7 Tips for Joggling on TV

Last Wednesday, I had the privilege of being recorded for a piece on the television show 190 North. It’s a Chicago show that does stories about unique places, things and people around the city and suburbs.

I met the reporter and TV crew at North Avenue beach and we spent about an hour filming various shots of a joggler in action. I showed the reporter Michelle how to juggle and we ran together down the path. Everyone was really nice and it was a lot of fun. A special thanks goes out to Sam and Collin for making the whole experience enjoyable.

If you ever have a chance to get on TV, you should do it. In addition to the great ego boost you get, you could find yourself approached by advertisers who want to sponsor you. But if you are going to be on TV, here are a few tips that will help you make the most of the experience.

Joggling on TV Tips

1. Wear contrasting colors. If you’re juggling on TV you want to make sure that the juggling bags are visible. Wear a shirt that best shows off the bags. For example, use a blue or green shirt if you have yellow or orange juggling bags. A white shirt works best with darker colored juggling equipment. Also, wear a dark pair of short and low cut socks. You want to focus to be on your upper body.

2. Keep your juggling pattern low. One of the most common problems with joggling for TV or pictures is the phenomena Michal dubbed as “clowning”. This is when one of your balls obstructs your face and makes it look like you are wearing a colored object on your nose. See the picture for an example of clowning. To avoid this problem, be sure to keep you juggling pattern below your chin. This will ensure that it won’t obstruct your face.

3. Be flexible with your schedule. It’s been my experience that media people try to accommodate your schedule but it’s more likely that you’ll have to accommodate theirs. They are always on some tight deadline or there’s no camera crew available. The more flexible you can be, the better the chance that your story will get filmed. If you’re like most people, you will only get a few chances in your life to be on TV and if this is something you want, you should adjust your schedule as necessary. But don’t be a complete push-over. They want your story just as much as you want to be on their show.

4. Teach the reporter to juggle. It’s a pretty standard bit that the reporter is going to ask you to teach them to juggle. It makes for good TV to see someone the audience is familiar with look silly dropping balls and looking inept. If you want some great juggling tutorials you can copy, check out these 25 best resources to learn to juggle.

5. Have a message. Being on TV is fun and something to tell your friends and family. However, it is also a great opportunity to spread a message throughout the world (or at least your home town). Personally, I have a few things that I always try to get across.

• People should exercise more
• Juggling is fun to do, easy to learn, and more people should do it
• Joggling is a great sport that can make running much more enjoyable
• You can achieve any goal you set your mind to

6. Be prepared to answer some standard questions. Joggling naturally raises some consistent questions. Here are a list of some of the most common. If you have answers pre-rehearsed, you will do a much better job of answering in an entertaining and interesting way

• a. Why do you joggle?
• b. How long have you been doing this (juggling, running or joggling)
• c. Why did you start?
• d. What do other runners think about you?
• e. What do people say to you when they see you juggling?
• f. Are there other people who do this?
• g. Do you juggle all the time?
• h. What’s the funniest thing that has happened to you while juggling?
• i. Is it hard to do?

7. Tell people about it (you might get a sponsor). Even before you are going to be on TV, be sure to tell your friends and family that it’s going to happen. Don’t do it in a way where it sounds like you’re bragging but most people will want to know. Also, it may eve inspire your local running shop to “sponsor” you. That’s exactly what happened to me.

The owner of the shop where I normally buy my running shoes, Running Away, heard about my upcoming television piece and made a deal with me to wear his shirt for a new pair of shoes. I was happy to do it. His running store is great. If you’re ever in Chicago, be sure to go see the folks at Running Away for all your running gear needs. Tell them the joggler sent you.