This weekend, my wife and I watched Kevin Hart's latest comedy special, "Zero F**ks Given".
The special was fairly unique in that it was filmed in Hart's home.
And there's a somewhat unusual feature of his home that viewers get to see 80 seconds into the special: Kevin Hart has a full stage setup in his house.
Granted, it's a much more casual, intimate set-up than what you would see in a comedy club; chairs and tables are replaced by comfortable sofas and chairs, and the room looks like it's intended to hold no more than two dozen people. But there's a raised platform, and the decor of the room is definitely familiar to anyone who watches stand-up comedy shows regularly.
It's fairly well-known that comedians will often test out new jokes at small comedy clubs to gauge audience reactions and make adjustments as needed before more significant performances. But where do you suppose they practice the delivery of their material before it's ready for the small comedy clubs?
Most comedians would have to settle for practicing in front of a large mirror, or a small group of trusted friends.
Kevin Hart is able to practice on his very own stage.
Of course, Kevin Hart isn't an ordinary comedian: he's been extremely successful with his career, and has an estimated net worth of $200 million. That amount of money can pay for a lot of home stages.
But the fact that he decided to have one in his home is telling: it shows how seriously he takes his work.
Professional athletes don't just show up on game day and play; they spend a tremendous amount of time conditioning themselves to be better.
Professional musicians spend hours (and hours, and hours) practicing their performances before an audience will ever get to hear them.
You may not be a professional comedian, athlete, or musician... but you're likely a professional too.
And professionals who want to become the best at what they do need to practice.
What does your home stage look like?
- dp
P.S. After my last post, several of you wrote to my about my Family Fitness Challenge and expressed interest in what we would be doing for December. Below is the workout I've planned for my family -- feel free to join us!
Week 1 (Dec 1 - 5):
5 Hand-Release Push-ups / 5 Jumping Squats / 30-second Plank
Week 2 (Dec 6 - 12):
10 Hand-Release Push-ups / 10 Jumping Squats / 1 Minute Plank
Week 3 (Dec 13 - 19):
15 Hand-Release Push-ups / 15 Jumping Squats / 1.5 Minute Plank
Week 4 (Dec 20 - 26):
20 Hand-Release Push-ups / 20 Jumping Squats / 2 Minute Plank
Week 5 (Dec 27 - 31):
25 Hand-Release Push-ups / 25 Jumping Squats / 2.5 Minute Plank
For this workout, if you can already do the starting number, that's the number you do every day of the week. If not, build up to each number by adding additional repetitions each day in such a way that by the last day of the week, you can complete all of the reps listed for that week. If you're new to these types of exercises or have health-issues that prevent you from doing the exercises as listed with proper form, you can substitute Hand-Release Push-ups for regular Push-ups, Jumping Squats for regular Squats, and full planks for planks from your knees.