how much can u improve doing just drills

C

costa226

New Member
i had a question for those of you in rising star level or above. At my last comp I took notes onthigs i need to work on, and none of it is stuff i need a partner to do... or do i? i teach, and have time to work on thigs on my own, which is great. my partner i see rarely and we dont have any serious routines or anything yet.

the notes i took on what i need to do is mostly simple stuff, isolating the shoulders as i use my arms, spotting, turns, more walks (omg i do these like all frigggin day) ... so, alot of this stuff i could get by doing drills, unrelated to any choreo, or even by taking some ballet.

my question is, how much can i expect to improve by doing this? i learn very bottom up, and feel like i need the fundamentals solid first. i cant copy paste like some people. i have a really bad memory, short and long term. i also learn from feeling primarily, and partially visual. i look around at other pros who have been dancing for as long as i have, and they look untouchable... the main difference is hat they have consistent practice with the same partner. that and they have open routines, in which they are constantly refining. its embarassing to even compare myself with some of these guys... i spend all day doing drills, and it feels like going in circles. even though im improving, its nothing compared to others.

part of me feels that id need just as much solo practice as with my partner even if we had elaborate open routines. for me to get any kind of technique in my body, i need to be in my own head, alone, focused...

what do you guys think? Is it possible im too closed off and stuck in a box by doing all these drills? even if it is helpful? how much time do u find helpful doing this?

Thanks!
 
I'm not at your level, but from what I hear from those who are, drills are important even for pros. So certainly keep working on those, and as suggested above, talk with your teachers/coaches to determine which drills, what to work on, etc. Hopefully your partner is working on the same drills on their own as well.
 
Not a pro... but I drill nearly every day, usually as part of my warm-up. And when I'm not doing that, I'm incorporating what I've worked on in my drills into my routines. I added ballet to my week a little over a year ago, and it's helped my awareness of where my weight is and how I use my core.

You can come a looong way working on your own, especially if you are willing to put in the work. Getting some quality instruction to start you off in the right direction on the right things, and then for periodic check-ins will maximize your progress.

It also isn't about amount of hours. A consistent, focussed (both mental focus and focus on the right things) 15 minutes a day will go much further than hours and hours where you are just going through random motions without a clear plan.

(Last, stop comparing yourself with them. Sure, use them to help you narrow in on what you need to improve, but compare yourself to you, and focus on your own progress.)
 
Not a pro either, but absolutely yes on the drills - and yes, you can and will improve with them. There are some things you cannot easily or successfully practice on your own - connection being probably the most obvious - but in almost every other case you are wasting your practice time and money if you are NOT drilling on your own. I guarantee you that the other couples that you are wanting to compare yourself to are doing drills on their own and with their partner. If you are truly drilling all day long and not improving, it's probably time to talk to your coach and find out why.

I took lessons for years (and still do) from a pro/am teacher who is well over a 2 hour drive from me. Drilling on my own between precious (and expensive!) lesson/practice time is one of the only reasons I improved at all, and certainly the reason I improved as quickly as I did. It was hard and there was definitely the trade-off of having to "reset" a bit every lesson to working with a partner again, but there is a reason my technique and knowledge of my choreography was always my strong point - because I spent hours working on it on my own.
 
I think there is a place for drills in honing basics as long as one is constantly also getting input so that they aren't drilling something improper into their hard drive...and I think that it can be better than simply repeating a routine alone as that can contribute to a lack of partnering when doing the routine
 
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