Both feet on the floor

[Zoopsia59]

To some extent, I was following you until you got to the stuff about the hips, at which point you completely lost me. I actually was standing in front of my TV (which doubles as my computer monitor), looking at your steps while trying to do them, and I still didn't get it.

As I seem to be having problems understanding the "essence" of several posts in this thread, I'm wondering if I'm just "off" today (and I havn't even started drinking yet).

Maybe that's what I need.

He lost me at the bit about how the angle of the leader's hip tells the follower about the length of the next step. Since the follower has no direct physical connection to his hip, nor can she see it, I'm not sure the angle of his hip even registers with her. She's busy taking in and interpreting the angle of his upper body combined with his direction of movement.

Now it might be that the angle in some way hinders or helps his intended step length, but the follower doesn't know any of that. She knows how long the step should be by the way he moves her into and through it, not by any awareness she has of his hip angle at the start of it.

Or maybe I need one of those green bottles you've got there...

 

[Zoopsia59]

But tell me how if not by projecting you will convey the information that the follower takes wide or small steps.

The follower isn't supposed to anticipate how long the step will be. If she reaches with her free leg using proper reaching technique, but places no weight on it until led to, then she will most likely take the correct length step. The problem arises when a follower tries to place some weight too soon. Then she might reach too far, or not far enough.

There are some "typical signs" that leaders use (at least IME) but what I'm trying to say is that it's just as much the follower's responsibility to get it right as it is the leader's. Followers typically err either one way or the other as an individual rule. IE: any given follower will most likely usually err the same way whenever she errs.. she either typically takes too long a step OR she typically takes too short a step.

If it were just a matter of confusion over the leader's intent, it would be more random for any given follower, but it doesn't seem to be that way. Some followers are always reaching too far, and other followers are typically not reaching enough. And the same leader may experience both problems with different followers despite not changing anything about his lead.

The things leaders CAN do to help indicate step length are fairly simple. Followers rarely expect long steps to be done with very little bend in the knee. The more you bend, the longer a step can be. A deep bend is usually an indication that we may need to reach far (especially for that first side step... yee gads, you guys don't have to cross to the other side of the room you know! I've practically been taken into oncoming traffic with some initial side steps!).

It's also fairly awkward to take really long steps on fast beats. In fact, it's a common correction to give beginner leaders that if they want to take several quicks in a row, they better shorten their stride. Many leaders actually give a lifted feeling to the follower to indicate that he's about to move short and quick (some leaders take this too far.)

I don't know if this addresses your point. To me the leader is ALWAYS projecting (hopefully) Projecting or not doesn't tell me about step length because not projecting doesn't tell me ANYTHING... (except maybe "stand still".)

 

[Zoopsia59]

ooops, you actually are serious about it!

When you start projecting f.i. your right leg, you are kind of sinking (taiji talk) with your left one. And the more you sink the wider the follower will reach out her leg. And that is actually shown in the Costa vids, too. Cannot belief that we should have different views on this fact. Though you and I have never met, you can ask Captain J. and William N. that my stepping technique is the usual one.

I think the confusion is stemming from your talk of hip angles... what does "sinking" have to do with the angle of the hip? And are you talking about the horizontal angle (twisted side to side at the waist) or the vertical angle (one hip lower than the other)? It sounds from this talk of sinking like maybe you meant the vertical angle. But you can get deep in the knees without changing your hip alignment and I would never suggest to a leader that he drop one hip more than usual in order to take a longer step. I would suggest he create the "sinking" with his knees. not with major hip tilting or twisting.

I would also say that the only time the follower would be aware of that sort of use of his hips is when it creates a problem for her... in other words, when it affects her own axis and body alignment.

 

[opendoor]

...But you can get deep in the knees without...

Thx for helping: Sorry, not only my english is bad: I also confuse the terms flexion, inclination, extension, lordotic, and anti lordotic. I mean a pelvis action that removes the lordosis of the spine as in qigong. No bending of the knees, at all.