I wrote this article for Debbie who was asking me why she sometimes messed up certain Salsa moves even though she knew them but didn’t recognise them, or what her response should be until too late. There are a few different issues which could be causing this, but today I’m focusing on connection.
One of the things that can really inhibit a lady’s feel for the lead and ability to respond is residual tension in the muscles and fascia of the front arm and shoulders. The main muscles – biceps, brachioradialis, pec and anterior deltoid become what we call “facilitated”. This means that they are contracting and switched on all the time which has the effect of lifting the arm and tensing it without you realising.
If a lady is nervous about messing up, these tension levels can escalate further, making her heavier and slower to dance with and sometimes even resist the lead.
Just trying to make the arm go limp and relaxed doesn’t really work as muscle tension relationships are initiated involuntarily by your brain and impossible to override consciously.
This short video shows three super fast and super simple ways you can reset those levels of tension in your shoulders and arms, allowing you to feel and respond to the lead much easier 🙂
If you have a question about any problems you’re having with social Salsa dancing, join my private Facebook group Social Salsa Made Simple, or pop a question in the comments below, ask away, and I’ll do my best to answer!