Hitting is hard!

[BokChoi]

I've got a buncha questions

I've been trying to do hits for around 2 months now, but my hits still don't look like hits. It just looks like Im moving my arm and stopping. I practice the 4 second flexing practice thing, going from 4 to 1 seconds. My friend also says my fingers open/move too much when I hit. So I practiced hitting with them closed, and he still said the hits aren't clear enough, like they can't be seen. If I do hits EXTREMELY slow, by this I mean pause for awhile then hit, then pause again, then move, they can be seen, but if it's too a beat, it just looks retarded. Also, my friend says he sees my hits more around my forearm/elbows, not much after.

Is there any tips? Am I doing something wrong?
I'm focusing on relaxing :\

Should I hit everything when I hit with my arms? Like, should I use my chest too?

When YOU hit, what do you do? Move then hit? Or hit, move, and hit again? Like hit twice.


Please and thanks!

[Bonesbrigade]

post a vid. i used to have hella trouble with hits until i practiced the fresno and went to homeland

[Amine]

For a hit to be seen It's just a matter of time and practice. 2 months it's just the begining. Your muscles need to be used to hit. It took time to see and do a proper "hard ass" hit ^^.
The more you practice the harder you hit.
About tips:
Well I guess like most of the poppers, dancers on this forum, I recomend you doing the "fresno". It's the basic, foundamental movement of popping to work your hits (mostely) but also hitting on the beat etc..... Or just trying to hit in different positions, just like in the "Dimestops".

When you hit, you can hit your arms, legs, neck, shoulders, chest. It's as you like. When I started I started with the arms, soulders and neck.


You must be patient man, like I said, it's just a matter of time and practice.

I hope this helped you. If not maybe someone else will do it better :P.

[BokChoi]

Alright, I'll definitely practice fresno's starting tonight :D
'I just hope my hits will start to look nice after practice xD. I practiced alot, and started to lose hope.

[popitgood]

i know how you feel when you say you have practiced hard and your starting to lose hope because your not seeing results. most people on here probably know how you feel. personally, i started dancing because i just found the moves poppers were doing to be so damn cool! so out of this world! but the more and more i practiced, the more and more i got frustrated because i couldn't dance like them. then i realized that you have to love to pop and not just love popping. after that, it all became much easier :)

[Katalyst]

Yeah, we all start somewhere, and i can definitely remember that learning and drilling technique was my least favorite part of this dance. But after time you realize how crucial learning the details of every style is in making your dance more versatile.

For hits, really focus on the mind-body connection. Concentrate on the muscles you are using and get a feel for how a clean, focused contraction feels. Don't even worry about hitting fast at first (Sometimes I would space out hits by 8-16 counts so that i could focus on getting it clean). Do this with arms, legs, chest, neck, and even your core. Once you get a feel for it just practice whenever you can. The good thing is you can practice hitting almost anywhere without being too conspicuous. I'd practice in class, on the train, work, just trying to get to the point where it is second-nature to you.