Instructor Certification achieved; Kangoo Jumps® video is next step

Three major steps are done, with one to go, on my path to becoming a licensed Kangoo Jumps® (KJ) instructor. I attended the KJ instructor workshop and also got my CPR/AED certification in August, and just this week received my Group Fitness Instructor certification from the Aerobics and Fitness Association of America (AFAA), after taking their workshop and test in September.  There’s one step left, but it’s got a lot of little parts to coordinate. (AFTER I get the license, there is still where will I teach, how will I get KJ boots to rent out, and all those details, but the license is today's blog.)

What’s left is to (successfully) submit a demo video of me teaching KJ. What has to come together is info on the preferred video format, a videographer who is available at the same time a suitable location is, “participants” if I need to have some in the video (rather than just teaching to the camera), and … oh, yeah, the hard part … rehearsing accurately.

You might not think rehearsing would be the hard part for me, since I love jumping anyway. The problem seems to come from the music. If I know the words, I start out cueing (calling out the moves just before the transition to each new one) but somewhere along the way I end up singing along instead. I think I will need to find music either without words (but with the right beats-per-minute (BPM) and structure) or with words I don’t know and won’t learn. My favorite KJ songs are all about 130 BPM, so if you happen to know any songs in that range in Japanese, Korean, or anything else I can’t sing along to, let me know.

The structure I need in the song is very consistent 8-counts, which is the building block of a choreography routine (like a musical Lego block). What works best for me is when each musical “phrase” lasts four measures (16 counts, or two 8-counts). An 8-count transition can work in the song, but a 4-count is too short to cue easily and a 12-count is harder for me to remember when to transition. (Remember, I am a beginning instructor, not an experienced pro.) Songs that work well for me jumping at home (non-commercially) include I’m Glad You Came and Let’s Go. Do you need all that detail, gentle reader? Probably not, but it helps me to clarify my search, so thanks for letting me share.

As soon as I hear what video format and length will be acceptable to submit, I will get to work planning my video project. Until then, I will “research” songs that might work for the demo video. And as always, I will keep jumping!