Leader's Mind

[Dancebug]

What kind of things go through on a leader’s mind during competitions? As a follower, I focus on following the leader, watch out the traffic for him, and I don’t think much basically. Does a leader not think much, either? Does he normally dance out of his muscle memory, adjusting here and there based on the traffic situation?

[cl5814]

Well, as follower you are suppose to think about.....footwork,posture, rise and fall etc. Your mind is supposed to work superspeed.
The leader needs to think about the above as well as connection, timing, responding to traffic etc.

[HCMikeC]

What kind of things go through on a leader’s mind during competitions? As a follower, I focus on following the leader, watch out the traffic for him, and I don’t think much basically. Does a leader not think much, either? Does he normally dance out of his muscle memory, adjusting here and there based on the traffic situation?

I equate ballroom dancing as a leader very often to the golf swing. When you're prepared to start your swing, you think of about 1,000 things...head position, staying behind the ball, transfering weight, etc. BUt as soon as I swing, I throw all of that out of my head and just focus on making a good swing.

The same applies for how I handle being a leader. Before the musi starts I think of posture, head position, arm styling, traffic, etc. Once the music comes on and I take that first step, evrything leaves my mind and I try to enjoy myself. I try and trust myself and just dance.

[Dancebug]

Well, as follower you are suppose to think about.....footwork,posture, rise and fall etc. Your mind is supposed to work superspeed.
.
Well, I don't think about what you pointed out. I just do those with my muscle memory. I think if I think too much, it will hinder my sensitivity and ability to listen to my leader's lead. That is excatly the reason why I posted. I wonder if a leader does it differently from the follower.

[Ithink]

Well, as follower you are suppose to think about.....footwork,posture, rise and fall etc. Your mind is supposed to work superspeed.
The leader needs to think about the above as well as connection, timing, responding to traffic etc.

I completely disagree. The question was asked in the context of competition. No way should you be thinking of all this stuff during competition! I'm sorry - rise and fall? How in the world can you be expected to think of this as a follower WHILE you're on a comp floor?! You can think of this in practice or what not but once you're out on a comp floor, you are supposed to a) follow, b) perform, c) watch out for traffic when your partner is backing blindly, and d) make sure you DON'T think because if the judges see you thinking, you will not do well.

Secondly, it is not just the leader's job to think about connection, timing and responding to traffic and it's not just the follower's job to think of "footwork, posture, rise and fall, etc." These are not assigned to the specific member of the partnership. No way can a leader think about connection and make it happen without an equally connecting partner...

All the things you mentioned should be done in practice or even in comp rounds (although even that's debateable because the rounds should be similating competition) but no way should your mind go at superspeed while you are out on a comp floor.

[madmaximus]

My former partner used to think about her grocery-list.
Made her think about something other than anticipating the next move.

I look for friends or friendly faces in the audience to smile at--which usually relaxed me more.
Most of the time, I just stay in the moment--trying to dance to the music.

I never really think about the routine, footwork, or other technical stuff.
Simply no time for that--and that's been taken cared of during practice.
So that's mostly already in muscle memory.
Most of the time I find myself admiring what a lady judge is wearing, or some trivial thing like that.

For floorcraft, I just danced, substituting this or that figure to avoid other couples.



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[yanka]

My former partner used to think about her grocery-list.
Made her think about something other than anticipating the next move.


Good one. I'll have to try that (not the grocery list specifically, but the filling my head so I don't anticipate the next move)

[RIdancer82]

I agree with most of you. The comp floor is definately not the time and place for that. That's what practices are for.

On the flip side, this weekend at the Holy Cross comp, I was leading a friend of mine, who had asked me to dance with her, for a bunch of silver events including some of standard and all of smooth. I haven't led these dances much at all for almost a year. In this case, I absolutely had to be thinking about sooo many different things. In the case of smooth, I've never really led continuity footwork before. (outside of a couple attempts at most at social dances and team practices) When I'm following, I don't have to think about it at all, but leading it, I found that I really had to concentrate pretty hard or I would mess up the steps or the lead.

So basically, unless you're dancing something outside your norm, there definately shouldn't be too much thinking about lots of stuff on the comp floor.

[JANATHOME]

For me on a comp floor there is one thing on my mind as the follower. I am working hard to monitior my partner and keeping my frame slightly tense so that I can be lead. Although we are on the floor with a plan!, routines and patterns... I also know there is a good chance that it is going to change and I want to be able to read the change in plan without going into a panic!

[Mr. Dance]

While Im not doing competitions yet, I find that if we are dancing and we start talking about something else while we dance..we usually end up screwing up and having to start over. Even if its a dance or step that we have down pretty well inevitably one of us will mess up. I try to always think ahead of what is coming up..while not losing sight of the current pattern or step to make sure its executed to the best of my ability but also making sure I know what I want to do next.

[cornutt]

While Im not doing competitions yet, I find that if we are dancing and we start talking about something else while we dance..we usually end up screwing up and having to start over. Even if its a dance or step that we have down pretty well inevitably one of us will mess up. I try to always think ahead of what is coming up..while not losing sight of the current pattern or step to make sure its executed to the best of my ability but also making sure I know what I want to do next.

With a little more experience, you'll be able to internalize most of that. I remember the first time my DW and I were able to have a conversation while we danced. That was a big moment! :D

When it's going well for me, my mental bandwidth allocation goes something like this:

40% on dancing to the music and interpreting it.
40% on my connection with my partner, and maintaining our interaction. (Yes, leading is an interaction. It's not a one-way communication.)
20% on floorcraft.

Of course, I don't think about it like that specifically. The mental state that exists when it's really going well is kind of hard to describe; there's a lot going on, but I'm very relaxed. I don't think of grocery lists, but sometimes I can picture us from the perspective of a spectator, and I can see us and the other couples moving around the floor from that perspective.

[Mr. Dance]

There's still some dances and moves that we are learning where I need to consciously count to myself more than others so that hinders the xtra curricular discussions too. Specifically the WCS right now. Others I can keep the time in my head and know the steps and patterns enough to where counting specifically isnt as much of an issue.

[cl5814]

looks like i sparked some great conversation.......... I can make some comments on what i said, but will leave it at that.