SQ bares all about his opinion on all-rounded bboys
You need to be an all-rounder. You need to be able to do everything. That has been the stance of the breaking community for many years now. But.. I have a different opinion. And I may be vilified for this. So, what’s my opinion? I believe you should specialize as a bboy. I believe you should take something in breaking -- and own it. (And yes, I am in support of powermovers.) Why do I believe so? Here’s a little story accompaniment on how I came about this idea: Once upon a time I was hanging out with Ynot (Rock Steady Crew). He was in Singapore to judge a competition, and I was fortunate enough to be able to hang out with him for a little. In the cab ride to our location, he told me that he had been breaking for quite a while now. And for a long time, he was never “famous” (even though he was in RSC). The recognition and breakthrough came when he decided to specialize in toprock. When he decided to master toprocking. And then his popularity burst. He became known as the toprock guy. Everyone wanted to see him toprock, see him rock the beat. (and likewise for you too right? Because all of us know Ynot as the toprock guy.) And that’s when it hit me. You. Me. We. We need to specialize to stand out. In a crowded world of bboys (and many more joining in, especially at ages 12 and younger), you need to start specializing to stand out. (Powermovers knew these for years already, but they were always hated upon by the OGs.) And if you think about it closely… If everyone was all-rounded, and could do the same moves… Wouldn’t breaking become boring? Wouldn’t all of us stop having our own styles -- and became what we term as a “rubrics” bboy? We develop our own style and flava precisely because we like certain moves and movement more than the rest. And let’s look at some of the top bboys in the world… … A lot of them chose to specialize in something. If I were to rattle off a few: Issei - halos Menno - floorwork Puzzles - footwork Hong 10 - Hong 10 freezes Do you see a pattern now? Specialization is key. To stand out today as a bboy -- you need to choose something you like (be it a broad category, a move or a movement) and build on it. Create variations nobody has thought of before. Push the boundaries of the “genre” you’ve chosen. Innovate. And become the top bboy in that category you’ve created for yourself. And if you’d like to find out more ways on how you can start specializing in breaking, and creating your own style…