Following are some tips to help you design your routine or improve upon one that already exists:
* Find a professional choreographer to help you. He or she will evaluate the skills that you currently possess and build from that. They can also incorporate several different ideas into various segments of your routine that you may have never even thought about.
* Have the music selected before you design the routine. Knowing what type of music you want to use first will help you to set the pace of your routine, or to give it a theme and an idea of what direction you want to take. Your choreographer can help you to determine what elements would work best with certain music types.
*Your music is very important. It will tell a lot about you and set the pace for your routine. Judges would rather see a high-energy fast-paced selection that is explosive from beginning to end. A slower paced selection will only induce boredom with less anticipation as to what your going to do next. Keep your pace upbeat and flowing throughout your entire routine. Have your music remixed with sound effects by a professional. PLEASE DO NOT ATTEMPT TO REMIX YOUR OWN MUSIC!!!
Your music should be only TWO MINUTES in length. Anything longer than that, the judges will deduct points for going over your time..
* Once you have decided on your music, you can begin to design your routine. Leave room for making changes. Certain elements DO NOT always work where you want them to. You may have to move things around a bit to get them to work well and fit nicely. Remember to always think "FLAWLESS EXECUTION." You should break your routine up into 4 parts. Visualize in your head what elements that you would like to use. Watch old video tapes of fitness shows to get some ideas flawless and effortless. Personally I feel that mental imaging is the key to a successful fitness routine. I practice my routine every night in my head flawlessly. To give you an example that this is very effective, in 2003 I had a severe back injury that happened at my first gymnastics practice. I was unable to practice any gymnastics and couldn't run through any more than ΒΌ of my routine. The only physical practice I had was one dance/ skill session before the LA Championships. I not only came home with the overall title but I also won the routine round. Now I do not recommend this by any means, but it just goes to show you how much mental imaging helps. If you can't make it work in your head, you may not be able to make it work at all. But anything is possible, with practice.
*The more difficult elements require more strength and endurance rather than the easier elements, and will-depending on your pace in the routine zap your energy away. You do not want the first part of your routine to have all of your most difficult moves performed there. You will more than likely crash and burn before the end of your routine, or the remainder of your routine may become too boring. Place those elements strategically throughout the parts of your routine to allow an even flow of your energy and exhibit a very dynamic routine from beginning to end. The easier elements that you are to incorporate are to aide in helping you to catch your breath, and breathe throughout your routine. |
