Episode 2 How to Be Epic @ Everything

Welcome to the world of Epic.

The place where you can become a master at everything on the planet.

No matter what it is, this programme shows you how to do it.

So, sit back, strap yourself in

and get ready to become epic at everything!

Welcome to your total random fix of epicness.

We've got an amazing line-up of experts,

hotshots and all-round dudes

with the low-down on how you can do what they can do.

In just 15 minutes, you will know how to tap-dance,

skim stones, spin a basketball,

make a coin disappear,

groom a horse - and this kid will show you how to survive on Mars.

But before all that, it's time for your first course

from the buffet of epicness.

Do you want to know how to be an amazing guitarist?

Then check this out.

Playing rock guitar is most definitely epic,

and looks super cool. We've got one of the world's fastest guitarists

to show you how to rock!

Hey, I'm Herman Li, guitarist of the band Dragonforce,

and this is how to be epic on the rock guitar.

Rock on, man!

To really rock, you need an electric guitar and an amplifier.

First, let's get the right height on the guitar strap.

You don't want the strap too high - you want it around waist-height,

so we can really rock out.

Right, we've got the kit - we're ready to rock!

-But how do you play?

-Let's start with playing an epic A minor chord.

-Ooh!

-With your index finger,

press on the top string here, on the fifth fret.

The frets are the lines across the neck.

And two frets down, on the string below,

use your ring finger and press it down.

To hold the pick in your right hand,

you use your index finger and your thumb.

Strum down on the two strings of the frets which you're holding.

To play a basic rock chord, you put your index finger on the top string,

and then your ring finger two frets up.

-CHORD PLAYS

-Et voila - a rock sound!

Once you're comfortable with this, you can move your fingers up and

down the neck to play all different kind of chords - look at this.

HE PLAYS CHORDS

With enough practice, using the same chords,

you can do something like this.

HE PLAYS RIFF

Now, that's how you become epic on the rock guitar.

Cheers, mate!

Right, that's your first slab of epicness over and done with.

So, onto the next, and this one is going to make you look

totally cool on the basketball court!

And we've got a four-time Paralympian from Team GB

to show you how to do it.

I'm Terry Bywater. I play wheelchair basketball for Great Britain,

and this is how to spin a ball on your finger.

-Epic!

-Firstly, find a comfortable way to hold the ball -

I have two hands on either side, like this -

-to spin...

-OK - that looks easy enough.

The faster the ball spins, the easier it is to land on your finger.

When the ball's spinning, allow the ball to find your finger.

Keep your finger really steady, and this will keep the ball rotating.

Still sounds easy...

To keep the ball spinning,

you just need to keep tapping the side of the ball.

With a bit of practice, you're going to be able

to spin the ball for as long as you like.

And that's how to spin a basketball on your finger.

If you thought that was epic, then wait for this - it's tap-dancing,

which is definitely a lot more epic than dancing...

with a tap.

We've got CBBC's very own tap diva Naomi Wilkinson

to show you how to do it.

Hi. I'm Naomi Wilkinson, and I'm going to teach you

how to...tap-dance!

To begin with, you're going to need a pair of tap shoes,

and obviously a hard floor so you can hear your taps.

Tap shoes are made with metal plates on the toes and heels,

so they make sounds as they hit the floor.

Hard floor and noisy footwear - got it.

So let's...get moving!

I'm going to show you how to do a shuffle ball change.

Shu...ffle...ball...change.

A shuffle is simply two taps - a simple forwards

and backwards tap, all using the front, or the ball,

of your foot - like this.

Shu-ffle.

Once you've got the hang of the shuffle,

you can move onto the ball change - again, it's just making

two very simple sounds, the first one with the ball of your right foot,

slightly behind... TAP

Then the ball of the left foot... TAP

Ball change!

Now, put those two moves together.

Shu...ffle...ball...change.

Shu...ffle...ball...change.

Once you've got the hang of that, speed it up!

Shu...ffle...ball...change. Shu...ffle...ball...change.

Shu...ffle...ball...change!

Or...super fast!

-FAST TAP SOUNDS

-Show off!

Hold up! Let's see that again!

Create the shuffle by swinging the lower half of your leg

forward then backwards - shu...ffle.

Then simply tap with the ball of your right foot,

and the same again with a change of foot.

Ball...change! Easy!

That is how you tap-dance!

Thanks, Naomi, you dancing diva!

Hold tight, friends - there's a whole load more epicness on its way,

because there's all this lot to come...

This girl shows you how to make a horse look pretty.

You can start at the top, and just work your way down.

-This guy tells you how to make a coin disappear.

-It goes.

And this dude shows you how to do this.

That's how you skim a stone like a world champion.

Up first, fancy going somewhere epic for your holidays?

This kid is going to show you somewhere truly out of this world.

Mars, the fourth planet from the sun.

It's Earth's nearest neighbour, but no human has ever set foot

on the Red Planet.

How would you survive if you were the first?

Think it couldn't happen? Well, picture the scene.

You're on your way to school, but really not paying attention.

You walk straight past the bus stop

and accidentally board a rocket, destination Mars!

Aaargh!

You're going to need to brush up on your Martian survival skills,

and we've got just the fella to help.

Hi, my name's Lewis, and I'm going to tell you how to survive on Mars.

Meet Lewis Dartnell.

He is a doctor in astrobiology and an expert in working out

if life can survive on Mars.

So what should we know if we take a trip

to the fourth rock from the sun?

My top tip for you is to remember to wear a spacesuit

with an oxygen supply, because there's no oxygen in the air,

so if you take off your helmet,

you won't survive more than about 30 seconds.

Good safety tip, Lewis, but there's also another reason

why that helmet needs to stay in place, right?

It's so cold on Mars.

The average temperature is about -55, so without a helmet,

your head would essentially freeze-dry,

which would be like going from this fresh strawberry to this one here.

-Which would be bad.

-Yes, that would be bad.

So, wrap up warm and helmet on at all times. What next?

Take some water with you, because Mars is drier than any desert

on Earth, and to make your stocks last,

you'll have to drink your own recycled sweat and urine.

SLURPING

Hey! This doesn't taste like tea! And let that be a warning.

You should never drink your own wee-wee juice. Ever!

Finally, the radiation from the sun and outer space is much higher

on Mars than it is on Earth, and this can be really bad for your health.

The best option

is to bury your house as a bunker

underground, with an airlock door.

Oh, great(!) You've come all this way and you'll be living

-in the same sort of place you'd find a mole.

-Oh!

And so that was how to survive on Mars.

Thanks, Lewis. I think I'll stick to a fortnight in Bognor instead.

From Mars to magic,

here's an epic trick that will win you loads of playground points.

I'm Ben, I'm a magician and I'm going to show you a cool magic trick

-on how to make a coin disappear.

-Sounds good, magic man.

Shazam!

I'm going to try and make this coin disappear.

Check this out, look.

If I rub on my elbow, it should disappear. Look.

Oh, no, that didn't work. Let's give it another go. Watch.

Nice start, Ben(!)

Awk-ward!

It goes.

Er, it's in your other hand.

-What, there?

-Yeah.

-No, that's gone as well.

-Ooh, now, that is pretty impressive stuff.

OK, Johnny Magic Pants, tell us how it's done.

You're going to take the coin and you're going to rub it up against

your elbow with your fingers covering it.

And you're going to let go...

Awkward, again.

The coin will fall on the table, but that's OK.

That's a deliberate fail.

Yeah, we knew that.

The next bit is sneaky and it's where the trick happens.

As I go to put this coin into this hand,

I keep it in this hand.

-And then I close this hand as if it has got the coin in.

-Smooth.

Finally, you need to make this coin disappear.

As I pretend to rub it on the elbow,

the hand with the coin in

puts it down your shirt.

Whoa. Next-level stuff.

Nobody will ever see you do it,

because they're too busy watching this hand.

Then, slowly, let go.

People will be amazed because the coin's gone,

and some people will start to question this hand that is closed.

This is when you've really got 'em,

because you can open it and show them they're wrong.

Love it!

And that is how to do a cool coin trick.

Right, can anyone lend me a spare coin? I'm skint.

Next up on our epic journey is something completely different.

If you like grooming and horses, then you're in luck.

Hi, I'm Gemma.

This is Dillis, and I'm going to show you how to groom a horse.

Meet Gemma Wright, show-jumper and lover of all things horsey.

She's here to show you the yeas and even the NEIGHS

when it comes to horse-grooming.

First, I'll show you how to pick out his feet. This must be done

every day, and definitely before you ride

and after you ride. Now, always work

heel-to-toe in a downwards motion.

This you can be quite firm with

because he doesn't have feeling here,

but this V-shape, called the frog, you have to be rather sensitive with.

I always turn the hoof pick around and use the brush.

Next, we're going to brush him.

You'd normally start behind the horse's ears,

in a downward motion, in the same direction as the coat.

You can use this brush down his legs,

and under his belly.

This area is quite ticklish, normally, for them.

To brush the horse's mane you can use a wide-tooth metal or plastic

mane comb, and it's just like brushing your own hair, really.

You can start at the top and just work your way down.

You can also do his forelock with the same comb.

Right, it's important when you're doing the tail

to always stand at the side, in case

he jumps and accidentally treads on you or, worse, kicks you.

OK, so it's just like brushing your own hair.

I always hold quite a big chunk in my left hand and then just

let a little bit out, little bit more...until you're all done.

And that's how you groom a horse.

Unfortunately, we've only got time for one last dose of epicness,

but for this we've got you a world champion from a very unlikely sport.

I'm Dougie Isaacs

and I'm going to shake you how to skim stones like a world champion.

Dougie, you're my new hero.

We all know everyone loves stone-skimming, but you might not

know that there's a world championship held yearly in Scotland

for it. Some winners can skim their stones over 50 metres!

The main thing about stone-skimming

is to get a nice round, flat stone,

-or it just won't skim properly.

-That is a flat stone.

Grip the stone with your thumb and your forefinger,

so you get extra spin when you throw it.

I like to use a stone with a little ridge on it, so as you're

throwing it, you get a little bit of extra spin off your finger.

When you're throwing the stone into the water you have to get it

as flat as you possibly can, and I think about knee-height is best.

So when you put all your little tips together, it should go like this.

Let's rewind. Get a flat stone with a ridge for extra spin,

find a river - a snowy one is optional -

and throw it at knee-height for maximum distance.

Dougie, that's gone miles! You are cooler than the river around you.

And that's how you skim a stone like a world champion.

Thanks, Dougie.

Right, that brings us to the end of 15 minutes

of totally random epicness.

You should now be able to do this...

and this...

and even that.

Now go forth and be epic at everything!

If you want to be really epic then head on over to the CBBC website,

where you can watch all the videos again, and again,

and again. So you can truly master your epicness.

Epiiiii-iiii-iiiiiic!

Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd