ok,what is the big issue about ppl using the bars while playing DDR,its obvious they were put there 4 a reason

STATE UR OPINION NO ARGUING!!!!!!

 <very touchy subject>

this topic is pointless.

I use a bar, its hard not to when going to harder difficulties.

Plus the bar was not put in there on the first game to use to your advantage, it was on there in case you tripped and fell, then you could catch yourslef. 

Why cant everyone just worry about the game? Who cares if you use the bar or not. If you dont, then topics about using a bar are not for you. Get over it.

I never worry about the bar. If the other player wanted to use it more power to them. ^^

Thank you CowBellMan, yet another positive influence on this site. You always have something nice to say and I like it.

I use the bar when a song gets slippery. I am always trying to get through the song as much as I can without using it, but sometimes when the going gets tough, the tough get going. :P It's still ok though. At least I can pass the song. I can now play 4 level 10 songs without the bar.

Well, the international rankings page for itg recently added nobar support. It'd be cool if that sort of thing was available from konami as well ^^

I get annoyed when I get a new score on a song and someone else goes and wipes it immediately afterward using the bar :/

thank u all 4 being positive,i agree with all of u,especially since i have ankle problems i definantly use the bar 4 hard songs

This debate is archaic. As long as there is a bar on the game, it will be used. Stating "it's cheating" won't make people stop using it and will not get a sizeable audience to believe it is. If Konami truly wanted no-bar play, they would have stated so in official tournament rules like Andamiro has or removed it entirely.

Yey! I didn't want to start the topic, but I totally have my opinions

I could care less if people use the bar or not, but I do take note of it.

I started playing at home so I never even thought to use the bar.  When, I got to the arcade, I would constantly kick the bar or back into it.  I wanted to rip it out and throw it out the window.  I tried using the bar a few times, but I think I got more exhausted even faster.  Maybe there is a trick to it ;)

It's no one's place to tell you how to play the game.   Play how you want, right?

just depends on how I feel on a given day. Sometimes I'll use the bar, sometimes I won't

Well here's the real question. If you see someone play a song without a bar and get an A (or AA or AAA) and see someone play the same song with a bar and get the SAME SCORE, which player would you be more impressed with? Is it impressive to see someone pass One Winged Angel with the bar or without it? I know at least three people (locally!) who can do it without ^^

I always saw the bar as a steping stone for some. Some people use it as a sort of training wheels for ddr. Others use it for all songs. For me, I have soft foam pads and using a chair does'nt feel right so I go no bar. I have never played in the arcade (making my first trip to main event tomorow) but I have a feeling that when I do I'll at least try using the bar to see what all the hub-bub is about. I don't know what watching has to do with anything really, the real fun is in playing! So play, and use your bar! Be proud! No one can take the fun away from you no matter how you play.

I only use the bar if i go up against level 10 songs, thats about it, and i only use the bar if i want to train on hard songs, and then eventually (just like training wheels), i wouldnt need the bar to play the songs...

@K1LLGANNON, I've never played @ arcade either.  I live in a pretty rural area, and the nearest DDR machine is over two hours drive.  I'll be hittin' it up this weekend and will dance untill my legs are gone, then I'll use the bar until arms are gone.  Can't wait.  I finally get to play with shoes on.  I'm sure the yung-ons will get a kick out of some old guy stompin' it out on the dance pad.  LOL.

First time on the arcade pads? I'm wondering if it's going to feel like playing on a different planet, like it did for me :P

I will await the updates from the field experiments 

The machines where I played today were badly damaged. Im pretty sure they were. You could tell they were beat to hell. Not a great experience for me. I hope it goes better for you. It was still cool though, standing on the platform, wind from the woofers hitting my legs. Everybody looked over. I understand why they call it Dancing Stage in europe lol! I felt like a super dance maniac, until I got past the song selection screen (frowns)

I did get to play Beatmania III Append 7th mix though. Which was loads of fun!

Anyway JoeTheZombie, dont over analyze it when you get on that machine for the first time. It will feel different. WAAAAYYY different than even the best dance mat you could ever hope to have in your home. It is like dancing on another planet for sure.

Personally, I don't like the bar.  It's no fun watching people use the bar either, it's just their feet flying around everywhere :(  Either way, people will use it.  It's like the grenade launcher in CoD4, if it exists, people will use it no matter how much people complain about it.

limewirelord: You should see people using the bar when their feet don't go anywhere. I think it's amazing to see really good players barely move at all on hard songs (i.e. heel-toeing the corners), because it goes to show how efficient they are at saving energy.

 
As for going from soft pad to arcade, that's tricky for me to relate to because it's been the other way around. At the arcade, the pads have a different bounce from the surrounding metal (plus they're recessed), so you can tell by sound and feel if you're close to not hitting the pads. The sound of stepping is a lot more precise (which helps you check how on-sync you are), you can wear shoes to keep from getting footsore, and the pads don't freakin move anywhere.

Bar use takes a lot of practice though, and I assume most people do worse with it at first. Normally you have your balance to help tell where you are on the pads, but with the bar you're in the same place (since you're stabilizing your center of gravity). This means you'll be missing a lot of crossovers until you can find your place again. Once you get used to it though, your stamina will drain at least twice as slowly.

My opinion of the bar: who cares?

 573rd post on this forum lolol

DDR = no bar

ITG=Bar 

Only time I use the bar on DDR is when I ate a lot.... 

I use bars on doubles more than on single play.  I find it is easy to lose my balance when sight-reading doubles charts and the bars help me get familiar with them.  Also, some doubles charts (10s namely) are nearly impossible without the bars, at least for me.

I don't think anyone is better or worse for choosing to use or not to use the bars.  To each his own.

oh man, how would you guys EVER play hottest party"?!

This argument is simple-

If you don't like the bar, then don't use it. 

But don't criticize those who use it. 

I'd play Hottest Party if I could find a copy that didn't come with the pad. >_>