Many people want to start commentating, but feel as though they are not well-equipped enough to do so. In this article, I will go into my methods of improving commentary. There is always room to grow for every commentator, even those at the top- but those at the top had to start somewhere.

Fox Photography (@SpectreFGC, 2017)

Start commentating!

The easiest way to get comfortable with doing commentary is to actually do it. Many people hesitate when it comes to asking a TO or stream runner if they can commentate, and this hesitation can hold you back from commentating and getting better at it. As I had stated before, everyone needs to start somewhere. Next time you're at a local, ask to commentate. Remember, however, that some venues try to make a commentary schedule, and if this is the case, come into contact with the person making the schedule before the tournament. If you've never commentated and are truly paralyzed with fear at the thought of going into it with no experience, fear not; there is still a way for you to practice your commentary.

Commentate your own sets

Every now and then, you may play a game either in bracket or over Wi-Fi that completely blows you away. It can be because of an impressive string or kill you got, or because of the pristine neutral game you played throughout the game. If this is the case, save the replay to the Wii U and perform commentary over it. This can help you get a feel of keeping up with the pace of a competitive game of Smash, and can prepare you to point out the habits and mistakes made by players.

You can take this to the next level, and actually record the commentary you do over your own sets. Then, politely ask a more well-versed commentator to review and analyze your commentary- they can give you tips and pointers you may not have thought of before. This brings me into my next point:

Talk to established, local-level commentators

Every scene with a stream setup has their local legendary commentator. Like a top level player, many higher level commentators want to assist others in commentary. It is important to increase the overall talent pool at both a local and national level. By refining your own commentary and performing better at a local level, your weekly's stream gains a level of professionalism that will help attract more viewers, and eventually help the size of your community and scene grow. If you want assistance in commentary directly from an experienced individual, reach out- but do so politely.

Fox Photography (@SpectreFGC, 2017)

Analyze professional level commentary

An important aspect of commentating is having game knowledge, and knowing when to speak about it. However, simply spewing knowledge left and right will not necessarily make you a great commentator- sometimes people become overzealous with their knowledge, and speak over or completely ignore their co-commentator. Commentary is almost always done by a duo, and you need to have an understanding of chemistry between commentators to successfully implement it.

When watching live streams or VODs, don't just focus on the gameplay- while this is important to commentary as well, the dynamic between two commentators is equally as important. Some commentators have an excitable, "hype" style of commentary, whereas others may have a more laid back and analytical style. As you practice commentating, you will begin to naturally feel what style fits you best. Not only that, you will notice these styles in other commentators as well. Try to emulate certain aspects of a professional commentator's style, much like you would try to emulate aspects of a professional player's gameplay. You do not want to full on copy their style, but rather see what works for them, and see if it will work for you as well. If you find yourself to be quick on your feet, try to slip in a joke or pun every now and then. If you know you don't have a quick wit about you, but do know that you have lots of analytical ability, go for a play-by-play style of commentary. There are multiple styles of commentary, and many ways to approach commentary. Do whatever feels organic to you, and take notes from professionals.

Fill dead space successfully

One not-so mentioned aspect of commentary is the concept of dead space, or the time between sets. Tournaments need to be run in a timely fashion, but there are sometimes inevitable scheduling conflicts. Imagine that you are commentating a top 8 at an event. Winners finals has just finished, and the next match that needs to be streamed is losers semis. However, one losers quarters match has not yet finished up, and it could be another 5 minutes until the semis match is ready to be played.

One of the main responsibilities of a commentator is to entertain the viewers of the stream, and you need to be able to do this even when there is no content being streamed. If you remain silent and talk about random things, you may lose the interest in your viewers, and the stream will lose them. Some things to talk about when experiencing dead space are as follows:

Players that are still in bracket

Potential player and character matchups that may be presented on the stream

Upcoming events on both a local and regional level

Bracket upsets or intricacies

When experiencing dead space, don't be afraid to experiment with what you are talking about. However, always remember to stay on topic, as you do not want to bore or annoy your viewers.

This about wraps up this article, but I want to leave you guys with some tips to remember when getting into commentary





Meaghan Driscoll Photography (@Honey_bee_bb, 2017)

Quick Tips:

Be natural - don't force a style that isn't yours, as it will be harder to organically grow as a commentator from that point. Focus on the set and players at hand, and not your bracket experience - some new commentators fall into the habit of bringing themselves up during a set. Use dead space as a time to talk about your bracket performance and who you played against. When commentating, only insert your own personal experience if it relates to matchup or player knowledge. Commentary is about covering what is happening in front of the viewer, not what has happened to you. Mute live streams and commentate them yourself - if you do not have access to tournament sets saved on a Wii U, or you lack an ethernet cable and are unable to give yourself sets to cover from Wi-Fi, use live streams and VODs as an opportunity to practice. Mute the commentary and attempt to commentate the set yourself. If you are afraid of losing valuable commentary analyzation time, then pick a pools set from a major tournament. A lot of the time, pools sets will not have the most serious and analytical commentary, but still has play that is worth looking at through that lens. Use that lens yourself, and work on honing your style.

I hope that anyone struggling with commentating can use these bits of advice to help themselves, and to help improve their own commentary, as well as the overall talent pool on a local and regional level.