Shadowing Practice: Hobbies - Learn English Speaking with YouTube
B1
Parents want their children to be well rounded, but the problem that every parent faces is that 7 year olds would rather watch any video on YouTube than learn how to play the violin.
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Parents want their children to be well rounded, but the problem that every parent faces is that 7 year olds would rather watch any video on YouTube than learn how to play the violin.
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So, how do these concerned parents get their children to be more active?
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Answer: They force them.
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Now, forcing your kids into activities isn't a bad thing.
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In fact, overall, it's extremely helpful.
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Forcing kids into doing something they don't want to do is the only way we can get them to go to school.
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..Okay, saying that out loud kinda... kinda sounded wrong.
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Doing extra activities, especially at a young age, not only teaches you important skills, but it also teaches you what your interests are.
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How are you gonna know if you don't like ballet unless you try it?
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I've tried it, and now I can say with confidence, ballet is not for me.
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I'm sure I'm not the only one who's had to deal with parents signing you up for sports, instruments, and more sports.
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I think when you're really young, you don't realize that you have a choice, your parents just start taking you to soccer practice every Wednesday, and you think, "Oh okay, I guess i'm doing this now." But all the activities I was forced into, while I never got invested in any of them, I'm still glad I did them, you know?
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I forgot how old I was when my mom signed me up for soccer, but, I was little enough for the goals to look like this.
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I can't tell you how many games we won, or how many goals I scored, (It was probably close to 0) because I ultimately didn't care about soccer.
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The only thing I cared about was getting a treat after every game, because I earned it.
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I know some kids who really enjoyed playing soccer.
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I forget which video I mentioned this, but back in the day, there was this kid I knew named Micah.
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He used to live in the house directly behind mine, and we were on the same little league soccer team, he was really good at soccer, probably better than I'll ever be, and he still plays to this day.
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Well, okay, it's been four years since I last talked to him, but he was still playing soccer to this four years ago.
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Now, did Micah's parents initially force him into playing soccer?
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Probably, I didn't ask.
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But, if his parents never forced him into it, he would have never known how good he was at the game, and how much he enjoyed it.
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But that's enough about Micah, this is my channel.
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I don't remember how I stopped playing soccer, I just stopped showing up to the practices one year, and then I never played again.
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And then my mom put me into boy scouts, and that was a lot better.
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because it wasn't competitive, and camping is awesome, and I made some dumb videos about it, so it was a return investment.
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Another activity my mom put me in was this martial arts class called "Aikido." I'm honestly surprised, I've gotten 107 videos without mentioning Aikido once.
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Probably because it was boring and nothing interesting happened.
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My mom put me and my twin sister into Aikido, and we both agreed that it was boring and we didn't like it, so we decided not to remind my mom whenever she had to take us to class, and surprisingly, she forgot most of the time.
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Okay look, whenever the sensei was talking, we had to sit on our knees, and that gets uncomfortable after two seconds!
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What is Aikido, I hear you asking?
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Aikido is a... special form of martial arts, in that it doesn't teach you how to fight.
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Aikido is all about self defense, and also not hurt the attacker.
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You know those self defense techniques that are like, "If someone tries to attack you, use your keys as a knife and stab them." Aikido is not that.
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An Aikido master will take an attacker's arm, spin them around, and then pin them down to the floor.
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Now, that sounds really cool on rice paper, Like if someone goes to attack you, and then you block their punch and pin them to the ground.
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and you just give them a look like, "You wanna take me on, kid?
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I've already got you pinned down!
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Now, I'm not gonna hurt you, because I'm that powerful, But if you ever attempt to attack me or my clan ever again, I will be forced to use 10% of my power and break your spine in half." And I think my mom saw that Aikido was non-violent and taught self-defense.
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And she thought that it was a better activity then learning how to kick someone in the face.
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But after doing some research on Aikido, I've learned that it's not really...
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What's the right word?
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Respected in the martial arts community.
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There's a lot of people saying that the technique of Aikido Don't work against a real attack And that if someone is really attacking you You can't reasonably pin them down without hurting them So it's probably a better idea to just punch back And some people who are in Aikido think that their style of fighting is more civil and the more eloquent way of fighting- or, non-fighting.
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So there's a tad bit of elitism in the martial art community.
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Now, surprisingly, I've never been in a real fight, so I can't really comment on what the more effective martial art is.
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I'm sure different situations call for different responses, but I don't think I'm wrong when I say that Aikido is... the vegans of martial arts.
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After Aikido, the next thing I was forced to learn was an instrument.
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My parents didn't force me to do this; it was the American Education System that did.
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In fifth and sixth grade, everyone had to take a band class, and we all chose different instruments to play, and I went with the flute.
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And as soon as I was given the flute, I traded it with Priscilla, who chose percussion, and that's what I did for the next two years.
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Compared to the other instruments, percussion was very easy on my lungs.
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And it was okay if we were bad at the instrument, because we were in the very back.
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The first set of songs we learned was on this metal xylophone thing, but I think the teacher thought everyone was so bad at that instrument that the rest of the songs we learned was on this drum.
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Just one drum. It looked like this.
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So while everyone else had to learn "face" and "every good boy deserves fudge" and whatever these lines connecting the notes mean, we cool kids in the back only had to memorize three notes: A hit on the drum, a hit on the side of the drum, and not hitting the drum.
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Now those were my favorite notes.
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Haha, drums are so great. Nothing beats the drums. *ba dum tssh* Drums are easy.
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So my parents tried to get me to do extra activities, but I never did more than what I was told to do.
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But that's okay. You should at least try new things, and if it's not something you enjoy, well, at least you tried.
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Now with all the activities I did, I still spent plenty of my free time..................
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*oMinOus mUsiC* ................doing some other things.
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Okay, I played a lot of Neopets and Runescape, and as much as I enjoyed these games, I would say, overall, they didn't make me a more rounded person.
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Unless you count what they did to my horrible posture.
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People will spend their free time doing what they enjoy, and entertainment is designed to be...
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*vsauce music* ...entertaining.
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And while it's good to take some time doing things you enjoy, just like everything in life, it's all about balance.
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I think there's a very clear and important difference between a hobby and an addiction.
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If you enjoy playing video games and binging Netflix in your free time, then do that.
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Key word being "free time".
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You still need to set time to sleep, work, and socialize. And take showers.
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If I can smell that you were just binging a show, then that's gotta change!
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While I was working on this video, I wondered why it was more acceptable to be good at chess than it was World of Warcraft, because, at its core, chess and Warcraft are the same thing: a game.
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But if you spend all your time playing one of these games, and it gets in the way of you being a functional human being, that's when it becomes an addiction.
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And I would bet you one crisp dollar bill that more people have gotten addicted to Warcraft than chess.
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And that's why I believe there's a bad stigma with that game.
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Also, I don't know how WOW works, but I know in chess you need to have at least one friend.
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If I could go back in time, I would tell my younger self to not play Neopets and Runescape as much as I did.
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I would have told me, "Hey, you should try out other things, too!" Like rollerblading, or the flute.
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Youth is the best time to learn what you love and where your passions lie.
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You kids have no bills, no expectations, you're not tired all the time, and everyone's telling you to follow your dreams.
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But not me. I'm 22!
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My life is practically over!
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I can't choose any more hobbies! *dshh- aghh-* I-I wasted my childhood, haha.
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I'm not saying "Don't play video games" or "Don't watch YouTube".
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I understand that my main demographic is people who watch YouTube.
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But, like I said before, it's all about the Balance™.
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So go out there! Try new things!
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Join a club! Go on a walk!
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Draw something! I'm biased, but make a comic!
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Write a short story! Find a recipe online and cook something!
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Or- read a book- Take breaks, yes, but never stop learning.
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And when you're an adult, you can force your children to learn too.
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About This Lesson
In this lesson, you will engage with meaningful content about hobbies and personal experiences, helping you practice your English speaking skills. This video transcript offers a blend of narratives about various activities such as soccer, martial arts, and music. By shadowing the speaker, you will improve your pronunciation, intonation, and fluency. The relatable theme of hobbies encourages learners to reflect on their interests while enhancing their understanding of everyday English vocabulary. This exercise is perfect for those who want to use shadow speech techniques to make their learning process more effective and enjoyable.
Key Vocabulary & Phrases
- Hobbies: Activities you enjoy doing in your free time.
- Forced: To make someone do something against their will.
- Self-defense: Techniques to protect oneself from an attacker.
- Non-violent: Not causing any physical harm.
- Investment: A return on effort or time spent on an activity.
- Respect: High regard for someone or something; in context, the value of martial arts.
- Ballet: A form of dance that involves precise movements and techniques.
- Martial arts: Combat practices that can be self-defense or sport-oriented.
Practice Tips
To maximize your learning from this video transcript, utilize a shadowing app to practice speaking along with the narrator. Focus on mirroring not just the words, but also the tone and emotion. The speaker often reflects on personal experiences with a lighthearted yet honest tone, which can enhance your understanding of emotional nuances in English. Start by listening to a short segment, then repeat it aloud, following closely. Don't rush; the narrative has a conversational pace, which allows you to absorb the language naturally. Pay attention to phrases like "I think" and "I remember," as they express storytelling skills essential for everyday conversation. By practicing with these techniques, you enhance your english speaking practice, improving your confidence and fluency as you practice your shadowspeak effectively. Remember, consistent shadowing will not only help with vocabulary but also instill a sense of rhythm in your speech.
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.
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