Mastering choreo in step w/o

I'm quite fit and enjoy high-step hiit, other step routines without much choregraphy, just straighforward hard and fast moves.
But when it comes to combos, mambos, over-face-it-overs.. Well, I feel lost and confused. How do I master them and stop feeling discouraged? What to do, if I fail to get a combo amidst the workout? Just jump, do some repeaters, or...

thx)
 
I'm quite fit and enjoy high-step hiit, other step routines without much choregraphy, just straighforward hard and fast moves.
But when it comes to combos, mambos, over-face-it-overs.. Well, I feel lost and confused. How do I master them and stop feeling discouraged? What to do, if I fail to get a combo amidst the workout? Just jump, do some repeaters, or...

thx)
I too can not get Cathe step. I have all her dvds and very sad I won’t be getting Strp Boss.
I’ve taught step for 25 years. I’m just a person who needs earlier queuing.
Cathe is sooooo good at everything she presents.
 
I usually learn a new step w/o in stages. I will do my normal w/o for the day, when I am done I learn one portion of the new routine. I keep the remote in my hand the entire time and just keep rewinding until I catch on. The next day I do what I learned the day before and add on the next section. I keep doing this until I learn the entire routine. This seems to work well for me, I get my workout done first so if I get frustrated I have done my w/o for the day.
 
I find the choreography in Cathe's step workouts challenging and I'm normally really good at learning dance choreography. I have to rewind a few times and watch carefully to get a particularly difficult move. I actually like this level of difficulty. With other choreographed dance workouts where most of the workout is spent breaking down the moves, I usually have picked up the moves by the second time doing the workout and after that it just gets boring.
 
I'm quite fit and enjoy high-step hiit, other step routines without much choregraphy, just straighforward hard and fast moves.
But when it comes to combos, mambos, over-face-it-overs.. Well, I feel lost and confused. How do I master them and stop feeling discouraged? What to do, if I fail to get a combo amidst the workout? Just jump, do some repeaters, or...

thx)
Hi Condor-the-bird! When it comes to step choreography here are some suggestions to help you learn it bit easier:

1) Be relaxed and open minded as you learn. If a person approaches a task with an “I can’t” attitude, they most likely “won’t be” successful at it.

2) Learn your step choreography at a separate time of day. Instead of trying to learn the choreography as part of your days work out, set aside a time of day when you can just watch and practice along. This way you’ll be less frustrated as you’re learning to grasp a movement because you won’t feel like you’ve lost your valuable work out time trying to get the moves.

3) take on learning the choreography in five minutes chunks. Wherever you’re having difficulty in the work out, just try five minutes at a time. Rewind the five minutes as many times as it takes until you are pretty sure you’ve got it. Then move onto the next five minutes and continue the process in this manner. Again if you’re not doing this during your work out time you’ll be much more open minded and just view it as a learning session versus a frustrating work out.

4) Once you’ve gotten through learning the moves in the suggested manner above, lace up your sneaks and try to do the whole work out from start to finish and see how much better you’ve gotten.

Hopefully these suggestions help you learn step choreography in a much less frustrating fashion. Chances are once you’ve gone through one tricky work out, the other step workouts after it get much easier to learn since you're now more familiar with the trickier movements.

Good Luck and keep me posted !
 
Hi Condor-the-bird! When it comes to step choreography here are some suggestions to help you learn it bit easier:

1) Be relaxed and open minded as you learn. If a person approaches a task with an “I can’t” attitude, they most likely “won’t be” successful at it.

2) Learn your step choreography at a separate time of day. Instead of trying to learn the choreography as part of your days work out, set aside a time of day when you can just watch and practice along. This way you’ll be less frustrated as you’re learning to grasp a movement because you won’t feel like you’ve lost your valuable work out time trying to get the moves.

3) take on learning the choreography in five minutes chunks. Wherever you’re having difficulty in the work out, just try five minutes at a time. Rewind the five minutes as many times as it takes until you are pretty sure you’ve got it. Then move onto the next five minutes and continue the process in this manner. Again if you’re not doing this during your work out time you’ll be much more open minded and just view it as a learning session versus a frustrating work out.

4) Once you’ve gotten through learning the moves in the suggested manner above, lace up your sneaks and try to do the whole work out from start to finish and see how much better you’ve gotten.

Hopefully these suggestions help you learn step choreography in a much less frustrating fashion. Chances are once you’ve gone through one tricky work out, the other step workouts after it get much easier to learn since you're now more familiar with the trickier movements.

Good Luck and keep me posted !
Thank you very much))
 
Way back at the beginning, step for me, was so hard, I had to learn the basics right for right left for left because I couldn't mirror! Once you get one side though, the other comes easier. Once you manage to learn the steps, as Cathe said, the others will get much easier! Don't give up! Basic Step, Body Fusion, & Low Impact Step will get you on your way. Mambo after mambo, Combo after combo!
 
What I find is if you have the circuit step, the smaller step and do it without risers and just practice that will help.

Also, if you have the big step like the gym step and do it without risers that does help.

I started doing the step seriously since 2017 and I missed up and a couple fo times I fell on my back and once I twisted my ankle. I still don’t have all the Step moves, but today I did Cathe Live Cathe’s Advance Step Live and I did it all, but I did with some modifications. That is a big step for me because I have mistakes. So that was like two years. Just remember Rome wasn’t built in day!! You will get it!! If I can do it!! You will!! Jen Den
 
Hi Condor-the-bird! When it comes to step choreography here are some suggestions to help you learn it bit easier:

1) Be relaxed and open minded as you learn. If a person approaches a task with an “I can’t” attitude, they most likely “won’t be” successful at it.

2) Learn your step choreography at a separate time of day. Instead of trying to learn the choreography as part of your days work out, set aside a time of day when you can just watch and practice along. This way you’ll be less frustrated as you’re learning to grasp a movement because you won’t feel like you’ve lost your valuable work out time trying to get the moves.

3) take on learning the choreography in five minutes chunks. Wherever you’re having difficulty in the work out, just try five minutes at a time. Rewind the five minutes as many times as it takes until you are pretty sure you’ve got it. Then move onto the next five minutes and continue the process in this manner. Again if you’re not doing this during your work out time you’ll be much more open minded and just view it as a learning session versus a frustrating work out.

4) Once you’ve gotten through learning the moves in the suggested manner above, lace up your sneaks and try to do the whole work out from start to finish and see how much better you’ve gotten.

Hopefully these suggestions help you learn step choreography in a much less frustrating fashion. Chances are once you’ve gone through one tricky work out, the other step workouts after it get much easier to learn since you're now more familiar with the trickier movements.

Good Luck and keep me posted !
What I find is if you have the circuit step, the smaller step and do it without risers and just practice that will help.

Also, if you have the big step like the gym step and do it without risers that does help.

I started doing the step seriously since 2017 and I missed up and a couple fo times I fell on my back and once I twisted my ankle. I still don’t have all the Step moves, but today I did Cathe Live Cathe’s Advance Step Live and I did it all, but I did with some modifications. That is a big step for me because I have mistakes. So that was like two years. Just remember Rome wasn’t built in day!! You will get it!! If I can do it!! You will!! Jen Den
I agree with Cathe! I did what Cathe suggests like learn the new steps moves when it isn’t workout time! When the time isn’t workout time I feel less frustrated because I know I don’t have to work so hard. So, let’s say before the move Cathe is doing seven knees then I don’t have to do it, I can wait. Remember when you are learning a new move you don’t have to put so much effort because it isn’t a workout.

I hope this helps. I know it can be frustrating because I was there too. I was like how can anyone do this. I found doing the Step with no risers and then building up has help. Also, there isn’t a Step Police saying you have to do it on one risers or two risers. I hope that helps, Jen Den
 
I usually learn a new step w/o in stages. I will do my normal w/o for the day, when I am done I learn one portion of the new routine. I keep the remote in my hand the entire time and just keep rewinding until I catch on. The next day I do what I learned the day before and add on the next section. I keep doing this until I learn the entire routine. This seems to work well for me, I get my workout done first so if I get frustrated I have done my w/o for the day.
That's a great idea! Thanks for sharing. Think I'll try that. I have trouble with them too.
 
I usually learn a new step w/o in stages. I will do my normal w/o for the day, when I am done I learn one portion of the new routine. I keep the remote in my hand the entire time and just keep rewinding until I catch on. The next day I do what I learned the day before and add on the next section. I keep doing this until I learn the entire routine. This seems to work well for me, I get my workout done first so if I get frustrated I have done my w/o for the day.
I totally agree about remote in the hand. I do that too. Sometimes I think my Roku has broken how many times I rewinding.

It is good that you take part by part, one day at a time. That is a good thing. I get impatient thinking I have to learn in one day. I will keep you advice when I am learning a new Step routine. Thanks psusoccer17 for the advice!! Jen Den
 
I'm quite fit and enjoy high-step hiit, other step routines without much choregraphy, just straighforward hard and fast moves.
But when it comes to combos, mambos, over-face-it-overs.. Well, I feel lost and confused. How do I master them and stop feeling discouraged? What to do, if I fail to get a combo amidst the workout? Just jump, do some repeaters, or...

thx)
I read what you said about not a move and then what!?! I am in that predicament too and what is I usually do is like three knee lifts on side where is.

For example straddle taps, for now I can’t do that move, so if Cathe is doing 16 straddle taps, I will do 16 knee lifts on the side of the straddle taps. Or if it is going to be that side only I would do straddle and do one knee lift on the right leg and then left, so it would 8 instead of 16 because Cathe is going fast. Does that help??? When Cathe is going to a burpee on the Step instead of doing it with her just straddle the step and do a knee lift on each side. I can tell you that personally, I would rather modify my workout and complete it then to quit it because I couldn’t do a move. The point of doing a workout is to do something then be sitting on the couch!!

Hope this has help!!

Jen Den

PS. If you feel when you do a workout that you feel dizzy or your heart is racing and you can’t go on then quit. I have done this a few times. But most of the time I can do it!! Safety first!!
 

Our Newsletter

Get awesome content delivered straight to your inbox.

Top