Since I started breaking in 1997, I have always taken notes. Moves I learn at workshops, feedback, thoughts and ideas, sets, combos (combinations). During a 6 day course I did with Ken Swift in London (Pioneers at Sadlers Wells), I took so many notes that they filled 20 typed pages. One of those days he talked about categorising your moves eg spin moves, air moves, drops, freezes, footwork. Then when you go training you can do things like choose moves from a category to practice. It’s a way to plan and organise your training sessions. I started categorising my moves after that.
Using your categories, one way to put together a set or a combo is choose a move from each category, for example:
A drop
A footwork step
A transition to your back
A backrock
An air move or spin move
A freeze
A get up
Transitions into and out of moves are just as important as the moves themselves, in fact they are moves. Transitions make your sets or combos seamless and smooth, they make you flow.
I find what works best for me is to create lots of small combinations, not full sets. This is good for circles, so you can go in lots of times and showcase lots of different skills. And for competitions, I can choose say 3 combinations and freestyle in and out of them. I try to have an original move in each combination.
Last year I took part in a creativity project called 100 Days Project Scotland, organised by Isla Munro. You choose one creative task and repeat it for 100 days. I chose to do freezes, so I now have 100 freezes under my belt. It’s definitely a challenge, it takes you out of your comfort zone and pushes you to create something you might never have thought of if you didn’t have the constraint of producing something new every day. You can see all my freezes on my Instagram page @emmaready in the highlight “100 freezes”. I have been trying to incorporate some of these freezes into combinations. Sometimes they remain as freezes, other times they become moves. One that has changed from a freeze to a move is “Making Shapes”. I was trying to put it into a combo and it turned into a slide. Sometimes you make up moves by mistake, trying to do one thing but something else happens. This year I am doing 100 Go Downs.
So to make a combo, I choose one of my original moves and see how I can get in and out of it. When I’m making up a new combo, I don’t always have an idea of what it’s going to be, how it’s going to look, just the move I want to use in it. I find that the combos that come fast and easy, and the ones that your body remembers without you having to think about it are the ones to keep. This works when you have mastered the move you want to use in your combo, and when your foundation is solid. Then your body has the muscle memory to move without overthinking, your form is good so you have the right balance and control. I don’t put moves into combos until I can execute them on their own, I’ll practice the move until it becomes second nature.
I name my moves, and I name my combos. This makes it easier to remember them when you are preparing to go into a circle, or putting two or three together on the spot for a longer round. It also gives them character, which makes it fun.