Improve Your Salsa Turn Technique 10x With This…
Raise your hand if you can’t wait for your next mediocre dance!
*No hands move* – that’s what we thought.
As Salsa dancers we turn hundreds of times per night (some nut jobs probably hit the 4 digits), but despite this staggering amount of repetition, SO many of us are losing our balance and limiting ourselves from experiencing incredible dances. That’s insane!
Simply put, if you’re off balance, you’re missing out big time. It’s time to end this madness and unlock your ability to turn better. Sound good?
This quick tip on salsa turn technique is going to change the way you practice your turns and it’s the perfect test to find out if you’re slacking off!
Warming Up Your Turns
Next time you’re at home or in the studio practicing your turn technique, try executing multiple half turns across the floor while keeping your posture upright and your legs firm. As you rotate, maintain firm legs by squeezing your glutes (booty muscles) and holding your thighs tight.
Adding The Bottle
Once you’ve practiced that a couple times, it’s time to add the bottle. Grab any medium sized plastic bottle and wedge it between your upper thighs. Make sure it’s in a comfortable place—it’s going to be there for a while.
Now, go ahead and do some half turns across the floor.
If you do them in good form, you should be able to hold the bottle between your legs the whole time without it slipping lower or dropping to the floor.
Common Pitfalls When Turning
There are two bad habits that a ton of dancers have:
- They turn their knees in and out as they rotate
- Their legs separate as they turn
If this bottle drill isn’t working out so well for you, there’s a good chance you’ve got a pair of lazy legs that are diminishing your ability to turn properly.
A Bottle Is Just The Beginning…
Think you’ve got the hang of this bottle thing? Try holding something even slimmer between your thighs and you’ll have to work those legs twice as hard.
Patrick challenges you all to try using your cell phone! Now that’s one thing you wouldn’t want to drop!
