Talking

TEETHING ISSUESIn the early days, you will absolutely fall into some of the morecommon pitfalls of the role. It’s totally normal, and you’ll learnmore by ‘doing’ than anything else in those early weeks andmonths. Ask any experienced commentator and they will tell youhow bad they were to start with, but how much they learned on thejob by practicing.I’ve listed a few of the more common things you might run in to inthe early days in order to help you avoid or conquer them faster:Swearing - You’ll probably swear a lot to start with, but trynot to if you want to succeed as a professional commentator- you’ll impress the 12 year olds but perhaps not thosewho are looking to hire youCalling the wrong play - You aren’t going to see every singleplay ever, so you’re bound to make a few mistakes. It’sfine, you’re new, but learn fastOver projecting - A common issue for new commentatorsas they often try to inject an almost false level of excitementby being loud at the wrong moments. Focus on bringingas honest coverage as you can provide and over timeyou’ll understand when to project and at what points theyare valuableTalking too much! - This is the most common problem fornew commentators. Learning the art of ‘dead air’ makes apowerful commentator, but that’s for later. For now, justconcentrate on taking a breath sometimes!17