"Dancing Tid-bits" Issue #143, Thursday, May 15, 2003


Dancing Tid-bits
The Value of Fundamentals

It is a very light hearted topic today but very important.

I was at Bally's (the Health Club) finishing my routine simple work out. After a few laps of swimming and soaking some steam I was feeling a little exhausted and waiting to take a shower. Here comes Mr. X, I don't know his name even though I run into him almost daily at the club. He starts talking to another guy and it is really a conversation worth hearing. I want to share it with you. It goes something like this:

Quote: "Hey you know something? I was digging up my old video tapes and almost gave this wonderful tape to Billy. You know! he is just starting. This is a wonderful tape. I never realized it was so good. I am glad I didn't give it away. I saw it again and again. It's all about Fundamentals. Just Basics/Basics. O' Man I can't believe it. I have been doing it for years and never realized the value of this tape. It's all about Fundamentals. You know! That's all that counts. It's all Fundamentals. If you don't know your Fundamentals, you don't know nothing. Man O' Man I can't believe it how much I understand this after so many years. You know something! I live my life with Fundamentals. It's all about Fundamentals. You know something? That's the kind of person I am. It's all Fundamentals. This has been my whole life. I feel so bad I never paid attention to this tape. I have watched it almost everyday last week. It talks about your Swing. It tells you about Posture. Keep your shoulders where they belong. O' Man just basic things." It's all about Fundamentals. Unquote

Honestly, he went on and on for at least 20 minutes. The word "Fundamentals" came again and again a million times, almost in every sentence, and I enjoyed every minute of it. I was sure he was talking about dancing. I was also feeling happy that I discovered another dedicated dance buddy. When he said "It don't mean a thing, if it ain't got that swing" I thought of my Tid-bits that I wrote several months ago on "Swing in Ballroom Dancing"

Anyway this other guy was getting a little impatient and I also was in a mood to get going. Luckily the conversation comes to an end. Something like this:

Quote: "You know , it's all about Fundamentals. Tiger Woods wouldn't be Tiger Woods if it wasn't for Fundamentals. I know this video improved my game 100% in just 2 days.I am glad I saved this video. Man O' Man; Fundamentals. It's all about fundamentals." Unquote

We all left and even though, now I realized that he was talking Golf all along, I didn't care. I came home and went straight to my Videos on Fundamentals and enjoyed them again with an entirely new perspective.

No exaggeration here. I hope you enjoyed reading this Tid-bit. My sugar level is going down so I won't check spelling and grammer, please. Best Wishes, Max


This article is part of and should be seen in the frame context of Dancesport UK, Tid-bits