Rhythm

When you do a movement, any type of movement-regardless of the part of the

body you use-requires a certain rhythm, a flow to the body that allows the arms,
core and legs to move with it. Keeping the beat is even more important if there is
going to be a movement that goes with music.

Think about the last parade you went to. The lines of the marching bands were
crisp and straight, all stepping as a group (hopefully), as they marched down the
streets. Now think of the other groups, the ones without music to guide them.
They were probably all straggling and willy-nilly all over the place. The groups
that were near the bands, fell in rhythm with them while the groups that were
farther away did not have that advantage. Keeping the beat is important and can
be done in a lot of ways.

You can learn how to keep the beat with just your hands or your feet, even if you
do not, now nor ever, intend to play a musical instrument. Close your eyes for a
second and listen to a song, really paying attention to the rhythm. Now tap your
feet along with the beat, or if you prefer, pat your knee with your hand. Open your
eyes and see how easily the rhythm has found you.

If  you  are  struggling  with  this,  count  out  loud,  one  and  two  and  three  and  four…  a  
couple of times or so, then shift to silently counting. Eventually you will be able to
fall into the rhythm without counting at all, but it might take some practice for
some people.

Another good idea is to listen for the drummer to find your rhythm. This tip is
especially helpful for beginners in a band class. Too often, you can play your
instrument at home and just find the rhythm because you are in a quiet place and
can concentrate. Then you get to band class with all of your friends and their
instruments and you lose your groove.

Try to shut the sound of everyone else out and focus on the drum. Imagine that
you can feel the drum beating with rhythm with your own heartbeat, keeping in
mind at the same time of your own playing. Once you gain a little more
confidence in your own playing, you will be better able to focus on the rhythm.
But, anytime that you find yourself lost, go back to the drummer and he will bring
you back.
 Learning rhythm takes time. No pun intended. The general method that you use to learn rhythm is to tap a
steady beat with your foot and sing different note durations against that beat. The basic method of counting
out rhythms can be learned by anyone within a few hours.
With your foot, tap four beats, over and over as follows.
ONE two three four ONE two three four ONE two three four
| . . . | . . . | . . .
Now sing the word "Da" and hold it for four taps of your foot. (Tap the top line, sing the "Da" line).
| . . . | . . . | . . .
Da Da Da

When you are able to do this comfortably, proceed to the next exercise, where you are going to create notes
that are half the duration.
| . . . | . . . | . . .
Da Da Da Da Da Da

When you are able to do this comfortably, proceed to the next exercise, where you are going to mix notes
of different durations.
| . . . | . . . | . . .
Da Da Da Da Da

When you are able to do this comfortably, proceed to the next exercise, where you are going to create notes
that take up only one beat.
| . . . | . . . | . . .
Da Da Da Da Da Da Da Da

When you are able to do this comfortably, proceed to the next exercise, where you are going sing a
different pattern.
| . . . | . . . | . . . |
Da Da Da Da Da Da Da Da Da Da Da

When a great lover is moving correctly to his destination, the strokes seem
smooth and powerful. Everything flows- there are no lurches, pauses, hitches or
dead spots in their stroke technique - they have excellent rhythm and timing,
moving seamlessly from one phase of the stroke to the other.

There is a trend in how men perform - to try and go as far as possible on one
stroke- because  there  aren’t  many  options that we learn. Men are now realizing
that there's more to stroking than focusing on just the length of your stroke and
that an overly-long stroke can be less efficient because of the introduction of
dead spots and pauses.

Stroke Skills is at the forefront of the movement away from uniform stroking. We
suggest you diversify your strokes and find the right balance between stroke
length and stroke rate.
Long Strokes

A long stroke is a good thing up to a point. Think about where a long stroke
comes from:

Good propulsion comes from a good catch- pull and push. It means you have
the potential to apply more friction on each stroke as you are propelling yourself
forward over a longer surface. This is a good factor in a long stroke.

Low drag comes from a good body position-a straight body. Low drag means
you go further on each stroke because you subtract any arches from your body.
The stroke is from top to hilt. This is a good factor in a long stroke.

A 'glide' in the stroke means you pause and wait a while before performing the
next stroke, gliding a bit further off the last stroke. Many would look at a glide as
a bad factor in a long stroke because you lose touch with your rhythm and timing,
but we think that a glide can provide that interrupt, that misdirection that keeps
your partner engaged and from getting bored. However, you also slow down in
the glide phase and then have to re-accelerate yourself with the next stroke -
that's hard work!

So, having a long stroke is a good thing up to a point but it shouldn't be achieved
by sacrificing your rhythm and timing or by introducing pauses into your stroke
technique.

Short Strokes

Of course you must also have a short a stroke! If your stroke game is very fast,
you sacrifice your capacity to be consistent unless you train for this stroke rate.
We think that if your going to work a short stroke, slow it down a little, and work
on making each one count by maintaining your propulsion and staying in contact
with the walls as best as possible. Doing this will help you to create a rhythm
and stay on it, which will help you when you want to change stroke styles and
change depth, allowing you to move into a longer stroke technique which, in the
long run, you can look to speed up. . Rhythm is so important that as long as you
maintain it, your partner is less likely to feel uncomfortable.

So  if  it’s  a  long  stroke,  play  it  how  you  feel  it,  but  the  option  is  open  to  go  faster  
on these styles.

If  it’s  a  short  stroke,  keep  it  slow  so  that  you  are  strong  and each one counts.

Stroke Rate

Your stroke rate is defined by the number of strokes you take per minute. This is
useful to know because it tells you about your rhythm and timing. Too low a
stroke rate and you are putting her to sleep by moving too slowly. A too high a
stroke rate, often, will put her chocha to sleep by numbing the sensors, cause
pain or shows your stroke technique is too juvenile and not defined,
definitive….the  Stroke  Skills  way.

Stroke rate is a powerful thing to know because learning to precisely control it is

key to mastering your capacity as a lover. Often the rhythm and stroke rate play
60% of the difference if your partner is aroused and engaged (check out verbal
stroking and zynergistics to get her there). It happens a lot of times when
women  say  “  he  doesn’t  know  how  to  use  it.”  What  do  they  mean  by  this?  They  
build orgasms by drawing energy off consistent friction, so if your
inconsistent….cest  la  vie.  

*As a note women make themselves orgasm, we just kind of urge them to do so.

Here's a neat way to test and improve your stroke rate and to learn more about
your individual stroke efficiency and find the right stroke rate for you. We call it
'The  Stroke  Ramp‘.

The Ramp Test helps you find naturally occurring sweets spots in your stroke
technique. Train at these stroke rates to learn how to go from faster to slower to
faster with more finesse and more ease.

Ramp Test Instructions

You will need: A Stroke Skills coach or friend to time your stroking for 30 seconds
with a stopwatch and to count your strokes.

The Stroke Rate Ramp Test is a series of 30 seconds per set (or half a minute)
with a short break in between. Each 30 seconds, your base stroke count is
increased by 10 strokes . You can keep going as high as you like but normally
15-25 beats above your natural rate is enough to experience your full stroke
spectrum.

After each set, while you are resting, make your Stroke Skills coach or friend
record how that stroke rate felt to you in terms of effort. It's a good idea to use a
scale of 1 to 10 to record your effort level where 1 is no effort at all and 10 is
eyeballs out!

Here's an example of a table that you can use. ( I will Remake chart for our
purposes.) Scroll down.
To keep the test as unbiased as possible, don't try and assess the results or
analyze things as you go along. Simply perform the strokes for 30 seconds at the
given stroke rate and record how each felt. As you continually work on your
stroke technique, your efficiency at different stroke rates will evolve. For instance,
if you work on improving your individual stroke movements, you will feel less tired
when performing catch. When you work your combinations, you will feel
smoother, moving from one to the next and you will find how to stay on your own
rhythm even when doing more complex movements.

Warning: Contains Sound

Analyzing Your Results: Classic Sweet Spot

The Stroke Ramp looks at your speed and stroke efficiency over a range of
stroke rates. Here's an example result from a Stroke Skills-
As stroke rate increases, we expect our student is moving faster at higher stroke
rates. We can also see that perceived effort (how hard it feels) follows an upward
trend the faster he moves.

However, notice how there's a definite sweet spot where both lines take a dip at
the same point and yet perceived effort also stays low. For this guy, his sweet
spot comes at a slightly slower stroke rate than the natural rate at which he
makes a stroke. This means he will be the most consistent and effective at
this rate. This is a suitable rhythm for his stroke technique. At first, it's likely that
doing your practice movements at this stroke rate will feel strange, but the
Stroke ramp normally shows results you aren't expecting!

Equally, depending on your body type, strength level and conditioning, you could
achieve a sweet spot above your natural stroke rate.

Analyzing Your Results: Two Sweet Spots

Many people will discover they have more than one sweet spot in their stroke.
This is more common with guys who have good conditioning and core strength,
but can show up literally anywhere. The two sweet spots are normally found at
around a steady level of effort and then at a faster threshold level . This simply
means that this person can find a good rhythm that can stay at/within both a
slow  and  faster  rate…A  good  feature  to  have.
By being aware of these peaks in your stroking efficiency, you can use them in
training and while engaging your partner to optimize your performance.

Thus, we see that rhythm is fundamental in sex. It feeds and stimulates the
internal movement of the human body even when we are not moving. It produces
energy, desires, and impulses. Depending on your personality and preference,
you can find a suitable rhythm to suit your sexual preferences. Irrespective of
whether you are a man of long strokes or short ones, you can always find a
rhythm that suits your stroke style. Remember that sex is not something to just
go and start in a haphazard manner. Treat it like something possessing great
pleasure when practiced according to desirable standards. Ignore them and you
turn the otherwise awesome thing into a sheer animalistic act. Rhythm, like other
requisites of a great sexual act, must be given due attention so that the act
becomes spontaneous, smooth, exciting and satisfactory.