7 Tips for Creating Great Sports Choreography

March 17, 2023

If you’ve been captivated by a sports film you’ve seen, or an advertisement you saw flash up on your television or your social media, then you have fallen for the power of sports choreography.

Sports choreography is the science behind taking athletes and performers and providing them with the platform to really put on a show.

This can be on a stage or behind a camera, but the final result has to be captivating, entertaining, and inspiring.

So, how can you make great choreography? And what effect does it have?

Let’s take a look.

The Effects of Good Sports Choreography

Good sports choreography can have a positive effect on the athletes performing the choreography, the audience watching the performance, and the company who are using the production to boost their brand.

Some key effects are:

Improved Skillset – Asking an athlete to perform many different moves and tricks that they wouldn’t often perform on their own is a great way of boosting their talent and skillset. Not only that, but it can help increase other characteristics such as teamwork, instruction taking, and athleticism.

Engaging an Audience – The point of a sports production is to leave a lasting impression on the audience and make sure they don’t forget the brand in question. By using great sports choreography, you can take the watching audience on a journey and really make them feel like they are right there watching some great sports talent.

Brand Recognition – If the audience are remembering the sports production, then they will also remember the brand. An advertisement or film that lives long the memory is exactly what the brand wants, and if the choreography can help to persuade the audience to go out and buy one of the brand’s products, then it has done exactly what was asked.

7 Sports Choreography Tips

So, now you know exactly what good sports choreography can do, here are seven tips on how you can achieve it.

1. Know the Sport

In order to create compelling and realistic sports choreography, it is important that you have a good idea of the sport you are portraying.

This includes knowing the rules of the sport, the movements that are involved, and some techniques and skills that unique to the sport that can be used to wow an audience.

The visual aspects of the production must be realistic, and the audience must think they are watching a real star of the sport in action, so making sure the form and methods on show are right for the sport in question is key to a believable and compelling production.

When we worked with Anthony Joshua (and a sports body double) for this Under Armour campaign, it was vital the action looked just like it would if it was a professional at the highest level, such as Joshua himself, so we had to make the elements with the body double true to life, and this involved really focusing on the sport.

2. Focus on Storytelling

What all good sports productions need is a good story.

This is something that will inspire the watching audience and make them want to go out and emulate the athlete or sports influencer who starred in the advertisement or film.

Think about the narrative or emotion you would like to convey through the performance, and design the choreography accordingly.

Try and think of what will captivate the audience and what they can relate to, whether it’s an underdog story, or the story of an up-and-coming athlete, or someone at the top of their game.

If the viewer can put themselves in the story and feel the emotion that is being portrayed, you’re sure to leave a lasting impression.

Take a look the work we did with Son Heung-Min for Tiger Beer where we provided a story to really make the production come to life.

3. Work with the Athletes

A good sports choreographer will know that while they are an expert in planning and putting on a show, they also need to listen to the athletes as well to really know how to make the most out of their skills.

The athletes who you are asking to perform the choreography will know their bodies and abilities best, so don’t be afraid to collaborate with them to highlight their strengths and help them to perform at their best.

This can also help to create a more authentic and engaging performance and may also allow some unique skills held by the athlete to be put on show that you may not have known of otherwise.

This advertisement we helped create for Sign in App shows highly talented individuals showcasing some serious skills, so by letting them have some direction and show us what they’ve got, the production really benefited.

4. Use Music to your Advantage

The right music can change the whole feel of a sports production.

Consider the tempo, rhythm, and mood of the audio that is accompanying your sports choreography as this will have a big effect on how the finished product comes across to an audience.

Think of the emotion that you want to portray with your choreography and choose your music wisely as the wrong type may completely change the feel of it all.

Also, when planning your choreography, think of musical cues and crescendos and how you can use these best to really maximise the story you are telling.

For example, look at how we used music to build tension and burst into lifte when the action begins in this Kick it Out Campaign video.

5. Keep the Audience in Mind

One thing that you must always remember is what the audience is going to see.

Whether you are putting on a sports event, or filming a short video, you must always focus on how it is coming across the to the public on the outside.

Make sure your choreography is allowing the athletes on stage or screen to really put on a show, and that it is tailored to the audience in question.

For example, if you are providing choreography to advertise rugby boots for adults, the final product will be much different compared to if you were advertising children’s products.

Knowing your audience is key to creating choreography that will really capture their attention, so never forget about them.

For example, when we created this campaign for Paypal, we had a certain age of user in mind, and we used this to create a production tailored for them.

6. Incorporate Creative Elements

There are many different creative elements that you can incorporate into your sports choreography, especially when making a video or film.

For example, why not use green screen like we did in this Bet365 advertisement. There is a world of technology and special features that you can use to really wow an audience, so don’t be afraid to build your choreography with these in mind.

Everything from props to lighting can have a huge effect on the production you make, so always assess the setting and make sure you are really making the most of the surrounding and any additional features that are available.

7. Don’t Forget the Power of Practising

And the final point, is always remember to rehearse.

Especially if you are performing live at an event, but still vital when behind a camera, working with your athletes to really finetune the choreography is key to creating the best final product that you can.

This is the period where you can check that your athletes are comfortable with the roles and actions you are asking to perform, and also pick up any flaws in your choreography that can be ironed it before the cameras start to roll.

Creating a production such as this one we made for the Barclay’s Women’s Super League incorporates many different sequences, and therefore had to be rehearsed to make sure when it began, everyone had a good idea of what they needed to do, and where they needed to be.