Hi.  I'm new to these forums and relatively new to the DDr series (only been doing it for a couple months...).  I'm getting to the point where I can get As and AAs on some Expert songs, and can finish most of them.

However, I often find myself stepping wrong or having to rush to a step because of bad technique.   Now, I don't use any sort of modded pad.  I have the standard Konami pad (but I'm hoping to get an Afterburner Metal pad sometime in late June).

My specific problems center around 8th notes that lead into and out of jumps.  I can't seem to pull my feet out of the jump fast enough most times, and if I'm lucky I might get a GREAT on the step.  Otherwise I'll get an ALMOST or GOOD.

Then, chains of double-tapping arrows in long strings of 8th notes also seem to be one of my weaknesses.  I doubt these problems are anything more than just beginner mistakes, but I honestly don't have any clue how to fix them.

Thanks in advance.  =) 

Step-jumps are a pain. Try to jump as low as possible.

When you need to do jackhammers in the middle of streams, just remember to keep your weight on the other foot.

Thanks, I've tried both and it seems to help somewhat.  I guess I just need to get used to them (and get a new pad...) 

A lot of your problems will be solved by playing on a more sturdy pad. The Konami pads that are bundled with the game are great for beginners learning to play but once you reach the 7 footer range, it's more dangerous than anything else, haha.

quite true ranatalus...

Once i started playing DDR, i used the old, bundle-pack mats that were always a *****, but once i got more expert on the game i had to get a metal one because i nearly ripped my old plastic dance mat ^_^'... sooo take it from me and ranatalus, once you think you can take on Max 300 (SMM Mix) on Expert OR FELM, think about switching to a metal one.

I started out on soft pads myself.  I had two, and I named them.  One was "Chiquita" because it slipped around on the floor like a banana peel, and the other was "Inchworm" because it had a heavy control on top and thus often developed a ruck on the top arrow.  I puttered around on Easy, not getting much of anywhere because of the poor quality of those mats.

I got a metal mat, but I didn't know better and got a TX-1000.  Long story short, playing without shoes on those gave me such tendinitis in my ankles I was on a cane for a while.  Moral: don't buy a cheap, crappy metal pad, and if you have a metal pad play in good shoes!

Now I play on Ignition 2.0 pads, and I love 'em. As I'm a light-stepping bantamweight, I don't tear them up the way heavy stompers will, and they're infinitely more accurate than unmodded soft pads.  They are the perfect solution for me. On the other hand, there are many who swear by their Nexens/Cobalt Fluxes/Bluesharks/Afterburners, and I have a friend who gets amazing scores on a cheap ITG mat he taped to plywood and covered with plastic.  Overall, whatever works for you, registering your hits accurately, will help you improve.

Regarding the techniques you've been having trouble with - I'm afraid that, as others have said, it's a matter of practicing.  There are some things you just have to train your brain and muscles for by doing 'em a lot.  Find songs that contain the elements that give you problems and practice on them.  Eventually you'll get the hang of them. (Although long jackhammer strings still wear my legs out real hast!)

I need to stick up for 20$ soft pads here, lol.

I've had one gamestop 20$ universal soft pad for a year, and another for 6 months. Both work perfectly fine. Now you may think it's because I don't play hard enough on them, but I play doubles expert at least 3-4 times a week, and they're holding up fine. I even play in my sneakers and I don't have any rips yet.The important thing with soft pads is taping them down to something hard, like plywood or a concrete floor. I have a roll of duct tape I use to keep mine strapped down when I play.

Oh and slackbot, I used to have one of the ITG mats, it was awesome, lasted longer than my Ignition did!

For your technique problems, you just need practice. I remember having trouble with jumps like that, especially on break down-difficult I think. Eventually after playing enough they became much easier, and now they're just like regular steps. The double taps aren't bad, when you realize they put 5 or 7 taps like that in a row, such as Paranoia KCET or Can't Stop Fallin' In Love (speed mix). You'll get used to these steps after you've seen them a bunch of times. Again, practice makes perfect. =] 

Thank you to all who posted.

As of tonight, I have significantly improved on jackhammers, though as I went on and my legs grew tired I began to falter again.  Also, going into and out of jumps on 8th notes has also become less difficult for me, and it may be repetition of songs more than anything.

maxninja:  I wish I had a DDR: Max game to play... all I have are Extreme 2, Supernova, Supernova 2, Mario Mix, and Hottest Party (does anyone even consider Mario Mix a legitimate DDR?  It's all a little too easy...).  I hope to get Max 2 and Extreme over the summer, but until then I'll have to rough it with just the ones I have. 

you got Mario Mix? i wanted to try that game cuz i heard some of the songs and they were remixes of some Super Mario songs...and my little brother has a Gamecube, but i don't think he would want to get it (he might, i'm not sure =P)

One of the mixes that i miss and apparently for me is hard to find nowadays is DDR Konamix...that was the one i "grew" up with...ahhh the memories of Matsuri Japan and Orion on Light lol

Here's another suggestion (and this is optional) as your getting used to playing DDR, do other exercises for cardio, such as running around the block, taking your bike out for a while, or going to the gym. Since i am in my school's NJROTC and have an older brother who is a Marine Corps Reserve, i tag along with him whenever he goes to the gym, but i mostly work on my cardio, not as much muscle building. I would get on the treadmill to start at a good pace, then boost it up a little bit and then after a few minutes, a little more, and etc. until i get to a running pace. What i found out by doing this is that it will increase your stamina by a LOT, i could go for hours playing Endless Mode on SN or SN2, so it worked for me =).

The only thing about this is if you ever want to:
a) compete in a tournament or...
b) get those REALLY hard songs that you can't beat on Expert. (most likely)

Once again, this is OPTIONAL, if you want to, go ahead, but if you don't, doesn't really matter, you can progress thoroughly if you play the games and try every song at least once.

Glad i could be of assistance =)

Thanks again, Max.  I've actually already been working on my stamina, mainly by jogging around my local high school's track...

I'm also trying to get good enough to actually go and compete in tournaments.  I mean, I'm not sure how good the local competition is, but I also don't know where the tournaments are held.

As for Endless mode, I do that every night (for maybe two hours) on Standard.  I'm not the best when it comes to all the heavy songs, so I'll stick with my purple steps for now.  =) 

lol alright =)

I found that sometimes having both feet on the arrow that double taps for 4-9 times (as in above mentioned songs), and depending on how well your pad registers and resets for repeated hits, you could perhaps alternate stepping with both feet. It probably works better on metal pads, but it's just a thought :)