posted 02-21-2002 01:21 PM
quote:
Anyways when your gliding your foot is it not suppost touch the floor? I know you are suppost to shift your weight on to your pivot foot but I heard that you are suppost to slide your other foot without actually touching the ground. Also if you could attempt to describe how you sideglide that would be pretty dope...I got the basic concept down...just have to work on smoothening it out.
This is a guide on how to do the side glide copied from shaddupanddance.com 's awesome FAQ (which is currently down.) I've corrected the few things that were wrong in it (the guy mixed the right and left feet up at one point)...
"Side glides
If you're new to gliding, you're probably going to have to practice to gain some balance to stay still with all your weight on one foot. I would recommend raising and lowering yourself onto the balls of each foot, and shifting your weight back and forth from each foot as you do this (the weight should shift onto the foot that is raising up, and be shifted off the foot that is lowering). Again, this transfer of weight is very important, and to make a glide look smooth, you have to have this transfer down good.
Also, do yourself a BIG favor, and practice this move on a sticky surface while wearing shoes with a good grip. If you're doing the glide properly, it won't make a difference how much grip or surface friction there is, because you're feet never actually touch the ground when they are sliding. You'll thank yourself later on for practicing like this, and when you move to a smooth surface, you'll be able to blow everyone away with how smooth your glides are.
Alright, here we go. This is a basic side glide mind you...nothing advanced.
1. Stand with your feet a little less than shoulder width apart (or shoulder width even, it's not that important, just don't have them too close together that you have no balance, or so far apart that you can't slide your feet away from each other anymore).
2. Raise yourself up onto the ball (or toes once you've practiced a lot) of your right foot. All of your weight should be on your right foot (this is VERY important). Your left foot should be flat to the ground, and not have any weight on it.
3. Pivot your left foot a little so that your toes are pointing in a left-ish direction (they don't need to be totally left, but your feet should be pointing apart from each other rather than together). Now begin sliding your left foot away from your right foot. Your left foot should remain flat, and it should be hovering JUST above the ground. This is why it doesn't matter if you're wearing sticky shoes, and practice on sand paper. Since you're not actually sliding the foot across the ground, there shouldn't be any friction generated, and thus no problem with the grips on your shoes or the surface. You're going to want to slide your left foot anywhere from 1 to 2 feet (roughly) away from your right foot.
4. As your foot starts to near the distance that you're planning on stopping at, you need to begin pivoting it back (while still moving...this part is tricky) so that the toes are now pointing in a direction towards your right foot (again, doesn't matter how much. Imagine a line shooting straight out from your toes in the direction you are facing when your foot is straight. Your toes should be to the right of this line). There is STILL no weight on your left foot yet.
5. Time for the first transfer. Are you scared?
Anyhow, now you need to transfer your weight over from your raised right foot, to your left foot. As you're doing this transfer, you need to raise your left foot and lower your right foot, and this needs to look smooth. This part is tricky, but it gets harder. Again, I would recommend practicing this transfer a lot before going further into gliding. This is the basis right here for a smooth glide.
6. Alright, now you've got your left foot raised, and your right foot flat to the ground. Again, raise it ever so slightly from the ground, and pivot it slightly so it's pointing towards your left foot (you should start to see a pattern here. Basic gliding goes both feet out, both feet in, etc.) Now glide your right foot over towards your left foot. For this specific glide, the left foot is the back foot and right foot is the front foot. Here comes the trickiest part.
7. Now your right foot is going to slide a little bit in front of your left foot, but not just yet. You're still sliding your right foot over towards your left foot, but now you need to start pivoting it and slowly raising it's heel. As you're doing this your left foot is going to start to lower. Ideally, your right foot's heel should come close to brushing over the top of your toes of your left foot, and your right foot's toes should be at about a 45 degree angle to the line I mentioned earlier. The hardest part here is the pivot of your right foot, raising that same foot, lowering your left foot (it still has all your weight on it) and making it look smooth. This is the stall that everyone talks about (or at least it was for me). By the time your right foot is raised and your left foot is lowered, you should have your feet in a position where you can start the glide over again straight away.
8. Transfer the weight smoothly from your now lowered left foot to your raised right foot and use the toes of your right foot to help push off your left foot. You're right foot should again pivot once the weight is off it and then slide to the left. You're now back to step 1.
That's the most basic sideglide broken down into steps. You can repeat these 8 steps as much as you want to continue gliding in that one direction."
So the hovering foot hovers VERY close to the ground, but it does not touch the ground.
Good luck in learning it.