Dance Dance Revolution: 5 Tips to Massively Improve Scores

So you chose Dance Dance Revolution, right? Good for you, it is a fun game that you will surely enjoy. I’m sure you’ve seen someone who was really good and thought, “Wow, how are they so good?” These 5 tips will help you do it!

Don’t put your feet in the middle

This is the one I watch the most and it drives me crazy every time I see it. There is no penalty for leaving your foot on the arrow, so leave it there. NEVER put it back in the middle. If you do, you are doing twice the work, once towards the arrow and then towards the center. Your feet should never be in the middle.

Stagger feet as much as possible

I have noticed that many people seem to have a “favorite” foot that they use whenever they can. Avoid this, high speed songs need both feet. Do your best to alternate your feet on each arrow.

Learn to crossover

Sticking with the last tip, learn the crossovers. They’re effective, they look great, and they’re a must-have for almost every difficult song. Imagine that you are alternating feet. Let’s say you start with the left (with the left foot), down (with the right) and then with the right (with the left). You will see that you have to “cross” your body so that your left foot is there. That is all! It will feel weird at first, but you have to do it to get better. Many songs go “left, down, right, down, left, down, right, etc.” quickly. Imagine trying to do that without a crossover! Try the standard “spin the puck” if you have that song for good practice. Very difficult songs will make it even worse, with a series like “LEFT, DOWN, RIGHT, UP” … try that one for a second and you’ll see the problem. That’s called a “twist” and they look amazing but they are VERY difficult.

Learn gallops

You’ve probably seen them too. Lots of 1/4 notes followed by a 1/16 note. It is difficult to explain, you will recognize them when you see them. You have to “gallop” to do them. They almost bounced towards them. It’s almost like doing a jump (two arrows at once), but one foot falls only a fraction of a second behind the other. Songs like Tsugaru use them.

Do not trample

I also see this a lot. People just stomping on the platform. While I understand that it’s not really a dance, it does flow a bit with it. Don’t just stand there, arms stiff at your sides, stomping like crazy. Flow with the song like you are dancing. Don’t be afraid to put your arms in it. Passersby will also enjoy it if you really get into it. “Cowgirl” is fun to pretend to twist a lasso over your head during the song. Trampling also slows you down a lot. It takes a lot of energy to stomp and it is very slow. Just take a step to the beat.

Those 5 quick tips should really help a gazing gamer get a good foundation for playing DDR! Just remember, NO feet in the middle, alternate those feet, learn crosses and gallops, and DO NOT tread!