Shadowing Practice: A1 English Listening Practice - American Sports - Learn English Speaking with Video

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Hey everybody!
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Welcome to this A1 English listening practice video.
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You can use this video to practice your listening and comprehension as I speak.
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Before we start, remember to subscribe to the channel.
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click on the bell and follow us on Instagram.
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You ready?
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So today I'm gonna talk about American sports.
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Many foreigners don't know much about American sports.
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That's why this is a good topic to discuss.
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I'm gonna talk about three American sports.
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basketball baseball, and football.
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These are the most popular sports in the US.
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First, let's talk about basketball.
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Actually, this sport is popular in some other countries too.
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For example, It's popular in some European and Asian countries but it's more popular in America.
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In the US, our professional basketball league is called the NBA.
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The NBA has 30 teams,
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29 American teams, and 1 Canadian team the Toronto Raptors.
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You probably know some of the famous NBA teams like the Los Angeles Lakers and the Golden State Warriors.
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When I was younger, I was a big Lakers fan.
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I started watching their games when I was six years old.
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My favorite players were Shaq and Kobe.
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You might know those names.
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So, The rules of basketball are pretty simple.
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You try to shoot the ball into the hoop and you defend your hoop.
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If you score from close, It's two points.
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If you score from far away, it's three points.
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And if you score a foul shot or free throw, it's one point.
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The team who scores more points wins.
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easy right?
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When I was a kid I played basketball a lot.
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I was tall so this really helped me.
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If you're tall, you have an advantage.
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Nowadays, I don't play basketball anymore.
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Okay, now let's talk about baseball.
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In the past, baseball was the most popular sport in America.
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But today more Americans watch football.
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In the U .S our professional baseball league is called the MLB.
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The MLB has 30 teams just like the NBA.
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Baseball is popular in some countries outside the US.
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For example, People in the Caribbean love baseball.
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and it's also popular in some Asian countries.
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How about you?
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Do you like baseball?
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So, the rules of baseball are complicated.
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There's no time in baseball.
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We don't have two halves or four quarters.
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Instead, there are nine innings.
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In each inning, both teams have the chance to play on offense and defense.
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I won't try to explain all the positions, but I will talk about the pitcher and batter.
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The pitcher is the person who throws the ball.
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and the batter is the person who hits the ball.
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The batter tries to hit the ball hard and far.
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The pitcher doesn't want the batter to hit the ball.
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There are many more rules and they're very complicated.
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But if you watch a few baseball games, you'll start to understand.
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I'm not good at baseball but I like going to baseball games.
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It's really fun to watch a baseball game in a baseball stadium.
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Okay lastly let's talk about football.
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Remember that in the US Football is not soccer when we say football We're talking about American football.
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Today, football is the most popular sport in America more people watch football than any other sport.
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Nowadays, it's becoming popular in other countries too.
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Is American football popular in your country?
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So, the rules of football are really, really complicated.
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and the rules change often.
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If you don't know the rules of football, it can be hard to understand what's happening when you watch a game.
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However, the objective of the game is simple you want to score more points than the other team.
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You can score touchdowns, which are six points.
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You can score field goals, which are three points.
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And you can score extra points, which are one point.
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One team is on offense and one team is on defense.
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The game is called the Super Bowl.
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This is a very popular event every year.
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Okay, now I'm gonna ask you some questions about the video to see if you understood.
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Write your answers in a comment down below.
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Number one.
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How many Canadian teams are in the NBA?
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Number two.
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In baseball, what does the batter do?
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And number three: in football, who is the most important player?
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Alright, remember to subscribe to the channel,
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click on the bell, and follow us on Instagram for more English tips and lessons.
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I'll see you next time.

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Why practice speaking with this video?

Practicing your listening skills with this A1 English video on American sports is an excellent way to improve your speaking abilities. As you listen to the speaker discuss popular American sports like basketball, baseball, and football, you can enhance your comprehension and vocabulary at the same time. This engaging context allows you to mimic important phrases and expressions, making it easier to incorporate them into your speaking practice. Regularly working with this content provides a solid foundation for IELTS speaking practice, as it enables you to articulate your thoughts on widely relatable topics.

Grammar & Expressions in Context

The speaker utilizes several key grammatical structures that are valuable for English learners. Here are three examples:

  • Simple Present Tense: The video frequently uses the simple present tense when discussing facts about sports. For instance, "Basketball is popular in some countries." This tense is essential for describing routines and habits, making it crucial for everyday conversations.
  • Question Form: Questions such as "Do you like baseball?" encourage learners to practice forming and answering questions, which is vital for both speaking and listening skills. Mastering how to structure questions will help in daily interactions and during exams.
  • Comparative Form: The phrase "more popular" compares the popularity of sports over time, providing an example of how to describe differences in characteristics, a useful skill for elaborating on opinions in discussions.

By shadowing the speaker and repeating these structures, you will strengthen your grasp of important grammatical concepts while enhancing your fluency and confidence in speaking.

Common Pronunciation Traps

While practicing with the video, pay close attention to specific words and phrases that may pose pronunciation challenges:

  • Basketball (pronounced /ˈbæskɪbɔːl/): Some learners struggle with the transition between syllables. Practice the word slowly to master the sound.
  • Baseball (pronounced /ˈbeɪsˌbɔːl/): Notice how the speaker emphasizes the first syllable. Try repeating it several times for proper stress.
  • Pitcher (pronounced /ˈpɪtʃər/): This word can be tricky due to the 'ch' sound. Listening and repeating will help perfect your pronunciation.

Utilizing a shadowing app can facilitate your practice, allowing you to listen and mimic the speaker's intonation and rhythm effectively. Regularly engaging with such content will help you learn English with YouTube while improving your speaking skills through shadow speak techniques.

Grammar in this video

The structures the speaker uses most, with the exact words from the video:

StructureIn the video
Relative clauses who / which + clause — extra information about a person or thingperson who throws · person who hits · touchdowns, which are
Passive voice be + past participle — the focus is on what happens, not who does itis called
Superlatives the -est / the most … — the top or bottom of a groupthe most popular · the most important
Future with “going to” be going to + verb — a plan or something you can see cominggonna talk · gonna ask

What is the Shadowing Technique?

Shadowing is a science-backed language learning technique originally developed for professional interpreter training and popularized by polyglot Dr. Alexander Arguelles. The method is simple but powerful: you listen to native English audio and immediately repeat it out loud — like a shadow following the speaker with just a 1–2 second delay. Unlike passive listening or grammar drills, shadowing forces your brain and mouth muscles to simultaneously process and reproduce real speech patterns. Research shows it significantly improves pronunciation accuracy, intonation, rhythm, connected speech, listening comprehension, and speaking fluency — making it one of the most effective methods for IELTS Speaking preparation and real-world English communication.

Shadowing technique: read the full step-by-step guide →