Looking for a way to practice west coast swing alone… without a partner? Whether you’re on lockdown due to a pandemic or you’re just looking to up your game on your own… we’ve got you covered!
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The how’s and why’s of practice
These articles help understand ‘why’ you should practice but also ‘how’ you can practice. We also cover 4 different styles of approacing learning.
- Why practice works?
- The value of solo practice (+ 5 ways to do it)
- 4 Practice Styles (different approaches to learning)
- Why practice your basics?
- How to find & fix mistakes in your dancing?
- How to focus your practice! (to get better quickly)
Practice takes time.
This is just a personal favotire story of mine and I wanted to share it. We sometimes get discouraged in how long it takes to improve. This story will hopefully inspire to stay positive about your downtime and to take a long term approach to learning!
Some ‘tools’ to use for your practice
Practice your Footwork
- 5 Footwork Drills for WCS
- Basic Practice Drill (video)
- Match your footwork to the music (2 ways to match your steps to the music)
Practice your Anchor Steps
Anchor steps are on of the easiest ways to add some styling no matter what level you are at. I especially like our video 5 ways to style your anchor step. Make sure you watch it!
- Stretch your Anchor Step
- 5 ways to style your anchor step (watch this video!)
Practice your Musicality
Matching your movements to the music is where things really come alive in west coast swing. Take this downtime to really dig in and understand your styling.
- Musicality for west coast swing dancers (a free guide to musicality)
- Practicing with no music (if you have a partner)
If you really want to take your Musicality to the next level, our course The Ultimate Guide to Musicality has EVERYTHING you need! It’s a paid course but if you’re serious about mastering the music it will get you there!
Practice your Arm Styling
This is an area that followers are really interested in. What to do with your free arm when you dance. We’ve got you covered! Take a peek.
- The Ultimate Guide to Arm Styling (tons of free resources & videos here)
Improve your Styling
There is so much to cover when we talk about styling. Here are a couple popular things you can learn on your own.
- Learn Body Isolations (learn to move your body)
- How to hitch (very common for good dancers)
- Create your own styling (how to make this dance your own)
- How to ‘play’ in wcs (a deep dive into play)
Fun (and important) ideas for styling
Here are couple fun things for you to try. I think the 3 keys to better styling is one that will help you look good with different partners so make sure you watch that video.
- 5 Styling ideas for you to try
- 3 keys to better styling (download this video!)
- How to practice (learn how to focus your practice)
A step by step guide to styling?
Want us to walk you through looking better step by step?
We’ve created 2 amazing courses to do just that!
- The Ultimate Guide to Ladies Styling
- The Ultimate Guide to Leaders Styling
These are paid courses but people have said that they were very helpful while they were without a regular partner.
Inside each you’ll find:
- 18 videos lessons
- 6 special patterns to add some style
- PDF downloads to help you remember
- BONUS — 1 hour live video from one of our styling & footwork workshops!
Watch my introduction to the course here:
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Brian & Megan