Couple of Questions about improving my DDR'ing

Re: Couple of Questions about improving my DDR'ing

Increase endurance: any sort of cardio exercise, and that includes DDR (just keep playing, it'll improve)

Pad problems: there is no such thing as a good plastic mat (by my standards), go to Ebay or whatever and find a cheap metal mat (THAT WORKS!)

Bar trouble: keep your body's weight in the center, or learn to stretch. I don't use the bar so maybe I'm not the best person to ask... but I'm actually proud that I can go considerably fast without holding on to anything :P Then again, I'm not that great.

Speed tips: ask TC_Halogen :C

Actually, ask TC_Halogen about everything, he'll have tips or sources for tips I would imagine.

Re: Couple of Questions about improving my DDR'ing

I like metal pads, but my ability to use them is nonexistent. I cannot stomp hard enough to trip the sensors. The hardest song I've ever played on a metal pad is La Copa de Vida (Heavy 7), and that's only because I've AA'd it on DDRextreme2. I want to use a metal pad, but the thing is, it would be like relearning how to play DDR. That, aaaaand I kinda have to learn how to not slide my feet around the pad. It sucks.

Re: Couple of Questions about improving my DDR'ing

Wear shoes? I honestly can't imagine how you can get a plastic mat to read your actions.

Re: Couple of Questions about improving my DDR'ing

I guess it's cause I weigh 210 pounds and I'm pretty much sensed. Given a small, minimal amount of pressure, I can slide my feet over the notes on a pad and hit many of them. It doesn't seem to be a problem for me.

The thing is, I like to slide on the dance pad, which I can't do on a Metal pad. Especially with shoes.

Re: Couple of Questions about improving my DDR'ing

lol im really fat but i can DDR. i guess you just have to push through and eventually you wont noticed yourself getting tired. i just try and hold out to the end, and when i beat the song i may be out of breath but it gets easier every time

Re: Couple of Questions about improving my DDR'ing

Yeah, I mean, I would, but I know for a fact that there was a time when I could pass Arrabiatta (Heavy 9|3/4 Time|220 BPM) easily. EASILY. I know like ten people who can pass that. I still have a B record on my game for it. And yet, at this point, I can make it about to the verse and then the 8th jumps will wear me beyond out. I almost can't do it as well as I want it to. I need more endurance.

Re: Couple of Questions about improving my DDR'ing

You rang?

Alright. I know what it feels like to go a really long time without playing DDR or ITG, it hurts a lot. A good thing to do is to keep warming up with songs that may seem hard to you. I know people say to warm-up with songs slightly lower than your level, but you don't have a complete inability to do it, as you were once able to handle your own on 8s and 9s.

If you find yourself getting really tired trying to do songs that you used to, a great thing about DDR (that to this day I still LOVE), is to set up an endless set full of songs that are near the top of what you can handle. If you're barely handling 8s, put in a ton of 7s, with no break stages. Eventually, you'll get deeper and deeper into the endless until it gets to the point of being boring instead of being tiring.

Second thing: investing in a metal pad is probably one of the best things you can do. You may not know how to play on a metal pad just yet (being that most people who play DDR play on their toes instead of flatfooting), but you'll catch on over time. It's expensive, I know you said you can't afford it, but keep it in the back of your mind.

Third--bar use. Being tall is actually one of the best advantages that you can have when playing ITG/DDR, but only if you have proper technique when using the pads. If I recall, all DDR machines have a single large sensor, dead center in the middle of each arrow. I've noticed most machines post-Extreme have slightly larger sensors, so if you're playing on a Supernova or later cabinet, you can practice what I'm about to tell you:

Play at a diagonal. Most DDR players face directly toward the machine at all points of time, causing you to do high amounts of movement. If you play at a diagonal, it requires a lot less movement to hit arrows (and in fact, this is what you'd be doing when you get up to 11s and higher in ITG as you'll be dealing with hands). If you don't understand what I mean by playing at a diagonal, here's what I mean.

1 [\][^][/] 2
[<][x][>]
3 [/][v][\] 4

If you were to be playing at a diagonal, you'll be worring about facing two directions rather than facing directly forward. While it sounds like a lot to handle, it's actually quite easy.

Here's an example. Take a staircase. (<, v, ^, >, ^, v, <)

According to the diagram of the pad that I drew, you'd be facing toward the right bracket, with your left foot in between the left and up arrows, and your right foot in between the down and right arrows. Same thing works if you had a ladder run (<, ^, V, >, V, ^, <), except you'd be facing toward the left and your feet would be in between left and down (Left foot), and up and right (right foot).

It may sound confusing but it's actually a pretty easy concept to pick up. You can take on really fast streams this way, and let me give you a little example here. You talked about Arrabiatta's 8th runs being really tough because they're 220 BPM. If you get this concept and practice it a lot, you'll be able to do 220 BPM runs...involving 16th notes.

I can talk more about this, but I don't feel like doing it now. If you have questions, PM/private message me, or even an AIM message (on my profile you can find it), and I'll help you out. =)

Re: Couple of Questions about improving my DDR'ing

I understand the concept of diagonalling on a pad, I tend to do it when I get very tired. That and Queen of Light (No Mines) is soooooo much fun to play. I love three and four note jumps with using just my feet it makes me feel accomplished.

So I think I'll try this out this weekend. Or tomorrow. :P

I'll try to do it as best as I can to my ability, and if problems arise, I'll try and contact you. Very helpful miniguide of yours, I must say. Thankees.

Re: Couple of Questions about improving my DDR'ing

Hey--no problem! I'm glad you actually understand how to do hands without having to go down for them; that skill is a sub-concept of efficiently using your stamina. You can go a long way if you practice. =)

Re: Couple of Questions about improving my DDR'ing

Okay, I totally just got done with what you suggested. I played only difficulty 7 songs according to DDR's old rating systems for about an hour and a half with no stops for longer than three seconds at a time. I also attempted to keep my feet in the position you suggested. Needless to say, it almost helped. I can't grasp the fact that there are occasions where you don't need to keep your feet in a diagonal position. For example, a couple of sixteenths came up on one song which used U-R-U-R-U-R... and I, trying to stick to the plan, weakened the heck out of my leg by using just my right leg to hit all six of those painful things. But other than that it went smoothly. I'm tired as he7l, and I need to rest. I think I'll lay down now. :P

Re: Couple of Questions about improving my DDR'ing

The way you handle patterns shouldn't be changing. You shouldn't be double-stepping at all like the way you said you are. The only thing that should be changing is the amount of movement you're doing. In your situation you'd be hitting Up with your left foot and Right with your right foot--you shouldn't have to be doublestepping unless the chart is poorly made and the patterns don't flow.

Re: Couple of Questions about improving my DDR'ing

So... I do exactly what I do normally, but arrange my feet in such a way that there is *slightly* less movement around? Dang! It started feeling a little more natural as I continued. But if that's the case, then I could definitely do that. I'll just need something for a bar on a harder song. But that would help, thanks.

Re: Couple of Questions about improving my DDR'ing

Essentially--you're doing all of the patterns the same way, but you're at a slight angle, making you hit the inner sensors of each arrow, therefore making your moves a lot shorter, easier to do, less expending energy wise, etc.

EDIT: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ue0YYK8qLUo

Here's a video of me playing Blue Army a while back. At the beginning of the video, you can see that there's very little movement because my feet are hitting only the inner sensors. It's a bit of an older video so I was still trying to fine-tune this technique, which is why at the end of the video you can see me struggling a hell of a lot more. =p

Re: Couple of Questions about improving my DDR'ing

Well... Dang. That's all I can say about that. And then again, I want to strive to reach that level. It just hurts to believe that. Dang...


Anyways, I was having quite a bit of trouble noticing what you were doing. I understand that you constantly face the machine, come to rest in that particular place, and turn every so often. You also seem to hit slower parts of the song using your feet while not moving them. And you go so fast, it's like a nightmare trying to see what's going on. You play about like someone on my level with much more movement, and a whole lot less pulling your feet off the ground.