Should you Watch Videos of yourself in between Comp Rounds

[Ballroom Guide]

If you are dancing a competition and happen to have someone recording you, is it a good idea to watch those videos between the time you get off the floor and the time you need to go back up?

It might help you notice something important.

On the other hand, it might distract you from the one important thing you're thinking of during that comp.

 

[stash]

I would say no. There isn't much you can fix day of, or even week of the competition. It takes muscle memory to fix issues. And honestly, I think watching your videos day of the competition can really mess with your head and make you do worse. I know it would for me. Wait for a couple of days after or during your first lesson back from the comp. Then you can start working on those issues that were presented in the video.

 

[Sania]

Not only no, but heck no!

 

[IndyLady]

IME, this isn't even possible. All the comps I've ever been to have forbidden private video-taping, and the vendor never has the videos ready until the end of the day/competition, or sometimes even later so that it has to be mailed. ymmv

 

[fascination]

different types of comps have different rules....but, even if it was allowed, I would say "hellzno"

 

[euchoreo]

No. Aside from the fact that trying a last minute fix to over muscle memory is unlikely to work and distract you from floor craft, charisma, partnership, last minute fixes often aren't as good as they seem and you need time to try them out with your partner and your own body to see if it helps the total image.

So you decide, after watching a video, that a line doesn't look nice. You make a last minute change, walk on the floor, and it turns out you "improved" line takes longer to get out of, leaves your partner 1/2 a beat behind, the screws up the next 3 measures of your dance.

 

[Dancing Irishman]

I'd give the same emphatic, unequivocal no everyone else has...there's no way you should be fixing anything day of at a competition, it's not enough time for it to actually look polished when you do it with your partner...

 

[Lioness]

It can be helpful. We watched the videos back from our last comp and realised we actually looked a heck of a lot better than we thought we did. Maybe it would have given us a little extra push to push ourselves more.

 

[Squall]

I think it depends on your situation. If you get self-conscious and all worried and stuff, then no. But if you're aware of your own limitations and you're aware that most things can't be fixed in a few minutes, then yes.

While most things can't be quick-fixed, there are a few situations that I can think of where it might be helpful. Maybe the only thing that might be useful to look at is whether the "one important thing" is working or not (or worse, hurting the dancing).

Or, you might get some useful information by looking at the other couples that show up in your video. You might figure out why you keep having floorcraft issues at a certain point, for instance, from looking at how other couples travel on the floor.

There are also things you can look for that aren't happening the same time as the dancing and adjusting them won't mess with the dancing. Are you walking on/off the floor the correct way? Is your number pinned on badly?

As for myself, I don't think it would ever hurt, because I don't think I'd try to fix something that can't be fixed. But there's a small probability of it helping, so I might look at the videos if I thought it's better to do that than watch the other heats. I don't think I'd want my partner to watch videos between rounds, though...

 

[Ballroom Guide]

Would all the people who give say "heck no" also reject advice between rounds from a coach who has been watching you?

 

[fascination]

I think a piece of advice that would be quick to implement is fine.....something like "hey guys, the legs aren't straightening enough" or it "looks a bit low on energy" is fine...but if you SEE something you really disliked it can get in your head too much.....

 

[danceronice]

IME, this isn't even possible. All the comps I've ever been to have forbidden private video-taping, and the vendor never has the videos ready until the end of the day/competition, or sometimes even later so that it has to be mailed. ymmv

Wow, I've never needed to wait longer than the end of the day. Most now are an hour after the last heat you had filmed (and even then it's usually done sooner.) Late evening I suppose it could happen. But either way I never watch them until I'm done. Sometimes not even for a day or two or longer. If there's something I need to know between rounds, B. will decided if it's fixable and tell me or not, or it waits until the next lesson.

 

[JudeMorrigan]

If there's something I need to know between rounds, B. will decided if it's fixable and tell me or not, or it waits until the next lesson.

Yeah, the fact that private video isn't typically allowed at pro-am events is a bit moot. I know my pro, and I would assume most other pros, don't need videos to know exactly what went right and what went wrong in a round they danced with their student. And of the things that went wrong, they typically know what might be helped by the student giving it a bit of focus in the next round and what's a longer-term issue.

But even on the am-am side, I'd be really hesitant to do it. My own lack of expertise is the issue here. I frankly wouldn't trust myself to focus on the right things and to not get deeply into my own headspace about the things I couldn't really fix on a short timescale. A trusted coach who gave advice between rounds would alleviate those particular concerns.

 

[IndyLady]

Assuming I could.... I would say no to video, but yes to the coach.

My very first comp, a coach who was watching gave me some advice in between heats. I ended up winning a multi-dance after that (ok, there were only two of us but she was by far the better smooth dancer than I was), and I am 99% certain it is because I did what the coach told me to do.

Video... only if I was watching it along with coach/instructor who could tell me exactly how to fix whatever it was that looked wonky. Because one thing I have discovered is that I am very good at identifying things that don't look right, but the majority of the time I don't know how to fix them - I bring it to the attention of my instructor, and he/she tells me how to fix it.

 

[mindputtee]

Depends on how much time I've got between rounds. If next round is within an hour or two, I don't want to mess with my head, as others have said there's no a lot of time to really implement fixes. If it's one of those comps where there's a lot of time or I'm dancing two levels in a style and there's time between those, I might look at the videos if it's convenient in order to keep my head in the competition mindset and see if there are any SMALL changes (oh, I wasn't keeping my shoulders down here, my right arm gets weak in quickstep, let me focus on that next round) I can make, but otherwise not worry about it too much.

I'd be happy to take advice from my coach though. They can see the other couples on the floor and what we're lacking in and assuming it's a good coach, know what to remind us of that we are capable of implementing in the next round.