How To Breakdance (BBOY) (Training Tips)
Watch the video below so you understand how I feel about Power moves and BBoying in general. Then continue reading my advice.
Please pay attention to my advice because this is the most important part of the website. They call me Beast The Scientist because I love to study things. I am a second degree black belt in (Hapkido) and fight full contact Kyokushin Karate. I spent years studying and training to perfect my break dance power moves. I am also a certified personal trainer under the National Academy of Sports Medicine (N.A.S.M). What all of this means is that I know how to train for a high level of proficiency. My first advice is if you want to learn how to do break dance power moves just know it will not happen over night. Also know what you put in is what you get out. I was also lucky enough to train with Kwik Step of Full Circle. His understanding of break dance power moves (especially spinning moves) and how to breakdance is incredible and he knows how to train. Seek him out and seek out the other great teachers!
Also I apologies in advance for referring to BBOYING as Break Dancing. I do it because most people new do not know the difference. So when they search Google they search for how to breakdance not how to bboy. This site is a resource for all but is especially important to those starting out. Lesson one, the dance is called BBOYING and those who do it are called BBOYS. Now lets get down to business.
PHILOSOPHY
WHAT YOU PUT IN IS WHAT YOU GET
The harder and more often you train the faster your will get the break dance power moves. When learning how to breakdance and how to do break dance power moves consistency and perseverance are key. This website is only a resource, you will never learn to do break dance power moves or how to breakdance if you just watch you tube videos.
YOUR FRIENDS
Your friends can be your best assets or worst enemies. At most practices bboys just waste their time either battling each other, talking shit, jumping around from move to move, hitting on girls and worst of all showing off. You go to practice to train. Pick your break dance power moves and just to that. Tell your little loud mouth crew mates to shut the fuck up and train! Then go to the jams and battle everyone, rip your power moves, talk tons of shit to the other crews, show off and get the girls!
TRAIN IN SETS AND CYCLES
You should pick three unrelated moves and work on them endlessly. I would train Head Spins, Flares and Windmills in the same session. This cycle is important because when you shoulders get tired from flares you switch to head spins and let your shoulders rest. When your neck and head start to fatigue from head spins you can go to windmills to give them a rest. Don’t train moves that are similar in the same rotation Crickets, Turtles and UFO’s use the same body parts so you will just burn out. When you do your sets make sure you do it like you were lifting in the gym.
3 sets of 10 flares (or what ever number you can do. If you are new start with 1)
3 sets of 10 windmills
3 sets of 10 headspins
the numbers should always increase as you get better!
BUILD A ROUTINE
Split up your days when training to learn break dance power moves:
Flares, Windmills, Head Spins on Monday, Wed and Friday
Back Spin and Halo’s on another day.
BBOY FITNESS
In order to master break dance power moves and learn how to break dance,you have to do your basic calisthenics exercises and stretch to be strong and prevent injuries. Rotator cuff (rotator cuff keeps your humerus bone in place) exercises are very important for keep your rotator cuff muscles strong. Keep away from inverts. I was an invert master but doing them made my rotator cuff muscles very weak and I got injured doing air flares because of it. Check out our BBOY FITNESS videos and stay on top of your fitness.
POWER MOVE COMBINATION
Having single break dance power moves is meaningless in the big scheme of things. This is very important when learning how to break dance. It’s like just throwing one kick in a Karate fight, who the hell does that. So first pick a direction either clock wise or counter clock wise and learn all your power in that direction. Second you should try to start most of your break dance power move combos from flares. Flares are amazing and you can get some serious momentum from the first kick off. I would start all my practice sets doing a flare. So if I was practicing windmills I would do one flare into the windmills. After a while it made doing one flare very easy and could flare in and out of anything. Flare 90 Flare is an excellent combination! When you get really good you can have a friend just call out moves as you are doing power, Breaks Kru from NYC use to do this in their practices. It develops the ability to improvise. You don’t know what move your partner is going to call out you just know that you have to hit it!
CENTER OF GRAVITY OVER THE BASE OF SUPPORT
This is a simple balance formula you should keep in mind when learning break dance power moves and how to breakdance in general. I learned the concept from an Olympic power lifter. Simply put at the top of their lifts power lifters have to make sure that their base of support is under the weights center of gravity in order to balance the heavy load.
The same thing applies in bboying. Your base of support should be underneath your center of gravity. So for example when you to a jack hammer you’re arm is the base of support and your belly button area is your center of gravity. If you put your base of support (hand) near your chest or by your groin, you won’t be able to do the move proficiency. This goes for all power moves.
Here is a list of Base Of Supports vs Center Of Gravity
Rule: Base of Support constantly should be under your Center of Gravity to achieve balance.
AIR FLARE – Base Of Support- Hands Center of Gravity- Hips
FLARES- Base Of Support- Hands Center of Gravity- Hips
HEAD SPINS- Base Of Support- Head Center of Gravity- Hips
1990′s - Base Of Support- Hands Center of Gravity- Hips
2000′s- Base Of Support- Hands Center of Gravity- Hips
I will continue with the others soon.
