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How To Train Your Footwork

Training Tips

How To Train Your Footwork

Charise Roberts
January 23, 2024
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Do you want faster footwork? Cleaner footwork?

To be able to pick up footwork more easily?

Just copying steps and practicing them over and over won't get you to that Bam Martin level of speed and perfection.

You have to train your footwork the right way.

Follow this guide to improve your footwork training so you can finally take your footwork skills to the next level.

When a section of complicated footwork comes up, it’s natural to want to focus on the moves.

But don’t focus SO hard that you tense up!When you squeeze your muscles, they want to lock into place.

This makes it harder to move quickly and fluidly!

The key to moving fast is to move with ease.

In this video, Carlo talks about how you can groove and loosen up while practicing choreo.


Watch and take note!

Breathe through your movements, allowing your body to relax and move freely.

If you feel like you’re gasping for air every time you take a pause, practice that section again.

This time, focus on your breathing rather than on your feet.

If you don't move your feet quickly enough, you’ll fall behind in the piece.

Or worse... trip. 😫

To keep up more easily, use your toes and the balls of your feet to propel yourself from move to move.

For example, when you jump, use the front half of your foot to push yourself into the air.

When you take a step, use the front half of one foot to push off the ground as you bring the other foot forward.

You'll be able to move your body more quickly when you put your weight in the parts of your feet that need it, and none in the parts that don't.

Use your energy efficiently rather than stepping with all your weight on flat feet.

You might already exercise on a regular basis, but not all workouts are created equal!

If you want to move faster and more cleanly, then focus on 3 things: your core strength, balance, and agility.

Check out this video with fitness trainer/dancer Karl Flores to learn how to do core exercises – the right way!

Improve your agility by doing footwork drills 1-2 times each week.

These 2 Footwork Training classes on STEEZY Studio are packed with drills that cover common footwork patterns.

Use these as daily warmup exercises and you'll feel the difference the next time you execute tricky footwork.

Sometimes it feels like you just KILLED a section with fast footwork, but when you watch yourself on video, it looks like your body and the music are out of sync!

What happened??? It felt so right!?

Your timing is off because you're underestimating how long it takes to do a move.

If you’re constantly a half-second behind, practice the section thoroughly so you have it memorized, then start attacking the quicker movements sooner.

You might have to start moving your foot well before the beat you want to hit occurs, and it’ll probably feel like you’re off beat at first... don't worry!

Keep watching yourself on camera to check your timing – even the most advanced dancers film themselves to make sure they're in sync.

Long hours of practice mean nothing if your goals aren’t clearly defined.

Break down and study the footwork in order to master it.

When practicing a section, start slowly and move through it as perfectly as possible.

Don’t increase your practice speed until you have it just right.

Not only does this improve your muscle memory, but breaking the routine down slowly makes it easier to notice the little details that make each move look “correct.”

As you practice, study the way the instructor looks and take note of the nuances in the footwork.

What part are they putting their weight on? How much are they lifting their knees? How much of the foot is dragging, versus floating above the floor?

When you take a class on STEEZY Studio, pause the video during tough footwork sections and study the instructor frame by frame, picture by picture.

You can also use the camera mode feature on STEEZY Studio to record yourself beside the instructor, and make sure each picture matches!

Once you know what you’re working towards, it will be much easier to achieve.

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We hope these 5 footwork training techniques will make challenging footwork much easier to master.

Now, stop wishing for better footwork skills and start practicing!

Got questions still? Let us know what else you’d like to learn about by leaving a comment below!