Begginers guide and help questions - Popping & Locking

[westcoastpoppin]

This thread is dedicated for droppin science on techniques and tips for all styles!

Need advice on your practice clip? Post your Practice clip on the Critique chamber (http://www.westcoastpoppin.com/popping-locking-forum/showthread.php?t=1497) (critiqued by waveomatic) and get advice and help!

For all of you newbies out there, be sure to check out the Popping Tutorials (http://www.westcoastpoppin.com/popping-videos.php?catid=1) page for videos!

:supz: :supz: :supz: :supz: :supz: :supz: :supz:

lets rock n roll , if anyone wants to copy and paste what they have said in the past, read, or what not, drop em here :-)

[LOBO]

I know this guy probably aint the most liked guy on the planet...but lets admit he knows sum shit!! But yo ......despite all the polotics....we gotta give credit were it is due ;). This is somethin I saved on one of his posts back at the wiggz board when there was a question about Dancing on beat:

Jrock Says:

1)Sittin in the Beat
2)Riding the Beat
3)Freakin the Beat

If you can do those three things.... you good to go.


Sittin in the Beat: If you're sittin in the beat its all about timing, and how you are physically showing the music with your body. When you are sittin in the beat, you have the ability to take your time and SLOOOOOOOOWWWWW DDDDDOOOOOOOWWWWNN! Even if the tempo is fast, you get down to just every other snare, or bass hit...or skip several...but in your head you are listening to the whole song. I like to describe it like this....Everyone knows how to air pose right? Or the timing of it? Thats similar to sittin in the beat...staying on beat, and not trying to keep up with everyhting in the song. Take a deep breath, and just focus in on one part of the music...and even then dont try to destroy it..just "SIT in IT" and chill. This is the best way to START A ROUND, or A FREESTYLE, just feel it out first and get your timing right. Think Pete when he starts most of his rounds, Acki when he starts most of his rounds, Popula is always sittin in it, Skeet does this a lot too. When you're sittin in the beat it makes it easier to catch everyhting else because you're not thinking about keeping up..it forces you to feeeellll the music. And it almost feels as though you slowed the music down in your head and now you can catch everything.

Ridin the Beat: Ridin the beat is a little easier to explain, its just how it sounds. RIDE THE BEAT. You ride along with rhythms in the beat, you pick one rhythm like 1,2, and 3, 4, 5, and 6, and a 7, 8. (Thats the counts to the new ICE CUBE song "Why We Thugs" Download it and count to it. But basically you dance to the rhythm and follow it continously....the same way you would the 2,4,6,8 (or clap) in any gfunk song. You find a repeating pattern in the music and just dance to that..and RIDE IT through your solo, you can have more than one rhythm going and add on by catching the bassline and the snare every time, multiple rhythms are called poly rhythms. It may not be apparent at first, but after you keep ridin the beat people will see what you are following and will begin to SEE the music. This is also what MOST POPPERS do when they say they are "Freakin the Beat" most of us are just riding the beat. You dont have to have the song memorized to do this! It can be the first time ever hearing it! Think Sam, its also mostly what I do, Walid, Frank, Pete, Skeet, and lots others...

Freakin the Beat: This is the OOOOHHH AAAAHHHHHH of your musicality. Its basically puttin together a BIG BLOW UP, or an IMPRESIIVE ISLOATION, or SMOOTH MOVE, or a BIG DIMESTOP right with the music. Its more dynamic than Riding the beat, its for all the dumb people in the audience to see the music..if they dont see this then they must be deaf! LOL. It could be you were riding the beat and then at the end of the round instead of just riding it out and then stopping your round you end with a Beat Freak to the same rhythm you were riding the whole beat. OR MAYBE if you know the song, you catch little unpredictable noises and one time sounds in the song. These things can also happen on the spot if you get lucky. Some people only dance to the clap, and then do a BEAT FREAK here and there. Think Salah, Acki, Popula, Mike Watson, Pete, Wigglez, Skeet, Taco, and so on and so on....


For me those three are the whole package, sittin in it shows control, and manipulates the music and STARTS STRONG. Ridin the beat shows the dance skills, and the ability to adapt to any song. Beat freak shows performance and pow in a dancers skills and the ability to END STRONG.

Hope that helps you as much as it helped me.
Much respect to the EB's for teaching this method of approaching the music. it didnt make sense to me until recent years...and Im still working on it.


JRock
ABM


Slick Dogg:

for more advanced hittin-

hit on the one beat,then bang on the two beat.....

[itstitoitstito]

credit to the famous MR WIGGLES
giving us some performing tips
thanks to mr wigz ur the man as always
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

good tools to remember
-if performing in front of large crowds make you nervous, try spotting one person in the audiance (dead center, eye level), and perform for him or her.
-for people who like to make to many strange faces, learn the art of dead pan, and study facial acting on stage (BILL ERWIN)
-try not to do toooo much, LESS IS MORE, SIMPLE AND FONKY. people think that to impress you gotta wiggle your legs, and keep your feet movin, and wave your arms, and wobble your head, continous blinkin, all at the same time throughout the entire solo...lol, pace yourself, flo with the music, and iscolate.. don't be afraid to stop once in a while and set up your ideas so the crowd has a chance to catch a move and they really wanna respond, so give them a chance too..
-people pay good money to be entertained, so you gotta deliver, practice and perform to your best ability, and give them a lil of both, what they want, and what they need..
-connect with the audiance, they love that...
-poppin in a cipher is not the same as poppin on stage, gotta learn how to spot, how to not give your back to much, how to make use of the stage, at times exagerate movement so the people in the back can see it, how to accent smaller moevements so the people in the back can see it, ect..
-learn how to put together show tapes, and keep segments short and sweet, and to the point, take out allot of time consuming stuff just cause you feel you wanna get off.. hit it and quit it... and move on to the next segment...

-i recently did a piece in City Center, only two in a half minutes long, withing that short time, i had an intro, acted over some pre recorded poetry, paused, locked, up rocked, set up a popping solo, then popped, animated, tuts, waves, glides, boog, strobed, and then ended with a clean bomb. and got a great responce.. i originally started out with 5 minutes of music, and trimmed it down to make a short but hard impact piece..

any ways
thats some stuff

peace
wiggles
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[dqfrshfool]

Dope!! another lesson learned!!! sick topic by de way!!

[Danis Kool]

fresh!

[Boogiewalker]

Jrock Says:

1)Sittin in the Beat
2)Riding the Beat
3)Freakin the Beat

If you can do those three things.... you good to go.



Hey Lobo, I know you probably didn't know this, but I think that the tri-partite funk dance philosophy actually comes from EB Skeeter Rabbit (R.I.P.)... At least, Toni Basil, in her eulogy for him at his funeral, gave the exact same description and attributed it directly to Skeet...

Just wanted to make sure credit is given where credit is actually due...

peas,

BW
CSLA Funkstyles

[pakelika10]

heres another train of thought to go along with this topic...



be...the beat......

not just on beat..freakin the beat....riding....ect


be the beat....

from begining to....all the way to the peak......to the recoil....

the whole beat.....rhythm....

[Snale]

i agree 100% with pakelika,

my interpretation of how the beat relates to your dancing is clear for me when i think of the conductors of large symphonies.

when the music cunductor wants the strings to increase/decrease volume and/or tempo, he points to that section and makes a gesture.

that gesture up or down, etc is followed by the music.

the dancer, in our case, follows the music the same way.

when the beat has a burst of claps, you can burst your movement simotaneously.

the conductor example is the best way i can explain how you become the beat.

this way, you and your audience take note that you are using the music as you would use a tut pose or a float.

it's pretty simple and fun if you think about it, and it adds a layer of complexity to your dance as well.

when someone says that a dancer has soul, i feel that this is what they mean.

that the dancer, while moving, has clear attention on the beat and has every intention of incorporating that song into his dance as much as possible.

thats why rehearsed routines look so sick.

peace

[madnessBBC]

Good points Pak and Snale, but I just wanted to say that BW is right, those three techniques are from Skeeter Rabbit(RIP). Im sure JRock would be the first to tell you that too. What wa great was seein Skeet do all three examples right there when he was teachin, damn he would freak the @#*% out of the beat, I called it killin the beat when he did it. Im greatful I was able to learn from while he was still among us.


Rest In Peace Big Bro.

[akakame]

can anyone give me any advice on popping..how should i start practicing it?..wat should i do to improve it?..i'm a girl and 4m Malaysia..my fav popper would be nam hyun joon and eunjun..hahah..here in malaysia it's sooo hard 2 find a dance class that teaches popping..oh..i would also like 2 ask u guys 2 comment on my dance..http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TCke3ZxX4WU

[itstitoitstito]

i like your hip hop feel baby...maybe wear less clothes u can be sexier..lol j/k

but yeh well i guess i cant comment on it cus its hip hop
but for popping..yes post your clip and i would try to tell what can u work on im a very nice guy yeh? :lol:

but in general, do u kno how to do the basic wave , pop , robot tut and glides?or the boogaloo basic moves if ur into the boog
if not, then i think the tutorial in the poppin tutorial section would help

http://www.westcoastpoppin.com/poppingtutorials.php
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[westcoastpoppin]

welcome to the boards akakame

if you want feed back on your clips you should post it on the Popping Videos Page (http://www.westcoastpoppin.com/forum/viewforum.php?f=2) so more ppl can see it ~

8)

Hope you find what you need here, the other dancers will guide you through the way~

[Boogiewalker]

My best advice for beginning poppers: STOP WATCHING NAM HYUN JOON!!

well, let me self-edit my comment:

It's good that watching Nam Hyun Joon got you into popping, but trust me, there are much better poppers out there besides him. Start looking at clips here and on other boards, buy DVD's etc., trust me--get over Nam Hyun Joon ASAP...

peas

BW

[LOGiC]

LMAO!!

avoid it at all costs

[juggaloG421]

i got to homeland and practice in my free time. got down waves and glides pretty good in about a month give/take. still a novice and still working on it..but then again isnt everyone? even if they are really good i still see advanced poppers practicing stuff all the time. serves as motivation to know that even the sickest dancers still fuck up and need to practice to stay that way...

peace.


oh yeah anyone got any advice on how to do that crazy walk that turbo does in the beginning of breaking...i dont know what its called but hes walking directly at the camera and snaking his arms out..and his legs are snaking as well...ive been trying to practice this but it be HARD! any tips?

[pboy.chong]

Hey all, i'm pretty new on this popping, probs 2 weeks seriously, but i was a natural hitter.
what would be the priority of techniques to learn?
i've got my waves, hitting alrite i think, also, is botting the same as hitting? or am i on the totally wrong track?
so the list goes for me what i've learnt-
1. Hitting
2. Arm wave
3. Body wave/Boog

[TETRIS]

Welcome to the boards Chong 8)

Botting is Robboting and it is different from hitting.

Here is a clip of Robert shields - Roboting Video (http://www.westcoastpoppin.com/playvideo.php?id=173)

and this is hitting

Poppin Pete Hitting Exercise - Hitting Video (http://www.westcoastpoppin.com/playvideo.php?id=231)

[pboy.chong]

OK thanks, aslo, i want to pop in this style-
Elektric_No1 (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kPKwM-t-yws)
what should i learn, and what elements of popping does he use?

[MathisFownk]

My best advice for beginning poppers: STOP WATCHING NAM HYUN JOON!!

well, let me self-edit my comment:

It's good that watching Nam Hyun Joon got you into popping, but trust me, there are much better poppers out there besides him. Start looking at clips here and on other boards, buy DVD's etc., trust me--get over Nam Hyun Joon ASAP...

peas

BWword !

[wajero2007]

Nam Huyn Joon isnt popper, he is freestyler. And he is great dancer.. just too many ppl wanna copy him and thats not good.

[AlCapella]

Hey

Thank you for a great forum. I'm trying to do the wave right now, but for some reason it just doen't look like Morax's instruction video at all. Anybody know what I might bee doing wrong? What are normal beginner mistakes?

Promise I'll answer replys as soon as possible guys.

Many thanks.

[TETRIS]

Put up a clip of you waving and we can critique it and give you some pointers, Welcome to the boards bro~ 8)

[Studentman]

How do you do the chest part for the Cobra please? Do twist from the waist?, or do you just use your shoulders and chest to make it look like it's going in a circle? I figure it would take a while before I could get it down, but I didn't want to get off on the wrong foot.

[itstitoitstito]

How do you do the chest part for the Cobra please? Do twist from the waist?, or do you just use your shoulders and chest to make it look like it's going in a circle? I figure it would take a while before I could get it down, but I didn't want to get off on the wrong foot.

i think its hard to explain in words..someone help him pls
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Gabriellaxx (http://www.girlcamfriend.com/cam/Gabriellaxx/)

[Studentman]

Thank you Tito, I think I am figuring it out a little more since I asked the last question. Now what about vibrating? I saw some people at Homeland do that really well. My understanding is that it is mostly just bouncing up and down from the legs, but it's hard to tell by watching.

[Boogiewalker]

Well, I only know a little about Cobra... mostly because it's a pretty freakin' hard style to do! Esp. if you're not on the more experienced side...

But basically, what I've been told is that for Cobra, you're using your chest and isolating it from the motion of your head and your lower body. Whatever direction your chest is rotating, I believe your head is supposed to go the opposite direction. And of course, all the movement is supposed to be segmented and really animated looking...

Well, at least, that's what I've been told...

Yeah, and vibration primarily uses legs, but you can learn to vibrate your chest motion by doing small dime stops in rapid sucession...

once again, what I've been told. Not a master of any of these techniques by ANY stretch of the mind...

peas,

Boogiewalker
CSLA Funkstyles

[Studentman]

Awesome. Thanks Boogiewalker, now to practice.

[TonyTiger]

Hi everyone.

Im a beginner and I justed started practise waving with my arms, After a while it started to hurt in my shoulders. In the joints.

What should I do about it? It's really annoying.

Im 19...

Ciao

[Man Like Griff]

Hi everyone.

Im a beginner and I justed started practise waving with my arms, After a while it started to hurt in my shoulders. In the joints.

What should I do about it? It's really annoying.

Im 19...

Ciao

practice practice practice! pain will stop when u get used to the movements. probably....

[akakame]

ok.lets just say that im a beginner n im really REALLY wanna learn popping n hitting...wat should i do?..how to practice it?..ive watched some of the popping tutorial but i still couldnt understand..n does it involves muscles n breathing?..im a big size girl..is it possible?

[Boogiewalker]

YES! It's TOTALLY possible.

Neither your gender nor your size make a difference. I know a few really small girls that have earth-shaking hits. Part what makes hitting so eye-catching is that it's an illusion--if you practice it long enough, your muscles will adjust and you'll learn to control the motion and that's when it will look like your body is going "out of focus" for just a second when you hit...

I'd say just try finding out how you flex different muscles. Then, once you know how to make that muscle expand and contract, just practice flexing it and releasing it slowly. Then, once you know how to flex muscles in isolation, try putting it all together and hitting them at once. Maybe practice doing the Fresno to put motion with your hit...

and just KEEP AT IT and keep watching popping clips/hanging out with poppers; you'll get it eventually.

peas,

Boogiewalker
CSLA Funkstyles

[akakame]

thank u sooo much..i'll take that advice..n practice it..speaking of hanging out with poppers..it will b very impossible 2 find 1 as here in malaysia..only few knows about popping or hitting or even fresno..if i found 1 i wouldnt ask the question now wouldnt i?..huuuu :cry: .nyway, really appreciate ur help..!!

[k-tick]

wow that is some good advice boogie walker. Thanks!

[edelberto]

lil' help here.
there are still some styles that i don't know of and also haven't seen how it's done. They are Centipede, Saccin', Sticking and Spiderman.

[poppette]

can anyone give me any advice on popping..how should i start practicing it?..wat should i do to improve it?..i'm a girl and 4m Malaysia..my fav popper would be nam hyun joon and eunjun..hahah..here in malaysia it's sooo hard 2 find a dance class that teaches popping..oh..i would also like 2 ask u guys 2 comment on my dance..http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TCke3ZxX4WU

i liked your vid. if ya need ta talk about popping email me. us girls got ta stick together. the comment on ...you should dress sexier thats desrespectful. thats the kind of stuff we dont need.
hit me up

poppette

[HarrySu90]

Wssup Everyone, Im new to this site, watching salah has got me into popping, im great with glides, but I was wondering what should I stress on to get started.

[poppette]

Wssup Everyone, Im new to this site, watching salah has got me into popping, im great with glides, but I was wondering what should I stress on to get started.

start educating yourself on all the different styles. do your homework by watching vids.

then see what style feels goood to you and work on that , then work on new styles and see what your strenths and weaknesses are and focus on what your personal style after your homework

and have fun!

[SavageArtz]

Wssup Everyone, Im new to this site, watching salah has got me into popping, im great with glides, but I was wondering what should I stress on to get started.

start educating yourself on all the different styles. do your homework by watching vids.

then see what style feels goood to you and work on that , then work on new styles and see what your strenths and weaknesses are and focus on what your personal style after your homework

and have fun!


Word- good advi!!

I'm taking my work on popping serious these days. Since I've been attending college I've incorporated hip hop in all of my projects where it is allowed. This semester I've got to build a webpage from MS Word on how to: Popping, Waving, and gliding. Although I'm not so sure about my ability to do a proper wave and glide tutorial to other ppl. Guess I gotta get my game and my confidence up. But I'll be posting my own freestyle vids and I'll really need your alls feedback from it. Looking forward to hearing from and learning from you all.

[test_this]

Hey im learning popping (from internet/self) and I have a small query on leg hitting. I have looked around this and other forums on the correct/best way to hit your leg, and the majority of people suggest having the leg slightly bent and tensing muscles to straighten without overextending. However I read a post by someone (sorry forgot who) who was explaining the virtues of the forward leg hit. Is there a reason it seems less poppers do this, ie. does it give you knee damage or give a weaker/less clean hit?

Thanks, just wanted to clear that up before I progress a bit further with it lol.

[Zwickel]

Really great, I think it's time I begin to post some videos :) I mean, no one around knows shit about popping and locking , so the only way to get advice is to record it and get criticized.

[test_this]

I saw some videos of Popping John, and I think he hits his legs forward, and his hits are pretty good so I don't think forward hit gives less power? Is it no difference just a matter of preference?

If so, I was wondering which way is it best to hit your chest to add to the illusion if you are doing a backwards leg hit? Like hitting chest out or inwards, because I know your body moves differently on the forwards hit, so I didn't want to do a chest hit that works against the overall effect created by the leg hit, lol. I don't think Popping John is on these boards, but anyone here that hits forwards, or could tell me anything else about it... would be greatly appreciated.

Ty

[Split]

So I'm new to poppin and lockin... Otter is showing me some things but wondering if anyone gots tips in practiceing hits or any help for a newbie lemme no.

From a stressed out new pop and locker in san fran

[Joon13]

ok to peeps that like nam hyun joon, good for you dont listen to anyone if you like him.. no one else has to like your favorite popper nor you like theres. I think NHJ is one of the best <performers> and at one time he was prolly the most watched popper beside salah.. So with that being said Nam hyun joon has inspired hunders if not thousand to join the movment.. Now is he the best guy to watch for learning ?? Hell no stick to foundation, Skeet,Jrboogaloo,Pete,wiggz. then you can make your own style like NHJ once you learn <foundation>

[oprush21]

hey guys
im kinda new to this site
and i justed started poppin like 3 months ago
i think i got my hits pretty well
with one little problem
even though im right-handed, my hits on my right arm looks very crappy( i've been trying to work on this for a very long time but, im 15; hw and shit >.<)
i could hit well with my left but i just cant do it with my right
and also is it better to pop ur leg in or out??

[XxSomTingWongxX]

i would say out cause you don't want to hyperextend your knee but i don't know how that affects the visual effects.

[edelberto]

ok it's like this, snapping back your knee is BAD!! your gonna need surgery after doin it for a couple of years. Knee supporters can help in preventing this. feels uncomfy at first but yeah, you get the point. snapping it forward feels a bit wrong but youll get the hang of it after a while. watch Kite from Former Action in youtube his leg pops forward.

[edelberto]

Here's an advice for everyone. Keep up at it. Eventually you'll become good.
Just keep on strolling through the boards and learn as much as you can from the info OG's droppin knowledge for us. Also one more thing, when you pop, Be yourself. Your own strength and weaknesses make up your own style.

one more thing, Keep it funky!

[lilballatk]

well i need help, ive been doing popping for maybe a year and a half now and i have good top work, but i need more advanced work on footwork any help?

[poppincamo]

Wuz up yall I had a quick question, well actually its a problem. I,ve been poppin a lil over 2yrs now but I,m starting to find myself a lil more repetitive than creative. Its almost 2 the point were I laugh at myself in the mirror. I was thinking this could be due to me really not practicing with other poppers or just stop smokin pot and practicing poppin LOL. Anyway any of you guys input would be appriciated.
PEAZ.

[Seoulja_boy]

Hey i'm new to the forums, but uhh i have a couple of questions.
ok well.
first off, when you pop, are you supposed to flex your whole body?
or is it just like arms and stuff.
because a lot of people have been telling me different things
or is it just that you can pop any part as long as you put your style into it.

and yeah

and my other question is, like, when you pop, and you do that little after shock thing(i dunno the name). How do you do that? like when you flex then you move that part of your body like a machine thing. LOL its hard to explain, but if you know, please reply :P ive been wondering this for the longest time

and uhh yup !

[MathisFownk]

Hey i'm new to the forums, but uhh i have a couple of questions.
ok well.
first off, when you pop, are you supposed to flex your whole body?
or is it just like arms and stuff.
because a lot of people have been telling me different things
or is it just that you can pop any part as long as you put your style into it.

and yeah

and my other question is, like, when you pop, and you do that little after shock thing(i dunno the name). How do you do that? like when you flex then you move that part of your body like a machine thing. LOL its hard to explain, but if you know, please reply :P ive been wondering this for the longest time

and uhh yup !

you can pop "parts" of your body but for me there are some moments when you def need to pop whole... like if you hear boom-boom-clap you can do "leg-leg-whole"

[Seoulja_boy]

oh so its just basically if theres like a loud beat, you should do whole body?
and like if its the small minor beats its aight just for like the arms and stuff?

[zaid]

does anyone has a clip where show how to pop with your knees because i snap my knees inside and it sucks my friend pops with his knee outside and he has fking great hits really crazy shit

thx zaid

[poppincamo]

When I do my leg hits they come more from lift my heel flexin the back of my thigh and squeezin my butt cheek, how gay that soundz I know but it actually looks pretty sharp when you hit right. I learned this nifty technique from watching Invents tutorials.

[MathisFownk]

oh so its just basically if theres like a loud beat, you should do whole body?
and like if its the small minor beats its aight just for like the arms and stuff?

yep ! you can watch Frenqey, he does that on a great level...
his pops are hard !

[zaid]

yep ! you can watch Frenqey, he does that on a great level...
his pops are hard !
can you give me a url where i can see those poppin i tried 2 find it on youtube but it seems he has no clips there

[MathisFownk]

http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=Franqey&search=Search

[poppincamo]

wow that ninja is sick wit it!!!!

[Studentman]

I was wondering: If any of you picked a single place (or places) anywhere in the world to learn funkstyle dance - where would you go? I'm in San Diego now, and that seems way better than a lot of places - I've never been to the homeland classes, but that seems like a great place. Any colleges that teach it? I think Mr. Animation used to teach at UCLA. I figure California in general is the best place because there seem like more per capita dancers here.

[MathisFownk]

yes, Cali is the best and the worst is Russia ;)

[Boogiewalker]

I was wondering: If any of you picked a single place (or places) anywhere in the world to learn funkstyle dance - where would you go? I'm in San Diego now, and that seems way better than a lot of places - I've never been to the homeland classes, but that seems like a great place. Any colleges that teach it? I think Mr. Animation used to teach at UCLA. I figure California in general is the best place because there seem like more per capita dancers here.

Haha... you seem to have answered your own question:

As far as "colleges" teaching it: good luck. Only a few colleges I know of have Bboy practices/student clubs. Much MUCH rarer with poppers and even more so with lockers. :(

Homeland-- yup.

Just as a point of clarification though: there aren't any popping "CLASSES" at Homeland; it's just open session. However, most people there will be more than happy to show you stuff or teach you stuff if you just ask.

My homegirl/crewmate Jimini teaches LOCKING in the side room from 7:30-9:00pm on Monday nights for free, but that's a locking class--not popping.

My homie/crewmate, Lobo, actually teaches private lessons... he lives in OC, so if you can make it up there, you should hit him up... he knows his ish and he's a down guy...

And hit up some of the San Diego cats, like Sweet Feet or Dnoi. They can probably help you out in terms of learning stuff...

Also, Suga Pop teaches popping up in Hollywood at some studio...

As for California being the best place for popping:

I was recently talking to Slim Boogie about this on the phone. He was in Texas (my home state) judging a competition in Houston. The thing he noted was that, in other states like Texas (i.e. any state other than New York and California), there isn't AS MUCH of a dancing CULTURE. It's not just about "per capita" dancers; it's about your general population of club-going people/general public being "used to" seeing crazy dancers going off in clubs and cyphers and whatnot.

Even though there are sick poppers in other states than Cali and New York, I would safely say that, as far as club-goers and people in general, they are the "oddity" when it comes to things you'd probably see at a club or any other public place in those states. Cali and New York have much more of an accepting view of street dance than do other places--mostly because street dances evolved in those places...

Don't get me wrong: I'm not saying people don't trip out and love to see cool dancing in these other places. But it's viewed more as a "ooooooh look at the "breakdancer"/dancing monkey/robot guy!! How weird!!" rather than, "oh, the poppers are getting down over in the corner." Also, you have a higher rate of incidents of people NEGATIVELY tripping on you and your dancing (clowning on you, trying to fight you, shove you off the dance floor, etc.)

So, yes, I would venture to say you're also correct about California being at least one of the best places to learn and participate in dance... not only b/c of the "numbers", but because of the more accepting cultural view of people here...

Anyway, that's my 2 cents...


peas,

BW
CSLA Funkstyles
www.shockla.com

[Boogiewalker]

Although in terms of "in the world":

I'd say that Japan, Korea and France are good places to go to learn popping, b/c they seem to have a "system" for teaching...

Although it's probably not as "creative" as popping here... for example: you're probably going to be learning mostly boog-based popping in those three places, since the EBs are who most people learned from in those places...

I'd still say SoCal is your best bet over-all though...

peas,

BW

[stanley13]

hello yall, i started popping in mid-january and entered my first battle about a month ago, i have a couple questions:
1) What are judges looking for in a popping battle? Foundation? Dancing? Hitting? Tricks? A lot of the time I see poppers doing the same moves from round to round. Battling goes beyond physical and touches into creative mental concepts, doing something new every round which is extremely taxing when there are 6-12 rds. It seems like the best poppers play around with certain movements and incorporate certain tricks in here and there.
2) What are the fundamentals of popping? I like what JRock said. Just starting out what would be the best road to go in terms of what ogs are looking for?
3) I have a hard time slowing down, people are always saying "j, slow down, you're anticipating the beat too much? Is popping slower than it actually seems? It seems as if when you slow down you have more ability to be creative, is this true?
4) Hitting the legs? Do you hit by straightening them, or bending them? How do you make the illusion to the audience of not knowing where the pop comes from?
5) Watching Youtube? Good or bad. A lot of people say you're supposed to be self inspired and not rip moves off people. Creating your own style.
6) What do poppers think of c-walking?
7) Inspiration, I'd like to know what inspires some people to pop. To me I just feel it, anytime I am down or upset, I put on some music and start dancing.
Please let me know whay ya'll think, Thank You, God Bless!

[poppincamo]

u gotta lot of questions homie lol! but 2 answer 1 yeah slow down...like way down. im just starting to get this thru my brain, and hell yea watch youtube bro! study ur favorite poppers and create ur own style.

[E-rock]

This question was probably asked and answered but I'm looking for a popping playlist. I know a lot of songs by Zapp are great but I'm looking for other songs/artists. Help?

[poppincamo]

check the music sec. G.... they gotta whole bunch of bad ass playlists 4 share.

[E-rock]

how do you get to the music section on this website? sorry, i'm a noob

[Zwickel]

Yea, youtube was the first place I saw poppin at kinda, aside from some MTV vids and spots.... I've got like a year practicing my poppin and lockin, and most of the stuff I get I learned it from youtube and daily practicing by myself, noticing new ways......to do the moves, I don't know. I even think of putting and performing on Mexico City's downtown... it's funny because there aren't any poppers at all.

[promabs]

wats wrong wit hyun joon clips

[ZatoOne]

Whats up everyone. I just started popping this week and I'm practicing rolling my elbow for the arm waves. Now I watched Morax's and JBoogz's tutorial and have been practicing with my hand on the wall but the problem I run into is when I try to attempt to do the rotation like Morax where he kind of has his elbow bent when he places it on the wall and rotates. I cant seem to get it to rotate but when i straighten like JBoogz shows i can rotate it. Any tips on helping me getting the rotation with my elbow bent and hand on the wall? Thanks in advance.

[Derrall]

Hey guyz... i just started poppin id say... mid july...
ive always known how to dance... but after i saw michael kim (onion) on so you think you can dance.... i just had to get in on it....
i dont have a tough time learning any dance... i can c walk my shoes off ... soo ive picked up gliding quite nicely.. (no where near where id like it to be though) my hits are becoming better and better every week... ( i practive hitting with my upper body on my car rides to and from work.. and it helps tremendously...) that being said.. i have TONS of trouble with...
waving...
tutting
and isolation....

i think im trying too hard with the waves.. ive watched dozens of tuturials... they all make sense... but my body doesnt want to listen... either that.. or it doesnt look very magical to me... and honestly.. my hits dont look very good..when i look at them in the mirror... but my gf and roommate tell me it looks really good..

for tutting...im pretty sure i just need to practive being able to flatten my hands.... and is it better for me to...learn like a set list? or does that come naturally after a while? (i get the most trouble from tutting.... whats the most basic...barebones tutting guide anybody can give me).. i cant not ...for the life of me.. remember a routine.....and its not that it bores me.. i love how pandora does it.. and how onion sometimes splashes it into what he's doing... any tips?

and for isolation....am i supposed to just tighten up the area i dont want to move and hope for the best.... because no matter how hard i try... it ends up moving.... i cant find a good isolation video.... so can somebody link me one of those too?

ps....even with what little popping i do know..and have learned from this site... im still a god compared to anybody else that dances around here... you'd think that chicago would have a nice dancing community around here... but most of them just hate....
all im gettin at is THANK YOU for anybody who has ever had any input on this site... its amazing.. and i read it all day (at work)

[n00b-intact]

Sup guys I started popping only like half a week ago, I've been just learning hits (body and arms), and arm waves. Like ZatoOne I have a problem with rotating my elbow but the problem is that my elbow is usually already rotated before i even start my wave, so when i get to the other side of my body (goin from shoulder to elbow) it feels awkward, and i dont really know what to do after going from shoulder to elbow no tutorial really shows it properly do i just go back to the bent wrist and knuckles and fingers or what?

[mushroom-eater]

Hey, this is awesome. I have tried Popping Tutorials and it helped a lot. Thanks a million.

[Puni]

Will working out give me stronger hits?

Well, I want to know how to get stronger, bigger hits,
faster hits,
and cleaner hits.

Actually, what would you say, think, or consider a clean hit is?

Thank you.

[inventfmc]

Working out isn't your answer.

It's working out your hits.
The most important thing to train in terms of hits, is training yourself to RELAX your muscles, not just tense them hard.

If you're muscles aren't fully relaxed between hits, you wont be able to fully tense them.

Faster hits: work on your ticking. Build it up in small bursts at a time. I found bursts of 3 are the most efficient for trying to hit faster (123 break1 123)

[Studentman]

So for vocabulary, could somebody define circle waves, rock waves, and bounce waves? I'm guessing circle waves are the ones Gucchon likes so much?

[shye]

whatz good i am new into this never had any kind of interest into poplocking
but somehow i wann try it out so what do i have to do first ? already watched a lot of popplocking videos and the tutorial and i am always trying to imitate some moves but it never looks like the original could somebody help me out ?

[inventfmc]

Shye... it doesn't have to look like the original. You should BE original, not just a copy cat!!! Just keep practicing man... it takes time. You're not gonna get this over night or in like 2 months.

[popitgood]

yeah, invent is right

its all about control and consistency

even though im a skinny ass mofo i can still hit pretty good, the problem is hitting really good no matter what position im in and consistently every time. its real easy to get distracted and half ass your hits

so practicing ticking not only helps your...ticking, but it also improves your hits, makes them more precise

also, keep doing the tense for 4, relax for 4, tesne for 2, relax for 2, etc. thats one of those exercises that you should never stop doing (btw, do this exercise in different positions)

[popitgood]

and shye, the people you have seen have most likely been doing the dance for upwards of 5 years

dont start out trying to dance like them, learn to dance like they learnt to dance and become your own dancer from that

[A_funkstyle]

It's no use copying to the professional poppers' clip. It will confuse you alot cuz the moves are complicated and they are so perfect. Just seriously practice from basic: hitting and waving. Then try more tuts. But first of all you must be serious with this, don't just do it as a joke... And wish you would fell in love with popping soon :)) :))

[saiko]

hey Guys im new in the forum... can anyone guide me?
Im just starting to learn popping except for now i dont noe anything so is there a link or a video that can help me to start off with...

[Bdoubi]

WHAT UP MY PPL!! Been lookin on the net for awhile now to find a tutorial on the infamous "king kobra" style that poppin' taco used back in the day but i have yet to find anything resourceful. I know that Randm has a NASTY snake that he does but my main concern is finding out the basics (not wanting to just watch a video and try to copy). I have the isolated chest down pat but i'm curious as to footwork and arm placement... can anyone hook a brotha out!?!? its such a nasty style!! thanks in advanced to anyone who replies =]

[kency]

yeah it great...

[iliyanwater]

Can anyone recomend me a way of practice how to pop harder?

[Bdoubi]

Can anyone recomend me a way of practice how to pop harder?

my suggestion would be to really exaggerate your hits. get in front of a mirror and practice solely on hitting hard. every aspect too not just one movement. hit on all parts of your body. would be best to have a few songs on a playlist or something that way you have a few different beats for hitting on different patterns

[Rocksteady]

Someone enlist me all of the basic boogaloo movements, cause since i'm learning it and i want to make sure not to miss any of them.

[k-rizz]

whats a good way to practice your ticking? recently i just been started on working on my ticks and it dosent look clean at all.. and everytime i try it dosent look sharp.. its super sloppy, any good methods or practices on making it look more clean?

[Benson]

New to popping.
http://www.youtube.com/user/noCaptainJack

The first video that plays.
Thanks.

[Steve-O-Le]

Hey guys, I'm really new to popping. I took a few months and tried to make my waves and hits efficient, although one thing still puzzles me and thats the concept of angles. During my sessions I try to create arm angles and stuff but I just don't get the concept of creating new angles. Can someone elaborate for me?