It has been held from January 2-5, 2019, one of the most famous Trainings International Camps, organized by the Top Trainer KARINA RUBIO: WINTER TRAINING CAMP ROYAL DANCE.

With the attendance of about 60 international couples of high level, where couples like the Estonian couple of the World championed 10 adult dances Konstantin Gorodilov and Dominika Bergannova.

Also Malthe Brinch & Sandra Sorensen from Denmark. World Ranking Adult position 13.

Another outstanding couple is formed by Marts Smolko & Tina Bazikyna from Latvia, Professional Adult Position 2.
And of course the best Spanish couple of all time from Royal Dance club, Guillem Pascual & Rosa Carné, current position 9 of the Latin world ranking.

Panel of  International Trainers was:

KARINA RUBIO

ALEX CAZORLA

DMITRY TIMOKHIN

PETER STOKKEBROE

HOLGER NITSCHE

CHRISTINA COSTA

JAROSLAV KUCERA

CONSTANTIN VASILE

The training lasted from 10 in the morning until after 9 pm with classes programmed with topics and very interesting focuses in the magnificent dance halls that the Royal Dance Club has.
Classes of Latin and standard classes were given, as well as a complete program full of private classes every day.

Karina, Alex and the Royal Dance Academy have organized these international Camps for several years with 2 annual appointments: in winter and summer. The Royal Dance Academy is located in Manresa, near Barcelona, Spain.

«Perfection must be a Tendency and not an Exigency».

Many athletes, champions of different sports, share «a proven history of extreme perfectionism».

One could then ask, is it good or bad to be a perfectionist? What does it mean to be a perfectionist? How do you become a perfectionist? and, can and should be changed to be?

Let’s explore these topics by examining various myths about perfectionism and highlight the consequences or recommendations for dance coaches.

Let’s begin by examining the most common mistakes about Perfectionism and its relationship with sports excellence.

MYTH 1  – DO ALL KNOW WHAT DOES PERFECTIONISM MEAN?

It is understandable that Perfectionism suggests different things to different individuals, given their multiple definitions in the literature.

The standard definition is the «tendency to improve a job indefinitely without deciding to consider it never completely finished.» For example, if it is negative we would say that «its excessive perfectionism is delaying us all» or if it is positive, it is said that «its excessive perfectionism has improved the performance of all «, depends on the optics and perspective with which it is observed.

Perfectionism has been defined generically as the «setting excessively high performance standards» and then, a more recent, formal conceptualization, as «a personality style characterized by an effort to establish impeccable and excessively high performance standards with tendencies toward too critical evaluation of one’s behavior «.

While researchers have not agreed on a single definition of perfectionism, it is universally accepted that the central aspect of perfectionism is the establishment and struggle for higher levels.

MYTH 2 -THE PERFECTIONISTS ARE ALL EQUAL-

As with any style or personality trait, no two individuals are the same and this is true also for perfectionists.

While perfectionists share the characteristic of establishing and fighting for high standards, many other interrelated characteristics differ.

For this reason researchers categorize perfectionists into two types: the «positive» perfectionist, also called normal, adaptable, healthy, functional or active, and the «negative», considered neurotic, poorly adapted, unhealthy, dysfunctional or passive.

Let’s look at the characteristics of these two types of trainers and perfectionist players:

POSITIVE PERFECTIONIST

• Has the ability to see yourself as successful even if you do not achieve «perfect performance» and enjoy your achievements.

• Has the ability to accept personal and situational limitations; is realistic when controlling and evaluating your own performance.

• Is motivated to excel and focused to do things.

• Maintains a relaxed but careful attitude, trusting in their abilities.

• Disappointed with failure but renew effort and commitment.

• Complete assignments on time.

• He is a balanced thinker.

THE NEGATIVE PERFECTIONIST

• You are rarely satisfied with your achievements; he tends to see himself as a failure.

• He is always worried and is too critical of his results. He has an inability to accept his mistakes.

• Is motivated by fears of failure and worried about disappointing others.

• Is tense and anxious about tasks, has compulsive tendencies; He doubts his abilities and is concerned about the quality of performance.

• Self-assessment depends on the results and not on the improvement in performance.

• Tends to postpone decisions or tasks.

• He is an extremist thinker: «white or black» or «all or nothing», is perfect or failure; right or wrong.

To briefly summarize the features presented above, negative perfectionists set extremely high standards, however, because they are too critical and intolerant of mistakes, they are never satisfied with their results; They believe that these could always be better.

On the other hand, positive perfectionists accept personal and situational limitations and the inevitability of making mistakes, and thus enjoy the intentional pursuit of excellence.

It is suggested that the critical distinction between positive and negative perfectionism is found in the individual’s demand for perfection.

While all perfectionists strive for perfection, negative perfectionists also feel a need to act impeccably, that is, they do not accept or act imperfectly. There is always courage in the fight for perfection in sport, but nothing is earned by demanding perfectionism.

source: Dancesport Dancers Channel

The crashes during the tournament – is one of the most unpleasant situations in our initially sporting and social activity -.

Nowadays, when ballroom dances are a sports competition, the problem of the crashes on the dance floor becomes very present, because athletes from all over the world are governed first of all by the Olympic motto «Faster, higher, stronger».

The sporting excitement, the desire to win, the excitement and the adrenaline, very often make people «blind», they become incapable of assessing one or the other situation. Of course, sport is inconceivable without risk. But be prepared for the «risks of the trade» such as stupid traumas, bruises, breaks and dislocations, which will not increase precisely the popularity and attractiveness of our sport.

In our opinion, the most dangerous crashes occur in the Standard program. Here, as a general rule, one of the dancers moves backwards, and the other may not see the situation that is being prepared in front of him. The speed and inertia of the translational and rotational movement of the couple as a unit is very high. It is almost always very difficult or even impossible to change the trajectory of the movement taking into account the «dimensions» of the couple. But also the dancers of the Latino program suffer injuries frequently.

You will agree with us that we are most admired by the couple who know how to get out of any difficult situation with agility, without losing quality or strength of movement. The English call that capacity «floor craft», that is to say, the handling of the dance floor. We are going to see some basic rules that any dancer who participates in Dancesport competitions should know.

Rules of movement on the track:
All couples dancing in the room should move in the same direction, along the line of the dance, in the anti-clockwise direction.
In both the Standard and Latino programs, the pairs must move in their half of the dance floor (just like the cars move in their half of the road), without crossing the center line of the track dance floor.
When moving backwards, the boy must make sure that the couple will not disturb other couples with their movement, often very energetic.

During the dance you should not stop at the dance line if possible. If circumstances force you to stop, try to leave the track as soon as possible.
Let pass a couple that is moving very dynamically.

As far as possible, do not go to that place in the room where another couple is executing a figure-line.
Be mutually educated on the track.

The elaboration of the choreography:
One of the main conditions of the safe movement in the dance hall is the correct construction of the choreography that the couple is going to perform.

The choreography must meet the following requirements:
The choreography should be «placed» in the room so that the couple moves easily along all sides of the room, moving according to the line of the dance.

In choreography it is inadmissible to cross the entire dance floor from one corner to another diagonally, through the center of the track.
The choreography must have the minimum possible number of figures that are made in the opposite direction to the dance line.

If the shock is inevitable, in that situation the boy must show his manly qualities: it is better that he precisely support the shock by putting his back or side, and never his partner. Try to protect her from shock, cover her head with her hands against the blow. She will thank you and appreciate your gesture. You’d better try to carefully stop the couple moving towards you, with their hands (or hands). But you should never push your rivals on the dance floor.
If a shock has occurred, try to maintain physical and emotional balance. Smile at the couple with whom you clashed, and if the clash occurred because of you, apologize, help the dancer who has fallen down get up.

Just be polite and remember that people will treat you the same way you treat them. The most stupid and unforgivable shock, and it is usually a clash with the couple that is making a figure-line on the site.

Learn to maneuver on the track in dance training. Try to train more often in a room where many couples work.
Learn to change your choreography in both Standard and Latino programs. Your teacher-coach is obliged to show you some figures that help you change your choreography without problems. Do not always dance the same choreography.