Terrible terrible first rounds

[Anna]

Prompted by a bad showing at NE Regionals today ...

I have a problem that I always dance very very poorly in my first round of a competition. Both my partner and I get nervous and tense, forget parts of the routines we knew perfectly in practices, botch technique we've worked for months on, etc. etc. In college competitions it goes fine, we end up getting called back, dancing much better in the next rounds, and usual making the final (silver standard, by the way).

But of course the competition at NE Regionals was much tougher, and we didn't make it past the first round, even though several couples we usually end up beating did...which made me realize that if I want to improve my competitive dancing I really need to find a way to deal with first rounds.

So, have any of you had the same problem? What do you do before competing to be calm? Do you have some suggestions for channeling stress into something useful?

 

[DancerForLife]

I feel your pain... It will get easier with time, but getting your competition legs takes some time...

Our coaches are strong advocates of dancing a full round before you step on the floor. Of course this can be problematic - especially the space, but even if you're in a hallway and have small space only, go through your routines before you step on the floor.

We try to warm up with a solo round - both of us go through our routines separately; then we get together and dance. The more you can dance before you get on the floor the warmer you are by the time you get there...

Of course there are pros and cons to this approach - while our coaches advocate dancing till you sweat, you may not want to step on the floor wet. On the other hand, if it helps you dance better and advance to the next round, it may well be worth it...

 

[Mr. Dance]

I cant say that I can chime in with any experience here since Im still working towards my competition goal but I will be watching this thread so I can glean all I can about it, in case we happen to fall into the scenario you've mentioned too.

 

[Anna]

We do try to warm up although the practice space at NE Regionals was pretty minimal and the general dancing before the competition was really crowded. But it's definitely a good idea, and for next time I'll make sure we run through the routines since this time we didn't manage to before stepping out to compete for standard. The solo warmup idea is good too, I'll suggest it to my partner.

For latin we did get to run through the routines during general dancing, and latin went much better (bronze semifinals, but we practice standard much more than latin). It was was more fun and relaxed, maybe just since I put a lot more into standard than latin.

 

[fascination]

one of our mods mentioned that her former partner would do some time on the treadmill or just plain running in shortly before competing...i find this helpful as well...it gets you warm and just slightly fatigued enough to transfer into calm...

 

[mamboqueen]

Well, and I'll always push the "mental" aspect because if you're "choking" when you get out there (don't mean to sound harsh, but if you feel you're physically prepared for the dance...), it could very well be your minds that are doing you in),. I agree that warming up and running through your routines is extremely helpful, but I would also spend the few days before your competition visualizing how you want your performance to happen come game day. I am reading a couple of books that suggest that people who have done "mental rehearsals" of their performances do better (and I could write paragraphs here saying "why", but I don't want to bore people to death).

Just my 2 cents.

 

[scotttocs]

I think you hit the nail on the head with "It was was more fun and relaxed" that's what you have to get to. When you are tense and worried it will carry through to your dancing.

What mamboqueen is talking about with mental rehearsals can really help with that.

 

[cl5814]

There are lots and lots of advice in the "dance to your maximum" book. The basic idea i got was that you should simulate dance rounds during practice, maybe as the last thing you do during practice. That means, if you normally compete in 5 dances, then dance 5 dances as if it was comp time. When I have a moment, i'll look through the book and update my post. This will develop the necessary stamina as well.

 

[Chris Stratton]

What's the worst is when you drive four hours, arrive with the comp underway and the first time you are on the floor is the first dance of your direct final event. You go out there with your best attitude, set up a nice natural - and the floor reaches up, grabs your foot and practically trips you! All you can do then is console yourselves that at least the tango will be precise...

 

[Anna]

Our team does run practice competitions, but they're nowhere near as stressful without all the judges and audience. Also we're not really big enough to have a really crowded floor yet (maybe next year?), and bumping into other couples in a first round can add a lot of stress.

Maybe I can make practice competitions more regularly, with someone watching and commenting on everything so it feels more like a competition.

 

[Anna]

Oh and Chris's post reminded me about a competition back when I was a newcomer, when we went out to eat for lunch and came back as they were calling the couples to the floor for newcomer latin! We weren't dressed or anything, but somehow managed to run and change, put our shoes while standing on deck, and just barely made it into the last heat. Now that was one terrible rumba and cha-cha! But we felt accomplished and happy that we managed to get through those dances. Ah, the days of newcomer...I think I have to get back into that mindset.

 

[Anna]

I think you hit the nail on the head with "It was was more fun and relaxed" that's what you have to get to. When you are tense and worried it will carry through to your dancing.

What mamboqueen is talking about with mental rehearsals can really help with that.

I was thinking about this some more, and I think the main problem is that I put so much more into standard than latin (extra practices, private lessons, etc., etc) that it's much easier to go into a latin round without caring about results, and that makes it much easier to dance well.

Basically I need to find a way to combine the drive to do well with the ability to just enjoy myself at a competition, without worrying about results (and that should actually improve my results by decreasing stress). So I think I'll try doing some mental exercises about relaxation rather than about focusing on placing well, as well as making sure to warm up and such. I guess everyone has their own pre-competition habits for getting ready, and I'll have to start trying different things until I find one that works for me.

 

[cornutt]

I was thinking about this some more, and I think the main problem is that I put so much more into standard than latin (extra practices, private lessons, etc., etc) that it's much easier to go into a latin round without caring about results, and that makes it much easier to dance well.

Also, doesn't it seem like standard and smooth are always at 0-dark-30 in the morning? You roll out of bed, run through the shower, and the next thing you know you're expected to do a high-level waltz. There's nothing worse than waking up in a strange hotel room on a winter morning, fumbling with your standard costume, stumbling into a freezing-cold ballroom, and then trying to get all of your muscles and joints to uncoil enough to do a decent standard or smooth heat. For me, just getting myself warmed up, stretched and limber is 90% of the battle. I have occasionally resorted to doing wind sprints up and down the hotel hallways.

 

[Anna]

That's true, and for most of the (college) competitions we go to it involves either waking up around 5am and then driving 3 hours or spending the night on the floor in an unknown dorm room. But oh well, it's just part of the experience.

 

[Joe]

Our team does run practice competitions, but they're nowhere near as stressful without all the judges and audience.

Try running rounds with 2-minute dances.