There are several different styles used by dance teachers to teach basic West Coast Swing. The nice thing is that they all will work and people dancing different styles will be able to dance together just fine. We will define several different styles for 6 beat Step Patterns.
Unit 1 - Counts 1 2
In Closed Basic dance position, some teachers prefer to teach the follower to do a rock step; and other teachers prefer to teach a walk wallk forward. The most commonly used is the rock, step, but many competitors today prefer the walk walk forward.
Unit 2 - Counts 3 & 4
Some teachers prefer to teach the follower to do a [Fwd Fwd Fwd] traveling in the direction of the slot. Other teachers prefer to teach a French Cross which is a [Side Cross Side] traveling in the direction of the slot. Another very simple one is [Side Tog Side]. After any of these, the follower will turn to their left and step backward into the slot on count 5.
Unit 3 - Counts 5& 6 (Anchor)
There are three types of Anchor commonly used. The one I prefer is the Coaster Anchor which is [Bk Tog Fwd]. However, in dance classes with drop-in students it may be better to use one of the other two which are [Bk Tog Tog] or [Bk Fwd Bk]. The latter is commonly used because it keeps the follower on the end and prevents the follower from prematurely charging into the leader on the anchor. This discussion of an Anchor also applies to the Anchor in 8 beat patterns.