The Importance of Toprock
First off...It needs to be acknowledged that b-boying is first and foremost a DANCE. If you don't know how to dance there's a good chance you'll never get too far in b-boying.
Toprock is also a lot more than just "making room for you moves." You've got to remember that b-boying had already been around for a few years before the first b-boys (The N***a Twins are usually given credit for that) ever went down to the floor. So what were people doing? Toprocking. Basically what this means is that no discussion of the foundation of b-boying should ever be without Toprock.
Toprock is really the only surefire way to show that you know how to dance and how to rock a beat. Its also the beginnning of any throwdown that you do so for most people its the first impression they'll have of you. Sure you can have shitty toprock and a good blow-up...but why would you want to do that? Grab the cypher or your opponent's attention right from the start. In a set you want to show that you have everything so to be complete you NEED toprock.
Toprock Conditioning
There's really no conditioning required for Toprock. It doesn't really require any major straining on the muscles or any sort of complex momentum to figure like in power moves. However, that does not mean toprock is without its difficulties. One tip that will help is that before you start practicing your toprock, bounce from side to side on the balls of your feet like a boxer. Try and get used to staying on your toes as much as possible.
Your toprock needs to be able to adapt and you need to be able to constantly move therefore its important to stay on the balls of your feet so you can keep everything bouncy and ready to change to variations in the music. It also helps you have smoother transitions into your footwork, flips, freezes, or whatever you want to do from your toprock.
Toprocking with flat feet will make look slow and make it look like you're trying too hard.
A Note on Rocking the Beat
Rocking the beat is more than just stepping out on the snare. That's just the basic aspect of it. Rocking the beat basically means expressing the music through your dance. I doesn't just mean the drums but every single aspect. Drums, bass, horns, lyrics, everything.
However, for those just starting out...just worry about the snare drum. That's the only thing that matters when you're first learning. It's how most people judge whether or not someone is "on beat." Once you become more advanced you can then try to rock the horns, lyrics, bass, and everything else.
Song Structure
Almost all songs that we dance to in the west are made using a 4/4 pattern. What this means is that there are 4 beats per measure (therefore 1 measure=4 beats).
For example, let's take the song "Dance to the Drummer's Beat' by Herman Kelly and Life. The drum pattern repeats every measure and goes BOOM---BIP-BOOM-BOOM-BIP (BOOM = bass drum, BIP = snare). Listen to the song and nod your head. If hearing the beat right you'll notice that you're nodding in time with the hi-hat of the drum.
Typically changes occur at multiples of four measures, this is important because it will allow you to anticipate changes in a song even if you've never heard the song before. Now, listen to "Dance to the Drummer's Beat" from the beginning, after the first horn blast begin counting out every beat.
Remember how I said changes occur on multiples of four? Typically, small fills occur after 8-12 measure and bigger changes occur after 16-32. Now as you're counting notice that the piano comes in at 32 measures. 16 measure after that the bass riff changes and 16 measure after that the cowbell comes in. Ok now, it's been 32 measures since the piano started...and we know have all the instruments playing.
Now what do you think will happen in another 32 measures? Yup...the vocals start. Now if you were dancing to this...you would start with basic toprock...change it up after about 32 measures and add in some more intricate hand motions to match the piano. Then maybe do a skip step for the cowbells and act out or lipsync the vocals as they start. I know this all sounds very complicated. But to be honest, I'm really just telling you this to know what to listen for when you're just hearing a song and not dancing to it.
Learn to understand music and when changes occur. After a while you won't need to count and you'll just "feel" when a change in the song is going to occur. If you study songs and not just listen to them in your free time it will be possible to gain the "Sixth Sense" of toprock; Knowing when to change up your style when you've never even heard the song.
I'll give tips to beginners and advanced toprockers. Beginners, ignore the fact the advanced tips are even there. You shouldn't be trying them until you think you've got the most basic techniques down.
Indian step AKA Cross Step AKA Front step
I consider this to be THE most important toprock style and my personal favorite Why? Because it's very easy to do and very easy to keep on beat. It's also adaptable to a wide range of BPMs (Beats Per Minute, the measurement that determines how "fast" a song is), it is also has a wide range of modifications you can do to personalize it and make it truly "your" cross step.
1. Stand with feet together (But not touching) and hands together in front of you.
2. Step forward with right foot slightly in front of left and a litte turned out. Open arms out.
3. Return to step 1.
4. step foward with left foot slithgtly in front of right and a little turned out. Open arms out.
5 return to step one.
Beginners: you should be hitting the snare on 2 and 4.
Advanced: try adding in some hops before doing steps 3 and 4.
For example, if you have a BOOM-BOOM-SNARE beat, hop on the "BOOM's".
Also try coming out farther with your foot on 3 and 4, dropping lower to the ground, maybe even touching it. These are some of the more basic and common modifications to the cross step.
Back step - Exactly the same as cross step, except step back instead of forward.
Charlie Rock AKA Charleston Rock
Developed from a popular dance in the 1920s called the Charleston. To do the Charlie rock:
1. stand with feet together (but not touching).
2. step in front of Left foot with right foot
3. step in front of Right foot with Left foot
4. step in front of Left foot with right foot.
5. Step behind left foot with Right foot.
6. Step behind Right foot with left foot.
7. Step behind left foot with Right foot. Return to step 2.
Beginners: This can be done repeatedly but most of the time it's done just once. You should be trying to hit the snare on 4 and 7.
Foot placement can also be a little to the side if the song is a bit to fast but you should still be doing the basic forward and backwards movement. For Your Arms: just swing them as if you were walking.
Advanced: can't think of anything right now.
Skip Step AKA Hopskotch
Both of these names are ones that me and my crew use and I don't know what anyone else calls or if anyone has even given it a name.
1. Stand with your feet together (but not touching)
2. Hop and kick your legs out and point your toes to the right side. Your left foot should be on the balls of your foot and your right foot should be on the heel with the toes pointing up.
3. Hop and go back to position one.
4. Hop and kick your legs out and point your toes to the left side. Your right foot should be on the balls of your foot and your left foot should be on the heel with the toes pointing up.
Beginners: This is a very quick toprock so in a song with a 4/4 pattern you jump out on 2 and 4 (usually the bass and the snare).
Just think of someone playing hop scotch. Pointing your toes to one side isn't necessary. You could just as easily keep your toes forward. With your arms just hold them in front of you on 1 and 3 and hold them out on 2 and 4.
Advanced: Rember how I said this was called hop scotch? Well...do a hopscotch motion.
On 1 and 3, instead of landing on both feet try landing on just one, or try leaning to the side when you land one foot. This is also a good toprock to experiment with your hand motions since your feet aren't doing anything to exciting.
Latin Rock
I'm pretty sure this gets its name from the latin dances that inspired a lot of the early uprockers and toprockers. This is a pretty difficult step so I wouldn't recommend trying it until you've gotten the others down pretty well.
1. Stand with your feet together (but not touching).
2. kick your right foot out. When you kick you don't want to kick real high or hard or anything just give a small kick straight out.
3. Now bring the ball of your right foot back down to the ground and hop and end up in position 2 of the skip step.
4. Bring your right foot back and stand on the ball of your foot while kicking out with your left foot.
5. Bring the ball of your left foot back down to the ground and hop and end up in position 4 of the Skip step.
Beginners: The kick from steps 2 and 4 should be on the 1st beat of a pattern (usually the bass) and you should end up in the heel-toe position of steps 3 and 5 be on the snare.
Advanced: Try to alternate between this and the skip step.
Apache
Again, this is another one that I'm not sure of the name. This is just what I call it, not sure why. I think I heard someone a long time ago call it this, and it just stuck. If anyone knows another name let me know. It's essentially just a variation on the indian step.
1. stand with feet together (but not touching).
2. Bring your right foot across and step down in front and to the side of your left. Similar to Indian step but turn your torso a little more and step a little farther to the side. When your right touchs, your left foot is going to come of the ground a little.
3. Bring your right foot back to center and kick out (same kick from the Latin step).
4. Put your right foot down and at the same time lift your left foot off the ground.
5. Bring your left foot around so it steps down to the right of your right foot and turn your torso to your right side.
6. Bring your left foot back to center and kick out. Repeat.
Outlaw
Sort of a cross between the latin rock and the backstep.
1. Stand with feet together (but not touching).
2. Kick out with your right foot and then put the toe of your foot on the ground.
3. This is where it's gonna get complicated... Do a small hop off of your right foot do another small kick again with right foot (not high) and put your heel down. It's barely even a kick... your just going from the ball of your foot to the heel. AT THE SAME TIME your left foot goes behind your right foot just like in the back step.
4. Now, rock back onto the ball of your right foot and kick out with your left foot, again, not high, just putting your heel on the ground.
5. Rock from the heel of your left foot.
6. Rock to the toe of the left foot and kick your right foot behind. (repeating steps 2-4 but on the opposite side).
Now steps 3 and 6 should go by very quickly. You should be hitting the beat on steps 3 and 6. Basically when the ball of your foot touches down behind the other foot (the backstep).
House Step
Loosely inspired by house dancing. This is just what I call it.
1. Stand with feet together (but not touching).
2. Kick your right foot out and then rock back onto the toe (similar to what you did in the outlaw)
3. When the toe of your foot is on the ground do a small hop and kick your left foot back and tap the ground with your left toe while hopping a couple of inches to the side and forward with your right foot. At this point most of your weight should be on the right foot.
4. Now, slide the right foot back to the center position while moving the left foot forward and kicking out.
5. Rock back onto the toe of the left foot and step back on your right foot (step 3 but on the opposite side).