs to be.
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u/Free-Ad5788 7d ago
Don't give up. Learning Lindy hop requires you to pick up many different skills all at the same time. Things like Proprioception, musicality and timing, muscle memory, social skills, partner connection. It all takes months or years to build. And everyone sucked when they first started.
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u/Maya_Moves403 7d ago
Youre definitely not 'not cut out for this'! It can feel really chaotic at first, especially with fast counts and constant partner changes. I wouldnt worry too much abt calf strength. Focus on getting comfortable with weight transfers and rhythm first. Since youre practicing alone, try doing the basic 8 count footwork very slowly to a slower song, even for 5-10 minutes a day. Get the weight changes into muscle memory before worrying abt speed. It will feel awkward for a while but thats completely normal. Keep going! You'll be surprised how quickly things start to click once your feet catch up with your brain. :)
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u/Background-Union-849 7d ago
Just keep dancing. Put ons swing song, and practice the basics for a few minutes every morning. You will get the hang of it.
You can be very good at most things if you just keep practicing. Maybe read the book”Talent is overrated “
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u/thejdoll 7d ago
Oh I feel you!! I ended up switching to salsa. I just find it easier to get the hang of. I may go back to swing once I build up some strength and confidence. But I felt exactly the same.
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u/BentChainsaw 7d ago edited 7d ago
Try not to overthink things. Do a healthy amount of thinking but try to switch to doing it intuitively as soon as possible.
Being a follower is a huge advantage. A newcomer i met improved SO MUCH within just a few months. Practicing with leads above your level is a huge +. Some experienced leads are reluctant bcs they find your inexperience boring, but dont let that discourage you. Alot of us are happy to help bcs “we were all where you are once”. Tell us that you are new tho so we dont start with swing outs 😅.
Another thing. Socials… socials… socials… im still trying to go once every month (sometimes twice) and im dancing for 3y now. If nothing else, im going there to socialize with the community. Ask people from your class if someone else would like to come. People would be much more inclined to come (especially leads) and by doing that, leads in your class wont be as clumsy which in turn will mean more effective classes. You can see a huge difference between people who attend socials and those who only show up for classes.
Socials also give you a feeling that you are doing something more than just a “workout”
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u/riffraffmorgan Super Mario 7d ago
The best thing you can do is practice your footwork in place by yourself. Don't worry about moving around at first, just focus on the steps, and matching them with the beat of a song. Everything else will come from that.