Appalachian clogging follows the downbeat, or bass beat, of the music. An easy dance step begins with the dancer stepping in place (not marching) to the beat of the music. Then kick or lift your right foot slightly forward before each down step. Practice this sequence: kick step kick step. Now, starting with the left foot, kick forward and then step in place for three counts. The new sequence is: kick step step step or kick 1,2,3. Practice until you feel comfortable and are able to move along easily with the beat of the music. The is called the "Basic" step in clogging.
A slightly more advanced clogging step is called the "Double-Toe." Standing on your right foot, bring your left foot forward, letting your toe brush along the ground, making a tapping sound. Now kick your left foot forward (much like the Basic step) and bring your left toe back to the ground, again making a tapping sound. Next stand on your left foot and repeat the process with your right foot. This is one of the most common steps in clogging.
Flat-footing is an Appalachian dance style simliar to clogging but without the shuffling, hopping motions found in most clogging steps. Flat-footing steps are performed not with stepping but with a sliding motion of the feet and do not involve kicks. There are very few formal steps in flat-footing, with most steps very irregular in nature. Dancers simply follow the beat of the music. A very easy way to start flat-footing is to modify the kick step kick step found in basic clogging. Instead of kicking the right foot forward, a flat-footer slides the right foot across a surface, barely raising the foot as the motion happens. The dancer then steps in place for one beat with the left foot before repeating the step. Ideal flat-footing surfaces are wooden floors or even sheets of plywood scattered on the ground. Once this basic sliding step is mastered, individual stylings can be added as long as they correspond with the beat of the music.
Buck dancing is a relative of both the tap and clogging styles of dance. It is much more percussive in nature than its clogging counterpart. Steps involve more heel-to-toe positions and contain more stomping motions than the shuffle steps of clogging. The heel portions of dance steps occur on the downbeat of the music while the toe portions fall on the upbeat of the music. A basic step in buck dancing is the Double Heel Toe Ball. The step begins with the ball of the foot touching the floor during the forward motion of a simple kick. The knee bends upward immediately and the same foot swings backward with the ball of the foot touching the floor again in the same spot. The heel of the foot then taps the floor, followed by the top of the same foot tapping the floor. This step is usually performed in a forward motion but can be done in different directions as ability levels increase.