You should be familiar with that symbol above right? I am sure everyone have heard of strifetv. I mean, who's into bboying and NOT know about strifetv? They are only like one of the best bboy channels there is for good quality battle footage, interviews, and many other bonus features that many bboys dream of.
Now recently I came cross two interviews on strifetv's youtube channel and thought they are worthy of making a post about them. Below are the two videos:
Got any after thoughts? To be honest, the two videos would not have stood out to me if not for the fact that my mentor, bboy Benny Ben (Rivers/MZK/FLI)brought up the exact same point during one of his lessons. That is, the concept of battling and the concept of cyphering. This is going to be the bread and butter of this post.
Many bboys, amateurs and pros all the same, go to big jams with one thing in mind: to get experience that will, hopefully soon or later, aid in the growth if each individual as a dancer. Now, there is definitely nothing wrong with that. However, the problem lies in the method which dancers choose to achieve this goal.
A big event like Outbreak definitely attracts people from all over the United States, even the world. Naturally, the number of people that participate in battles expresses a direct relationship with the number of people that actually make it to the jam. Now, here comes the real problem: Too many people participating in battles are simply rookies that battle for the hell of it.
Most people definitely would probably ask "Why not participate in a battle? It's a great way to get some experience!" I do agree with such statement. I believe that the realest way to learn is by doing it. Therefore, I strongly support participating in battle, especially if you make it out to a big event that requires quite a bit of cash to get in like Outbreak. However, from a judge's point of view, this is an annoyance. Why participate in a battle when you KNOW that you have absolutely no chance of winning? Why waste the time? Of course, any bboy would like to find a good opportunity to test their skill level. I mean, who doesn't want to? That's what a bboy is all about after all! Like Mr. Freeze said in planet bboy: "You eat, sleep, and dream about battles." I know many bboys, like myself, love to participate in battles in order to measure our very own skill level. HOWEVER, there is another way that can achieve the same intensity as a battle as well, that is cyphering. 
What is a cypher? Well, to many, it is like an unofficial battle. However, the cypher is NOT limited, I repeat, NOT LIMITED, to only two people or two crews. Anyone who has the gut to get out of there in front of many people to perform a throwdown on the dance floor is eligible to participate in a cypher. In other words, a cypher is like an open call out. Why would they recommend cyphers over battles for bboys whose skill levels are not up to par of the competition yet? Well, the reason really is quite simple: To not waste time. I know it sounds harsh, but I believe a certain degree of realistic self-evaluation is also an important part of being a bboy. Let us face the reality: Are we really worthy of participating in the battles? To be honest, I would have to say no to myself. I know I am making some good progress with bboying, but definitely not as dedicated or hardcore as some of the bboys out there. I mean, after all, I am not doing this for a living, but as a main hobby/exercise as well as a key method of stress relieving. To the judges and bboys who really think that they have a good chance of winning the competition, we are probably nothing but nuisances...HOWEVER, even after watching the two videos, I highly doubt that I would stop participating in battles in jams. After all, I believe getting some real battle experience should still help with my battling mentality. I will be honest. I am the type of guy that would BLANK OUT in an intense time like a battle. Therefore, I believe that I should just simply numb this emotion/feeling out by participating in more battles. Is this the best method? Nah, probably not. But it is working quite well for me.
Despite my slight disagreement with what the three judges in the two youtube videos stated, I also agree that the "realest way", as bboy AlienNess put it, to get the desired battle experience, is to call out some big names out in the cypher. Of course, easier said than done right? Who in their RIGHT MIND would call out a big name like AlienNess themselves without that confidence that he or she will win? Well, isn't that what the amateur bboys that participated in the battle want? I do agree with the three judges in that sense. If you are just starting out or know that you have no chance of winning a competition, the cyphers are really the REAL place for you!
Bboy Benny Ben once told me that battling really should not be the main reason that you go to a jam. Instead of conserving energy for the battles at a jam, it should be the complete opposite. It should be like a thing that you should be doing WHILE you are there, not doing it because that's what you go to jams for. You should really be throwing down at cyphers, official competition comes secondary. In the previous jams, I did the exact opposite as these wise bboys recommended. I conserved my energy for the battle and prevented myself from participating in the cyphers. I thought that was the right thing to do, and I still believe that if I do go to jams, I would love to be part of the competition with my crew. However, cyphering now has a totally different meaning for me. Instead of avoiding it like I used to, I want to embrace it. After all, it is the place where you can truly be yourself without any external concern like winning a battle. I would like all who reads this blog to do the same. Accept the challenge of having the possibility of getting smoked by more than one person, embrace the challenge of battling with multiple people at once, and most important of all, get rid of the fear of being judged by multiple people at the scene. Bboying is all about overcoming challenges after all ^_^
Cheers!
N-dure
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