I have started work on a new five minutes: Boxing is the Hardest Sport (Boxing). My new bit has already been well received by audiences and some comic friends. I started writing Boxing on a trip I took to Colombia. The two plane rides and some downtime over the visit gave me a chance to flesh out an entire story before trying it onstage.
By writing on the same topic and story day after day without the anxiety of performance I was able to craft a well developed story with a beginning, middle, and end. In the past I would focus on individual jokes and maybe group related jokes together into a bit, or rework one joke while adding another. This time around I had a direction that allowed me to set up a punchline minutes away from the set up with an intriguing and funny story in between.
I first pitched this joke to Raul Hernandez (Dade County Comedy) when I appeared on his podcast, Weird Waters. Besides a great podcast host, Raul is also helpful friend in the comedy space. He runs his own shows but spends lots of time at open mics and always give attention to the comedian on the mic and gives great feedback. That is why I wanted to hear his opinion on my newest “gag.”
I pitched my boxing story as an homage to a Larry Miller Skiing bit where he spends 10 minutes decrying how terrible skiing is: the expense, the cold, the equipment, etc. Then he goes “…and then I got off the ski lift.” As if skiing is terrible even without skiing (and the crowd goes wild). This was my inspiration for Boxing is the Hardest Sport. I look at everything I do at the boxing gym, other than boxing.
Raul’s advice was crucial for the writing I would do the following week. Raul said to have tons of tags (response lines that follow a punchline that elicit another laugh). This is because you need to keep the audience entertained as they listen to the story so that the final “punch” will pay off. Second, Raul said to have “act-outs” and “characters”, two comedic techniques I have neglected in my first 9 months of comedy. An act out is a physical punchline, usually after a verbal one that compounds laughter from the joke. A character is a perspective shift that allows me to take on another person’s words and actions.
In the case of my new bit I have a small act-out dance routine. It is Vicky’s favorite part of the set. It takes a bit of confidence to use physically on stage but the charisma earned makes it invaluable in a comedy performance. I also give a few bits of dialogue from my boxing coach’s perspective, and in spanish. This gives Boxing a nice change in delivery and keeps the audience engaged.
I still have a lot to work on with Boxing but it has been a joy to perform it all week and I keep going back to this set in my writing sessions because of the promise these jokes have. I want to really polish this part of my act so I can rely on it as an awesome closer for the longer gigs I will be preforming in 2023.
In fact, this Thursday I had my first booked show and did 12 whole minutes! It was exciting and a challenge. I was worried I wouldn’t have enough material so brought in some “C” grade content that I could have left out. All-in-all it was a tremendous learning experience and I am grateful to Raul Colon for thinking of me for this opportunity.
Enjoy two performances of Boxing is the Hardest Sport (below) and look forward to seeing this set shift and grow for future fun!
You could put yourself out there a little more on the salsa 💃🏻 dance 🕺;)