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If practice is long, hard, and sweaty, you're doing something right. However, there are some things to be done that make practicing just a little easier. Some are common sense; some seem bizarre; all of them are neat.

Don't sit down! Try to sit down as little as possible during practice. It can make your leg muscles stiffen up. Stand around or lie down, but sitting on a chair can be bad for you.

Wear warm clothing. At least, wear warm clothing until you're warmed up and before you start cooling down. Also, bundle up if you have to go outside. It keeps your muscles looser, warmer, and less prone to injury.

Avoid slipping. Use black (not silver) duct tape for serious slipping problems. Hairspray is a quick fix, but after a while it dries and becomes even more slippery. Soda works. Water works for sotf shoes. Rosin is also supposed to be great, but I haven't tried it.

Get a chin-up bar. They can be installed in an ordinary doorway and work better than chairs, a barre, a window ledge, or anything else sturdy, although these will also work. Hang or lean on them to learn clicks, rocks, cramp rolls, what-have-you. Lying on your back with your feet in the air or sitting in a chair can also help with some moves, like flutters.

Avoid blisters. Most dancers get blisters on the backs of their heels. It's part of life. I've tried everything from duct tape to moleskin, but I've finally found what really works: athletic tape. See the Practice Injuries section for more detailed information.

Use a mirror. Mirrors can come in handy. Be sure to practice facing away from them sometimes to make sure you don't get in the habit of looking down while you dance, though.

Videotape yourself. Or rather, get someone to tape you. This is one of the absolute best ways to evaluate your dancing in depth. Then watch the tape and take notes. If you can, even watch in slow motion to nitpick even more.

Keep ice from falling off. It can be a pain to try to balance ice on a sore foot or ankle. Just use an elastic bandage to keep it in place. Saran-Wrap also works.

Soothe your feet. If you need to keep dancing but your feet don't want to, go stand on a stair with your heels hanging off. It feels especially good in hard shoes. Also, try lying flat on the floor against a wall with your feet and legs straight up against the wall. Much fun.

Break in your shoes. If you have new hardshoes, you'll need to break them in before you try dancing in them. Here's my technique. You will need: Dr. Glove baseball glove foam or other baseball glove softening oil, sandpaper, a hammer, a baseball bat or rolling pin, and some heavy furniture. (Don't try this with suede-soled shoes; they should be soft enough just by wearing them.) First, sandpaper the soles lightly, just enough to take off the coating. Next, rub in lots of Dr. Glove foam. Keep rubbing it in until it won't absorb any more. Put on the shoes, put the bat or rolling pin on the ground, and roll your arch back and forth over it. Take them off and beat the leather part of the heels with the hammer. Bend the whole shoe around as hard as you can. Apply more Dr. Glove, fold the shoes so that the toe is just in front of the heel, and stick it under some furniture. Do this twice a day for two or three days and the shoes should be danceable. For the first week or two that you dance in them, apply Dr. Glove to the sole before and after you dance. If this sounds very violent, well, it's also fun. If you're a mother cringing at the thought of abusing $100+ shoes this way, well, otherwise the shoes would abuse your child's feet. I like breaking in hard shoes.