Dalkong

“Instead of letting your elbow keep creeping up and your shoulder riding up with it, imagine someone pulling you down by the shoulder blades.”

Explaining how to build steady tension in the lead frame — arms open — without tightening up the upper body

“When you're traveling and you stop on the break, if you give the feeling of tapping a wall once with your elbow energy, your partner can go out, hit just with the hips, and come right back.”

Explaining how to lead the hip return on the break

“Your left hand is the block position. You give the frame of the position, she takes my lead clearly, and then you carry it hip, hip, hip — and it's much better to think of an "&" count in between. Then the circle gets really smooth.”

Explaining frame and the count concept from the C-fork position

“Hips, upper body, whatever it is — you have to be able to isolate. That's the only way you can express your own thing on your own.”

Stressing why body isolation matters when you're expressing a move by yourself

“Keep using that diagonal line and your muscles will be sore at first, but you'll get to where you can do it without cranking your lower back. Otherwise you're bending from the back and the injuries get serious.”

Explaining how moving along the diagonal line protects your lower back from injury

“The line across her lower back lifts first — click — and then you go down bit by bit.”

Explaining the position that bends the follower forward in a hammerlock variation

“Keep your neck as long as you possibly can, lead with your abs lifting first, and go slow. Just let your arm release — but don't lift your own shoulder, keep it down and let the turn happen from there.”

Explaining the details of coming back up out of the bent-over position

“You take the energy going sideways and the energy going down, and draw a little half-circle with them.”

Explaining wrist handling and the direction of energy in the prep for the break