Improving your DDR skills

Miss Toy · Posted: Fri May 24, 2002 1:07 pm Post subject: Improving your DDR skills

I progressed pretty slowly in comparison to a lot of people on this site, but in the process of learning, I've picked up a few good tips that I can pass along. They might not be comprehensive, but I hope that hey will be helpful.

Practice, practice, and practice some more. I know, I know, the 15 other people you've talked to already told you to do that. Let me get a little more specific for you.

I'm a big believer in learning to read the arrows rather than learning to memorize songs. If you learn to read the arrows, chances are you can play any song of X difficulty, rather than being able to play 5 catastrophics in a row but not being able to play a few less common songs that are only 7 feet.

Find your weak spots and try to tailor your practice around that. Do you have difficulty with songs that require you to jump a lot? Do you not like to skip or gallop? Are fast songs difficult? Is your stamina keeping you from passing songs?

Play with other people. Make friends. The more people you know and like, the more likely you are to play. Extra playtime means extra practice, which is good for you. Of course, when you play with other people, you are bound to play songs that you normally would not choose for yourself, which will allow you to get used to reading the arrows.

If the person you are playing with is better than you, they can pass songs for you. You will also probably see the way that your partner turns his/her body, which you will pick up, if you see it enough. If they are a very good scorer, you might even pay attention to the way that their feet sound while they play. This will help you get the rythym of some of the songs with tricky beats like Dynamite Rave or Hypnotic Crisis.

If the person that you play with is not as good as you, this allows you to practice perfect attack/score attack/freestyle. Everyone wins. Of course, if the person you are playing with is at the same level as you are, you've got a challenge ahead of you without making an extra one.

Play solo mode. If you can find it, six panel DDR is great for practicng, because once you learn to read six panels, four panels is easy. Buy Konamix- it has solo mode.

Shuffle your favorite songs. You'll know when to step, but you won't know where. This keeps you on your toes and allows you to practice reading the arrows rather than memorizing the songs.

Use assist mode in the home version of DDR and get the soundtracks if you can. When you know the music, the songs become much easier. Assist mode is an option in the home versions of DDR that will "clap" when you are supposed to step, allowing you to be familiar with the stepping sequences in a song so that when you're actually on the machine, you know when to step, and just need to know where to step.

Watch other people play. Watch the way that they turn their bodies, especially for songs like Kick the Can, Holic, Dead End, or Afronova. Being able to turn your body will allow you to pass a lot of songs that you would have a really hard time if you just slide.

Play double. I started playing double because I got stuck at a plateau between 7s, 8s and Catastrophics. Playing double allows you a lot of freedom and helps your reading skills. Just aswhen you play solo, going back to four panels is a lot easier after you can play double.

Don't be afraid to fail. For your last song, play a song that you can almost pass. Play a song that you can't pass at all. Play a song that you've never played before, or on a mode that you've never played before. Some of the songs that you know you can pass can get pretty hard if they are on hidden or sudden. If you don't challenge yourself, you won't improve.

Above all, don't get discouraged. Everyone starts somewhere, and everyone moves at their own pace. DDR is about having fun. If you're not having fun anymore, it's time to take a rest.

I'm sure people will have things to add that I haven't thought of, and I'd welcome the input.

MyojinYahiko of TGL · Posted: Sat May 25, 2002 3:34 pm Post subject:

Well....... seeing How I can pass almost all cata's except a few. And I can pass any other song with no problem the one problem remains no matter How much I practice and even when I practice on assist mode My PA skills just totally suck. I can rarely get at least 80% perfects. so I was wondring besides Assis mode is there any other way to help me build my Pa skills?

I also have a problem with fast steps more like3 or more in a line *i.e dead end* So what can I do for that?
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kuchini · Posted: Sat May 25, 2002 11:57 pm Post subject:

What i did to get good the first time i played was try Afronova on mainax over and over (really trying) the hard way without turning your body then i could beat every thing in 2 weeks

<Edit 1> Yes people thought i was stupid saying that I could beat Afronova in two weeks after i started really playing

but it took me awhile to beat it in the arcades now the song is a joke.

rublind · Basic Member Joined: 26 May 2002 Location: Sherman oaks

how long have u been playing, i have trouble with songs which u probably have no trouble with is there ne thing beside assist mode that cn help read the arrows and things like that????? please let me know asap
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kuchini · Posted: Sun May 26, 2002 11:47 pm Post subject:

i've been playing for a bit over 4 months now that was back in jan.

ddrhomepad · Trick Member Joined: 24 Jan 2002

My contribution to this great thread is to learn how to alternate your feet. Which means sometimes your right foot hits the left arrow and your left foot will hit the right arrow. Example LDR is left foot, right foot, left foot. Once you learn how to alternate your feet, doubles becomes alot easier. Also learn how to do slides, listen to the beat and most of all, just have fun.
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AbsoluteInfinity · Trick Member Joined: 12 May 2002 Location: Glendale, CA

Is there a possibility you could mirror the thread to Newcomer/Novice/Intermediate as well?

One thing that's helping me right now is going into practice mode, and lowering the speed down a notch on tough songs. I did that so I could learn the patterns of arrows and the speed they come at, and also how to position myself.

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Chunochi · Trick Member Joined: 26 May 2002 Location: Houston , Texas

I suffer from Controller-itis

I can pass every song (on maniac and double and stuff) with the fingerpad , but when it comes to the actual stepping , I fail

maybe coz i'm trying to pass Dead End Maniac

I can do all Trick / Basic songs, but when it comes to Maniac , I fail .. -_-

except those slow songs

any advice? o_o;;;
(EVEN THOUGH NONE OF THESE SONGS ARE ON DDRMAX, I figure it'd be good practice for when I get there

)

EDIT EDIT: Maybe this is a sign, saying I should become a freestyler!

Mouse · Staff Member Joined: 28 Jan 2002 Location: Toon Town

Vix · Basic Member Joined: 07 May 2002 Location: Southern CA

Improving your skills is a choice of improving your PA's! Try concentrating in getting more perfects instead of clearing songs (except max300) also try to do like ballet dancers, play in the tip of your toes, you can gain more flexibility and move faster!@!@
stomping is slow and not fast!!!
ah~ am I being too weird?

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Hi hi i'm Victor and i'm really pissed because i can never get 1st place T.T

Puc |L©| · Trick Member Joined: 22 Feb 2002 Location: Salinas, CA

Vix · Basic Member Joined: 07 May 2002 Location: Southern CA

i think people can also improve their PAs by playing challenge mode!!

hint: start playing basic songs first and try PA them as much as you can
second move higher and higher!!!!

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Hi hi i'm Victor and i'm really pissed because i can never get 1st place T.T

TStodden · Trick Member Joined: 15 Feb 2002 Location: Siouxland

Vix · Basic Member Joined: 07 May 2002 Location: Southern CA

ouch

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Hi hi i'm Victor and i'm really pissed because i can never get 1st place T.T

Fiendkuja · Posted: Thu May 30, 2002 7:22 am Post subject:

do fast songs, do them often. hehe. you'd be shocked how repeating dam daridam on maniac and captain jack on trick helped out my ability to do catas easier.
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Fiendkuja · Posted: Thu May 30, 2002 7:23 am Post subject:

Another rule of mine.

If you aren't half-dead when you leave, you shouldn't be leaving yet. My friends will attest, when I play DDR, I play hard.
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MyNameIsMoo · Trick Member Joined: 10 May 2002 Location: Indiana

(3rd mix asian)
I go for 6-8 hour sessions of DDR, with a 30 minute break... after my 30 minute break, I do Luv2Me trick, then a REALLY hard song, such as Captain Jack Trick, Paranoia trick, or something...
Then, I go into SSR and do the song I'm currently working on, Do it all night.

Of course, I've just spent 1.00 in 7 minutes, but oh well.

I do play with my heels sometimes... the very back of my shoe, the corner
On fast half-step combos, like DDD, I use my heel. On fast combos spread about the pad, I use my toes. For on the beat combos, I use my whole foot. Sometimes, on songs I can perfect combo, I'll try to move as little as possible, by putting my right foot on between down and right, and the left between left and up. Then, to hit one, I'll move my foot maybe an inch in the right direction. I can pass almost every 6 foot I've tried, and alot of 7 foot songs. I'm working on those cata's!

EDIT: Alot of the time when I leave, I'm very close to passing out.... one time I actually had someone follow me to make sure I did NOT pass out (Hadnt had food for the 8 hours I was playing DDR)

TiVotj · Trick Member Joined: 02 May 2002

Puc |L©| · Trick Member Joined: 22 Feb 2002 Location: Salinas, CA

no... you have to switch over to SSR mode before you even start your game. same to switch over to 2nd mix.

EDIT: that means all SSR songs, or all regular songs, or all 2nd mix songs.

... too lazy to tell you how to do it, but it's in the machine FAQ's.

Dynamite2U · Trick Member Joined: 31 May 2002 Location: Gresham, Or

Your Ideas are Very good and i have problem with anything except two songs that really confuse me

. On Afronova Expert right when all the half-steps come in i know wut to press its just that its to fast how the hell do i do it? And also Dynamite Rave Expert when do i know when to push all those steps?
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