Hitting the legs

[thisisadds]

Hi there,

I'm new here, and also new to popping, and freestyling in general. Started it like a week ago, and started working on hits and popping after watching some of the tutorials.

In one of Invent's tutorials (which is awsome btw), he said that you bend your knees a bit hit the legs by tightening thigh, calf and butt muscles...The problem here is though that I cant hit all of those muscles at the same time. Is there any specific exercise or anything else that could help me with hitting my legs? Or am I just doing it completely wrong?

Another question:
Is it recommended to work and get good at dimestopping first before hitting/popping or anything else?

Thanks in advance.


Also, Waddup?!

[NRG]

'Sup man,

With regard to legs: there are muscles in your legs as in your arms. Remember how you've been learning to tense your arm muscles for 4 counts and then relaxing for 4 counts? Then gradually making the intervals shorter to tensed 1 count and relaxed 1 count?
Well, try it with leg muscles. Whenever you have time for practice. Very soon you'll be able to tense every muscle fibre in your legs, if you practise hard.

Good luck

Peace

[thisisadds]

Thanks man. True that; everything boils down to practice.
But the thing I'm confused is how to use calf, thigh AND butt muscles together at the same time. I can do one at a time, but not all of them at the same time.

[NRG]

Oh come on there is no magic trick to how to flex muscles. Only you can feel how you use your body. And btw there are also muscles in legs that surround your ankles and even your toes. Use them as well for maximum control.

Try that: move all your weight on one leg. Stand on it. Feel how and which leg muscles try to hold you.
Try to control and observe what you do and work from there.


That's all I can help you with. Sounds cheesy, but really -- listen to your body.

Peace.

[poppinggizmo]

hey dude. I watched invent's tutorial awhile ago, so I don't quite remember what he said about leg hits, but for me, I always keep my knees slightly bent, so that when I hit, I'm able to snap my knees back to give it some power (make sure you're flexing your butt to stop your knees from locking or you'll hurt your knees). I don't quite hit my calves when I hit my legs because you're standing so they're sort of being used for that. So yeah to sum it up, I snap my knees back and squeeze one butt (I find it hard to roam the floor if I'm hitting with both) at the same time.
One thing that helps me isolate butt squeezing (sounds funny :P) is I put one leg in front and then have the other in the back. Then I squeeze the butt of the leg that's in the back to hit the legs.
Hope that helps!

[VTbreak]

For the most part for me, I think that I use my quadriceps and gluts to flex. Its probably not the best leg hit, but it works somewhat and it's much easier to do.

[Tinman]

try hitting your leg while its off the ground =] thats what ive been practicing on right now. ill post a vid of me practicing my leg hits.

[thisisadds]

Hmm...I might try that tinman, and see how well it works for me.

@poppinggizmo: your butt squeezing technique works for me!

Thanks. :)

Btw this is the Invent's tutorial I was talking about: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WYJtB9U_MfA
Its awsome. And the leg hits part comes after 6 mins 30secs.

[spidurrman23]

all i know is dont snap your knees to HARD or u might damage it due to OVEREXTENDING it too much haha.

[popitgood]

also practice revers leg hits when you get good enough

[Wai]

so wait your legs aren't supposed to lock right. So how do you not make them lock but keep the hit from flexing your legs?

[popitgood]

you flex your quads, calfs and glutes (ass) precisely, not carelessly, you'll get it :)

[Wai]

so how do you flex your calfs anyways lol because i can only do that if i stand on my toes or something lol. THIS IS CONFUSING

[popitgood]

you can also do it when your knee is bent

here are 3 exercises to practice hitting the three leg muscles alone

1. two part exercise, practice flexing calfs while on toes and causing heels to go down, and practice flexing calfs while heel is down and knee is bent to cause knee to go back (but not too far back)

2. (this one is really tricky) put all your weight on one foot, and extend the other so it is straight and the knee is relaxed. Then flex your quads which will cause your knee to go upwards towards your hips. Then relax it back down.

3. practice hitting your hips in all 4 directions

[iRory]

hmmm.. i have that problem when im new too..
but my teacher here said.. i need to do robotting first ..
and as i practice i realize how to pop every part of my muscles?.
hmmm.. practice robotting..haha..
im not that good.. so sorry if this doesnt help..

[Bonesbrigade]

For some reason i cant hit my legs so that my knees go back, instead, they go forward

should i quit this habit and start popping with my knees going back? when i hit my legs, i tense my muscles and my knees shoot forward a tiny bit, so its like im crouching down but just a tiiiiiny bit. i dont get how i can quickly snap my knees back. that seems like it requires too much effort and if i over do it itll damage my knees . . . so is snapping my knees back better than shooting them forward?

[popitgood]

i know what you mean. its fine. your gonna have a more hip hop feel to your dance though. if you want to stay funky, work on those "up" hits.

and don't think of it as hyper extending your leg. go from regular position, to on your toes, and back (when your heels touch the floor is when the beat should drop). not from regular position, snap your legs back, and then you tear a tendon in your knees.

think of it like your sinks, except you are hitting the beat on the way back up!

[JrPoppin]

I have a hard time hitting my Calfs as well, something I'm still working on. But hitting your butt, gives a nice effect for mid body/ lower body. It will kinda give a thrusting motion haha.