Snake’s Freestyle Blog 1: Define Yourself

Define Yourself

  Besides being freestyle legends, what do Tommy Baker, Trikz, Goosebumps, and 6th Sense all have in common? Think about it for a second . . . each one of them were major pioneers and trendsetters in the freestyle world. This is no accident or strange coincidence; their skills, popularity, and success were the product of their originality. Each of them took the time to develop their own moves, their own styles, and through these efforts they defined themselves as leaders.

  A lot of cats nowadays see videos on youtube and love to copy what they see move for move, combo for combo. There is absolutely nothing wrong with this when you are beginning. It’s a great way to gain a skill base and have somewhat of a teaching aid in learning how to do the basics. However once you get these basics down, if you really want to become a standout freestyler, and if you want to help keep the entire freestyle movement growing, you need to expand from the cookie-cutter moves. If you’re replicating a Motion Sickness freestyle to a “T” people are likely to forget you, and you probably won’t earn much respect in the freestyle world – especially from the people who created the moves and combos.

Free + Style = Freestyle

  Free. Be free, be creative, be yourself. Freestyle is about expressing your individuality and showing what you can do with the rock. Nothing gets me more amped than seeing something totally unexpected in a freestyle video. Being creative is one of the best ways to get people excited about your freestyle, and more importantly to make them want to watch your next one.

  Combos. Anyone can come up with new combos if they simply take the time. All you have to do is perform one move and follow it up by doing a move that no one has followed it up with before. There are literally hundreds of moves out there, so this shouldn’t be a problem.

  Moves. If you want to take creativity to the next level making new moves is the best way to do it. There are dozens of ways to do this, but some of the main ways to do this are

- to take two moves and combine them into one (for instance going behind the back and between the legs in one dribble)

- to remix or alter and old move (doing a move in reverse)

- to bring in elements from other arts and sports (dancing, soccer, juggling, gymnastics, martial arts, etc.)

- or to simply create something never done before.

  Once you’ve come up with some original moves don’t settle for reusing them over and over the same way. Develop the moves, find new ways to use them in new combos, remix them, and create even more new moves. This will ensure all of your freestyles are different from each other. If you’re doing something new in every freestyle most people will want to check them out just to see what you came up with.

  Style. All of the creativity in the world is useless if you’re nearly falling over trying to complete your moves. Make your moves look polished and refined. Make them speak.

  Having control of the ball and showing a little flair is essential to being a talented freestyler. Experiment with moving your body and feet in different ways and film yourself to see what looks best and most unique. Coming up with new moves and combos is only half the battle, doing it with confidence and ease shows mastery of these moves.

  Over the last few years things like the “Asian” style, new flow styles, and breakdancing have permeated freestyle to give it a whole new level of entertainment. For example freestylers like D.R.O.P have incoporated dance moves and a smooth style which his become his signature. Others like Shiro use circular motions and a seamless flow between moves. Baranek uses vision-blurring speed as his mark. Little elements like these can make a massive impact on how your flow and style looks. Don’t be afraid to experiment and try new things with old moves.

  Keep these things in mind and not only will your freestyles reach another level of style and creativity, but freestyle as a whole can continue to grow, develop and achieve greater popularity.

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