I don't understand what you mean by breaking at 2 maybe because I do only int. Rumba. This is how we dance, though: I position myself on the floor or my partner position me where he wants us to be. At beat 1, my partenr offers his hand and I take his hand. At beat 2 & 3 we settle together and prepare our move. At 4 we start to dance. The settling part at 2 & 3 is very important for us because that is when we establish our connection.
I don't know if my explanation helps.

Yes this helps. I have been starting on 2 with my left foot forward without the settling or stepping first with the right foot on 4. Even though I can get started with the 2, 3 on beat. I will under pressure or competition revert the to using the 3,4 beat (in place of the 2,3) as a break or rock step. I can count the music and hear the beats and stay on beat without pressure. I am an advanced Bolero and Am. Rumba dancer, but since I am new at Int. Rumba I have a tendency to get them mixed up a bit with the beats.

I know that I need to practice more with simple patterns and just count while dancing. But my mind has still got the Bolero and Am. Rumba mind set that I am trying to erase out while dancing Int. Rumba.

I would give up dancing on 1 in any dance that really starts on 2 (for instance cha-cha). Yes, a prep step on 1 is nice, but it is like training wheels on a bike-- if you never take them off after a while they slow you down more than they will help. By continuing to do cha-cha and salsa and mambo on 1 you are telling your brain and muscle memory that 1 is the important beat not 2.
So when you get into a competition and nerves kick in your brain switches to auto pilot and therefore you hear the 1 more predominantly. Discipline yourself to only move on the 2. After a while you won't even notice the 1 anymore and only hear the 2. It's painful at first, but has to be done if you ever want to feel comfortable with the dance. And judges can tell when a man is relying on his partner to keep the beat...

Anonymous. Some of the top coaches dont count the one beat at all. They just let the hip move. Unless you are experienced, and you do count one you are more likely to step off on that beat. Especially if you have had years of stepping on the first beat in a Waltz or Foxtrot. Another way is to count the forth beat as stop, which then becomes 2, 3, stop, hip. Don't expect every Rumba to be played exactly the same, and especially if it is a vocal. I like a Rumba at 25.BPM. I found that counting the music all through in bars and in eight bar phrasing. There should be a four bar Introduction followed by 10 blocks of 8. If this is hard to understand think of a book. Each page is a bar of music and there are 8 pages to a chapter of which there are 10 to the book. I can garantee that this will work. Count a whole disk through in eights. At the beginning of each chapter put a tick on a peice of paper, having counted 1234.2234.3234.4234 through to 8234.start again on 1234. See how many ticks you have on the paper. Do it again and dont be suprised if you have a different count. Actually we are supposed to do this for any dance. Waltz 123 223 323 423 523 through to 8.See if you can pick the difference between bar 7 and 8 and the other bars. which tells you that 1 is coming up. Bit of a lecture this. If you can watch a tape of a major final you will find their choreography is constructed to eight bar phrasing. Those who may have John Wood's tape dont skip the part on phrasing.

"Unless you are experienced, and you do count one you are more likely to step off on that beat. Especially if you have had years of stepping on the first beat in a Waltz or Foxtrot."

Sure hope you don't step on the first beat in foxtrot!

Anonymous. You must understand the difference between Latin and Modern. In the Foxtrot Waltz Tango and Quickstep we step on beat one. Don't confuse this with an introductry step which can be counted differently, sometimes. To explain. I was taught to step on my left foot on beat three in the Waltz then my first step of a Natural on one which I still do..
In the Foxtrot to do an introductory step on 3. 4. will allow me to step off on 1 2 with my RF. Having said that I now step the introductory step on beat 4 only
As you have noticed Latin is another story. In the Rumba and Cha Cha. You can start a Basic Movement with the feet apart. Move the hip over on one and do the first step of a front basic on beat two ( with the music ). A better way, if you look at your tapes. Is to start with the RF behind. Then make the first a Walk on the RF on beat one. Continue on in the usual way for step and beat two. Just to make it more confusing if you watch a tape. Some start with the LF behind the RF. They let beat one go and start dancing forward LF on beat two. The lady is the natural opposite. One last thing . What is a Latin Hip. Standing waiting for a bus you will most likely settle on either of your hips. Or if you were carrying a child you would do the same. That is your hip movement on the first beat. Just move the hip across.

only the ignorant step on the first beat of a foxtrot slow - it has two beats for a reason

Please explain the reason why the first step has two beats. Is it because the walk has a timing of slow?

@Anonymous: first I think, that this foxtrot thing has nothing to do with the problem in the rumba, the topic starter asks. So I will only say some _short_ words to your opinion.

If you dance the foxtrot as an newbie, you will do a step on 1. If you are really good, and dance with much musicality... you will make a step on the 1 - but it is another one.
I think you are in the middle of both and learned that you just prepare the step on the 1, but you go on the 2. This is correct, as long as you won't get better.
Later musicality makes, that the step you make at 4, wait's for the following 1.

the step is in progress on 1, but doesn't land until nearly two... hence from a newbie perspective the timing of foxtrot is grossly similar to rumba - 234 is a much, much mmore accurate description than 134 would be.