Answer if you are a Serious Tap Dancer: How can I Improve the Sound of my Pick-U

Question:I can do pick-ups, they just sound 'scratchy'. I want advice on how to make them sound clean and sharp. Do you have any tips or exercises I can do? I take competitive dance and comp. starts soon so I want to be better at these. Please help!!

Best Answer - Chosen by Asker: I can do pick-ups, they just sound 'scratchy'. I want advice on how to make them sound clean and sharp. Do you have any tips or exercises I can do? I take competitive dance and comp. starts soon so I want to be better at these. Please help!!

Go back to the basic pickups and over exaggerate every part of it. So dig your heels into the floor, jump up high so you have heaps of time to pick up both of your feet, and land with bent knees. Do this repetitively until you have every sound clear and perfect, then you can go back to your more advanced pickups. It just trains your feet into producing every sound perfectly.
That's how I was taught anyway and my pickups are really clear.

watch dancing outlaw on youtube:

http://youtube.com/watch?v=M35r1Q4c88I

don't try to pick up your foot, just try to jump up and hit your toe, that always worked for me.

Try to sink into your knees more. That's what my tap teacher always tells me to do.

an exercise you could try is stand at a chair or a bar and bend your knees and just lift your toe end and pick it just like a pick up but on the ground. and replace it on the ground repeat this with the opposite leg. this will help your body get use to the action needed