Westie Wiki
Log inJoin

Hip Catch › History › Revision 3

Revision 3

current

archivist · Jul 13, 2026, 10:45 PM · Cross-link related moves

← Revision 2

Changes from revision 2

A compression pattern where the follower's forward travel is caught at the leader's hip instead of in the hands — the follower arrives beside the leader, is caught in a brief side-by-side compression, and rebounds back down the slot.
 
−Lives in the same connection family as the sugar push (extension → compression → extension) but with the catch displaced to the side, which reads beautifully on slow, bluesy songs. A common musicality tool for marking a pause or drop in the music.
+Lives in the same connection family as the [[Sugar Push|sugar push]] (extension → compression → extension) but with the catch displaced to the side, which reads beautifully on slow, bluesy songs. A common musicality tool for marking a pause or drop in the music.
 
## Common notes
 
- Hip catches showcase one of WCS's signature ideas: connection points beyond the hands — forearm, tricep, hips, bottom of the ribs — with the follower always filling the space that's offered.[^1]
−- Filipe de Barros rolls in like a left side pass, arriving with the forearm at the follower's waist, and recommends catching on the **bony part of the hip** rather than the ribs or the fleshy part.[^2]
+- Filipe de Barros rolls in like a [[Left Side Pass|left side pass]], arriving with the forearm at the follower's waist, and recommends catching on the **bony part of the hip** rather than the ribs or the fleshy part.[^2]
- The connection is two-way: the follower gives the weight of the hip into the leader's hand, then waits — reading the lead's energy rather than pre-empting the exit.[^3]
- Standard exits include spinning the follower out, redirecting to a catch on the *other* hip, or rising into a tuck.[^4]
 
[^1]: Filipe de Barros, ["Upgrade Your Hip Catch: Basic + 3 Creative Variations"](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lXYYpK4cm3k&t=40s) at 0:40.
[^2]: Filipe de Barros, ["West Coast Swing - The Hip Catch: A Guide!"](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IPo2KD5jOQ0&t=48s) at 0:48–2:04.
[^3]: Filipe de Barros, ["West Coast Swing - The Hip Catch: A Guide!"](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IPo2KD5jOQ0&t=184s) at 3:04.
[^4]: Filipe de Barros, ["West Coast Swing - The Hip Catch: A Guide!"](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IPo2KD5jOQ0&t=357s) at 5:57.
Page as of this revision

Hip Catch

intermediate

also known as: Hip Check Catch

A compression pattern where the follower's forward travel is caught at the leader's hip instead of in the hands — the follower arrives beside the leader, is caught in a brief side-by-side compression, and rebounds back down the slot.

Lives in the same connection family as the sugar push (extension → compression → extension) but with the catch displaced to the side, which reads beautifully on slow, bluesy songs. A common musicality tool for marking a pause or drop in the music.

Common notes

  • Hip catches showcase one of WCS's signature ideas: connection points beyond the hands — forearm, tricep, hips, bottom of the ribs — with the follower always filling the space that's offered.1
  • Filipe de Barros rolls in like a left side pass, arriving with the forearm at the follower's waist, and recommends catching on the bony part of the hip rather than the ribs or the fleshy part.2
  • The connection is two-way: the follower gives the weight of the hip into the leader's hand, then waits — reading the lead's energy rather than pre-empting the exit.3
  • Standard exits include spinning the follower out, redirecting to a catch on the other hip, or rising into a tuck.4

Footnotes

  1. Filipe de Barros, "Upgrade Your Hip Catch: Basic + 3 Creative Variations" at 0:40. ↩

  2. Filipe de Barros, "West Coast Swing - The Hip Catch: A Guide!" at 0:48–2:04. ↩

  3. Filipe de Barros, "West Coast Swing - The Hip Catch: A Guide!" at 3:04. ↩

  4. Filipe de Barros, "West Coast Swing - The Hip Catch: A Guide!" at 5:57. ↩