Improving your DDR skills

[zero_delocke]

Wow. That really is a bummer. Well, that limits you severely. *sigh* I'm trying to remember what I did back when I first got Max2... All I can summon is that I played that game to hell. I would literally spend 7-8 hours a day playing. I moved from light to heavy in three months that way. Sorry I can't be much help otherwise. Just make sure you have enough money to get a new pad once you kill the one you have now. I had to take a 6 month haitus from DDR because I couldn't find a decent pad that was in my price range. Whatever, just PM if you want more info for Max2. I played it ALOT, so if I can just get off my buttocks and turn my PS2 on I could help you better.

Damn, really, that sucks the closest arcade is so far away...
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[boss matsumoto]

[Slowpoke]

[Lexsip ~Q!~]

Ok. This is the only way I can explain how to gallop.

Count to 4. | = barline, += beat you step on, - = rest.

|+--+|+--+|+--+|+--| ect, repeat.

Now, remember that 4 count? Speak it up. Instead of being "one two three FOUR ONE two three" ect, make it "ONE and two AND ONE and two". Basically, just speed it up so it's to the beat of the song.

If you have any formal musical backround, that should make sense.

If that doesn't help, go to the videos thread under gameplay and look for Cowgirl or Matsuri Japan, if they have either of those videos, or In the Navy (but I don't think there are any of those). I know there is one Rythym and Police one, but those aren't the same kinda gallops you're thinking and those might mess you up. Distinguishing the two different kinds of gallops is a whooole nother thing which can't be explained in mere words lol.

[Quad]

Hey, I guarantee this has come up before but here goes:

How can i build up stamina to play 10 footers? I can read/dance to all the 10 foot songs with perfect accuracy... except half way through I get very tired. I suppose I am VERY out of shape. I even bar rape when i get tired and still cannot seem to pass them.

Discouraged

[Zalatari]

[UrbanNinja]

Can someone tell me if this idea for getting better would work.
Basically ive been playing Light all the timke except for my 2 weeks when i first started when i played Beginner. I really want to move onto Standard and do all the 7 footer songs like all the people i see at my local arcade.

My plan of action is mainly to Practise alot more right now i play maybe 2 times a week which my friends say isnt alot if i want to improve, i want to play 3 times a week for about 4-5 rounds each time or until i feel really tired. Since i dont want to fail on my first song and waste $2.50AUS i was gonna do 2 4-5 Footer Songs on Light then a 5-6 footer song on standard so if i fail it wasnt a waste. I want to keep playing that way until i like double A both lights and then get like a C or B on the Standard then move to 1 light song and 2 standard songs each round and so forth.

This i dont know if it will take a long time or a short time, please help me so i can improve and feel like i can stand on the same machine with the really good ppl at my arcade.
Thanks.

P.S Sorry if its long i thought i should go into some detail.
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Blue Pepsi the only thing that matches DDR.

[Lexsip ~Q!~]

No matter how you practice, practicing will get you better. I'd say that moving on to standard is more a matter of reading arrows. I always had people to play with so I never really had to worry about failing because the people I played with were all better than me. But I do know how it is to learn new heavy songs, and it's hard because you wanna save the hard songs that you don't know if you can pass till last but say you fail it that once- you wanna try it again. Well, to not waste that next dollar or whatever, that's three more songs again until you can try again. Fail it again- few more tries and your too tired to even do the song.

But yes- back to what I was saying. I would just wait until you feel confident. When you get on the machine, warmup with some lights until you feel warmed up enough to do a standard. Depending on how good you do (I feel confident if I get at least a C though I don't get a lot of Cs anymore) remember how many feet the dificulty was and try another standard on that many feet.

Repeat x a million and you'll be awsome . GL!

[Slowpoke]

[sLiTfAcE]

[The Supervisor]

when u r playing for the first time u might b jumping around a lot, STOP JUMPPING. as soon as u stop jumpping around so much u should start getting into standard mode very quickly. after getting really good with standard and getting really good with havey start doing really fast songs (240 bmp+) and then get used to moving around very very little. keep ur upper body stiff, dont get on the ball of ur foot and keep ur feet flat, keep ur feet close 2 the pad at all times (dont lift them up high).

[UrbanNinja]

[Desoulman]

[Lexsip ~Q!~]

Yea, i've been having a dilemma like that lately, with how to keep my feet. When I started off playing, like any new player, I kept my feet flat- I was just concentrating on hitting the arrows and I stepped heavy. Well, after seeing how much that hurt my ankles / shins, I stepped lighter. Eventually when I started doing maniac, my friend saw me try and do Burning Heat with my feet flat. He asked me what part of your foot you use when you sprint- I said the ball, and he said use that part when you need to move fast.

I went back to playing flat footed, seeing people AAA stuff and watching how they do it. When I do LoM or MaxX I go inbetween, using the balls of my feet when I need to do the faster parts.

Yes I use the bar for that

Any advice though? I'm starting to get rather bad pains in my shins when I play. Is it best to always play on the ball, or is what I'm doing right, going inbetween when neccasary?

[Desoulman]

The really good players, who AAA 10 footers flat footed, are flatfooted with their feet positioned over 2 arrows at once (for example, left foot on left and down, right foot on right and up). Basicly, they use their toes to hit one set of arrows and their heels to hit the other ones. This is how they reduce on stamina drain. It is a rather hard tactic o pick up, and not worth it if you are playing all but a few select songs (PSM, PSMO, and Max are the only 2 that I can think of). The other songs have too many jumps, or are just aren't all that taxing on your stamina. Remember that when using this tactic, you still need to change positions frequently.
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[Lexsip ~Q!~]

That's what I thought- that they had each feet positioned over two arrows. I tried it once and almost immediatly I was like wow #$%* that idea. I'm not one to give up on steps fast, but that tactic- to me, in my limited experience- seems useless, only because of how you said- you have to still change your feet frequently. It's not even that but it's a pain to learn- on my pads, which are slightly different from the arcade pads, I have a bigger piece of metal in betweel the pads (the metal holders I mean, not the big square in the center) so it's a bit tricky to do that.

But in certain places I've tried it, where I can see it makes sense. In MaxX, the ever popular 3 8th note section that ever Max song has, it works out really nice like that. Sometimes if the step is U L D, I'll keep my right foot on the center piece and just tap the U with my toe and then use the edge of my heal for the D arrow, but that's not too dependable just yet for me seeing as I still misjudge the distance.

I do try and keep stamina in mind, and I think one of the mistakes I'm making is that I'm still lifting my feet up too high off the pads. I've been feeling much more comfortable with this though, so I k now I'm doing -something- right ^^).

Maybe when I get better and star Aing the Maxes, I'll start working more on that technique, but right now I'm content just passing with even a B, seeing as a C is the highest grade I've gotten on any of them. I just started working on them so, that's ok.

Thanks.

[Raloth]

1) Stretch. I have to do at least a minute of touching my toes or my legs kill me after just a few songs. When I stretch in between sets I can go on indefinitely. DDR is a physical activity and you should treat it like you would soccer.

2) If you can, play in the arcade at least every once in a while. You can definitely get pretty far on your own at home though. At home I find myself getting too relaxed and I will sometimes hit arrows without even hitting the insert on my ignition pad (the fabric comes down and presses the sensor). This is a very bad thing to get used to, and I found myself going from 9s to 6s and 7s in the arcade until I fixed it. Once you get used to hitting the arrows you will find your scores at home go up as well since there won't be a delayed reaction in the sensor pickup. You will also get used to the narrower perfect window.

3) Try not to use the bar in the arcade when learning. It has it's place but I've found it to be a crutch. It's important to learn where the arrows are. Besides, you look cooler without it .

4) Drink water! If your arcade or wherever doesn't have a source, bring your own. Lots of it. Even more if you are at home. If you need a break, drink water while resting. Start drinking 10-20 minutes before you actually start playing. By the time you feel thirsty you are already a little dehydrated and it will take a little while for the water you drink then to be absorbed. Drinking ahead of time gives your body a head start. If you do this you should notice your stamina go up a little. You will also avoid having huge leg cramps afterwards, something you will thank yourself for later.

If you want to go to the arcade but can't afford it for long enough to make it worth it, grab some friends and play with them. Have some social fun. I spend about $10 per weekend but it really lasts a while when 6 or 9 songs go before you play again. It also gives you more time to rest up and focus on improving rather than just catching your breath and passing.

The most important thing you can really do is just keep playing. Push yourself to tiredness a little more every week, even if it's just on light. Don't treat DDR differently than any physically involved sport. If you're nice to your legs and heart, they will be nice to you .

[Evank]

so having a home pad effects your arcade ability?
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-Evan

[Emorgasm]

1. The biggest advice I have is to never get too comfortable. You need to focus while you're playing a song if you want to improve. If you can do something on trick without thinking, then it's time to go up to maniac. On all of the games, there's a certain continuem of difficulty between all of the songs on all of the levels. Just work your way up, and try the songs that you're unsure of every now and then.
The way I do it: at the last song of every set, I try something that I've never passed before. This way, I don't have to cut the set short if I lose, and I'm already warmed up for something challenging.

2. Move in new ways. If you can't get a set of arrows with the footing you're using, don't immediately decide, "well, I'll just miss those notes." Try something new in every spot that you miss notes.

3. Get into it. You should feel like you're dancing. Focus, but don't be too serious. Don't beat yourself up over failed songs, because that won't make you want to try them again.

4. Stretch. Stretch well. Stretch your whole body - you'd be surprised at how much DDR works your lower back and torso. I've injured my shoulder from not stretching out properly - trust me, it helps.

5. Practice. Try it again. And again. And again. You'll get it one of these times.
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It's all about the sesh.

[peorth559]

I have only one question after skimming this thread. I can figure out how to work out most everything and my stamina is pretty good when i get to play regularly, but one thing that has got me stumped is how to do multiple jumps close together (as in an eight note jump between/before/after a quarter note jump). I just have no idea have to quicken those up, like those jumps scattered through Dynamite Rave standard.