Practice conditioning methods designed to increase balance, strength and coordination. Pilates, yoga, Gyrotonic, stretching and weight lifting will help your ballroom dance technique. Find an instructor in one of these methods with professional experience in ballroom dance. He can structure sessions to meet your particular goals and the specific type of dance you are interested in studying or performing. If you can't find an instructor with dance experience, practicing these techniques on their own can help prepare you for the demands of ballroom dance.
Take ballroom dance classes with an experienced teacher. Look for a teacher with experience in teaching as well as performance. When you begin your training, hire a teacher for private sessions for personal attention to technical corrections and posture basics. When you become comfortable with the basic concepts, take some group classes. Group classes are less expensive than private sessions and will provide the opportunity to practice with many partners, which will help you advance faster than working with one partner.
Practice your dance at clubs. Many clubs that feature ballroom dance styles such as tango, salsa and swing have open dance floors where people come to dance as a recreational activity. Get out on the dance floor and practice your moves with different partners. This will give you a chance to be challenged by the improvisational nature of social ballroom forms, as you will have to follow the music that is played at the club.