TV Show about Footbag, Freestyle Football and Shuttlecock

[daLai]

Hi!

I am currently studying in Hangzhou, China and I got invited to take part in a TV Show on CCTV - the national Chinese broadcasting station. On December 15th or 16th (not fixed yet) they want to do a show about the sports stated in the topic.
Since there seem to be very few footbag players in China they asked me and I sure will accept the offer.

The only info I got so far is that I will get 3 minutes airtime to show footbag to the audience. They want me to prepare a routine, so I thought about a 60s-90s routine, because I cannot prepare a 2min routine in just 3 weeks left and I am really not that good at footbag. I can hit the basics and some advanced stuff, but nothing more.

Well, I'm asking for advice what to put in the 3 minutes time I got on the show. What is most effective? My Chinese is not fluent, but passable, so most things I'll be able to explain in Chinese. But 3 minutes is not much time to show footbag to people who have never seen it before.

I am also still looking for music for a short routine.

Looking forward to your opinions and tips.

Greetings from China,

Simon

[Fade2black]

I would make sure that the stuff in your routine be easy for the untrained eye to pick up and understand, (Ducking Spinning 1 dex moves)

Props on the effort!

[Jorden]

Do easy tricks.
Do repeating tricks.
Do different looking tricks.
Smile!

Good rough structure (only do the things you feel very comfortable with!):

Get their attention (ex. start down on one knee and head down, high throw, flying clipper start, etc. -- anything out of the ordinary)
Basic alternating kicks
Jumping Kicks
Catch (ex. lap/neck or even just hand) pause & take applause
Alternating toe and inside stalls
Walkovers
Clippers (same then alternate)
Switches (aka legovers)
Mirages
Catch (ex. head or forehead or pincher) pause & take applause
Butterflies, Osis, Whirls, Swirls (once again, whatever is comfortable for you. keep it easy)
Spins Ducks
2-Bag Juggle

END

90 seconds is more than enough.

Stand with good posture. Look confident, happy and friendly. Look proud!
If you drop, look at the audience before you pick it up. This lets them know (without speaking) "What I am doing is hard. Cheer me on!"

If you're nervous about what to say after your demo, ask them to provide you in advance the questions they will ask you. This is a fair request, seeing as you aren't a native speaker!

Then prepare short answers to the questions and you're good to go!
Keep in mind the producers want to make you look good as well.

Always tell your employers what you need and what your concerns are prior to the show. They can't guess these sorts of things if you don't tell them.

Try to wear something nice (i.e. not a T-shirt). A collared shirt or
shiny football-type jersey is your best bet. Matching shorts or dress shorts with a belt are a good idea (as long as you can move freely in them!).
Wearing something German might be good if you wanted to represent your country.

For music, pick something simple with a good beat that's family friendly.
Something electronic and European sounding is a good idea. Think mass appeal.
Traditional Chinese music is not your best bet because it might seem weird coming from a foreigner.

A successful representation would be huge for developing the Chinese footbag scene.

Good luck and just have fun with it!
PM me with any questions.

Jorden

[boyle]

That's an awesome opportunity Simon.

Jorden has put it all there pretty well....just start off simple, with kicks, then move into stalls. Show the crowd a few of the different tricks, then you could tell them you are going to do a one minute routine.

The rest of the time you can answer any questions that the crowd has.

Hopefully this is the beginning of the Chinese Footbag Explosion!

[Jorden]

No. For TV you don't want to talk until after your performance. Time is limited, and an audience shouldn't be lectured for this type of show.

JM