- I wonder who we're gonna meet today.
- This is your Guinness World Records official attempt!
(echo)
- Oof!
(glass breaks)
- Oh.
(cheering)
- Again! Again!
(indistinct shouting)
(rhythmic music)
(Kieron): Guinness World Records has created
a special set of challenges designed for kids.
(Harry): Where our squad of six will meet
incredible sports men and women.
(Mia): And hopefully, set new Guinness World Records titles.
- Oh!
(Kieron): For each official attempt...
(Emily): ...three of us will join forces.
(Harry): We're stronger together...
(Kieron): And we believe in each other too.
- So today it's me, Emily,
Kieron and Harry.
I'm Emily, I'm the smallest in my class
and I want to prove that even the smallest
can do big things.
- I'm Kieron. I'm a bit silly and very talkative.
I play loads of different sports and the double bass.
- I'm Harry and I like playing football,
watching football, just basically
anything to do with football.
- I've seen this World Record where this guy
puts toothpicks in his beard.
- I'm ready for anything really in terms of challenges.
Well... not anything.
(giggling)
- Who's the most famous person you've met?
- I met Theresa May once.
She used to be the Prime Minister.
- I wonder who we're gonna meet today.
Hopefully it's Harry Kane so he can show me some tips
and tricks. (giggling)
Whoa!
(Kieron) Who's that?
Laura Robson is the Guinness World Records title holder
for the youngest tennis mixed doubles Olympic medallist.
I was really surprised when I saw Laura Robson
at the top of the scissor lift.
- She's like a machine at tennis.
- This is your Guinness World Records official attempt!
- Can you see Big Ben up there?
- Not quite, but I'm really quite high.
Don't just stand there, get those tennis balls,
we're gonna need them!
(Emily): It's time to find out
what our Guinness World Records title attempt is going to be.
- You're gonna break the record
for farthest mini-tennis hit from an elevated platform.
- I was just like, gobsmacked.
We've got to serve on that?!
Whoa!
- We have to go that high?
- I promise it's not that scary.
At the moment, it's about 10 metres.
But you're gonna be focused on other stuff.
- From where we were standing, it looked really scary.
- What is mini-tennis?
- It's exactly the same as regular tennis,
just with smaller rackets and slightly softer balls.
- I don't have the best reputation
for keeping on target in tennis.
- The last time I played tennis,
I got hit in the back of the head with a tennis ball.
- I just like either hit the ball the wrong way
and it hits somebody, it's just not too great.
- Let's go try out some tennis skills.
Come with me!
(rhythmic music)
- Oh!
I love tennis, I can't wait to start training.
- Today's lessons are gonna focus on accuracy,
aim and a bit of power which is gonna help
give yourself the best chance to break the record later today.
- I love new challenges.
I wanna do this, I wanna prove it!
- Having not played much tennis,
I was definitely gonna need Laura's help.
- I knew I was gonna have to knuckle down
and hopefully, I could've got the best out of the experience.
Accuracy helps us control what's happening around us.
(Emily): So that our bodies can make objects
go where we want them to.
(Kieron): There are lots of things that can help us
improve our accuracy.
(Harry): For example, to win tennis matches,
we need to hit it with just the right amount of power
while aiming in just the right place.
(Kieron): We might not get it right every time.
Uh-oh! (giggling)
(Emily): But with plenty of practise,
accuracy helps us stay on target.
Just like Laura!
- Throwing the ball is
one of the most important parts of the serve.
So you wanna get it straight in front of you.
Nice and high.
Your left hand is gonna be throwing it up
so that you can actually hit it with your right hand.
- I don't have good hand-eye coordination with my left hand.
- I think I'll get more used to it when I'm holding the racket.
- I'm not left-handed, I'm right-handed,
so that was a real struggle for me.
- You can almost rock back a little bit,
and then go forward so that you've got a bit of momentum
as you go.
- It's just hard to keep it
so it doesn't go over there.
- What I try and do is almost hit my leg,
before I throw it up and then you feel
like you've got a bit more accuracy.
(Harry): Hopefully, this means fewer accidents.
- Way better already!
- Top tip, Laura!
- So now you're gonna throw it as far as you can.
Which is gonna be working on power
and then you're gonna try and get it between the lines
for the accuracy. So that it's a lot easier
when we've got the racket in our hand.
Almost like muscle memory, we know what to do
'cause we've done it so many times already.
Off you go!
- I feel like I've learned a lot about throwing balls
and accuracy.
(Laura): Loads of power!
- Do you get nervous playing tennis?
- All the time. You just have to learn
how to accept it, lots of deep breaths.
- A lot of the time, I get nervous before doing stuff.
- When I get nervous,
I just need to remind myself she does too.
- Now we've got the rackets in our hands.
We're gonna learn how to use them.
The energy is gonna go through your body,
starting from the legs, all the way up your core,
into your arms and then through your racket.
So you're gonna get loads of power.
- Hitting the ball with power is really important
when you're trying to get it as far as you can.
- Throw it up like we practised before.
And then hit it.
You've got to practise your grunt first.
(grunting) Ooh, nice!
- I've perfected my grunt.
(grunting)
- Yeah, that sounds about right.
(giggling)
- Should we get practising?
(grunting)
I think the fastest serve is something like
160 miles an hour. (shattering)
- I don't think I would even get close.
- So aim really, really high with your racket.
There we go!
- Laura's definitely a good teacher.
I think she's even better than my tennis coach
back at home.
- We've got some hula hoops up.
We're gonna learn a bit more about aim now.
And then bring all the skills we've learned together.
So we can give it our best shot when we attempt
to break the record.
- Ooh, will I be able to do this?
- Laura makes this whole thing look so easy!
Does it matter where about on the racket I hit the ball?
- You always want to hit it in the centre of the racket.
That's called the sweet spot.
- Did she say sweet shop?
- And it's when you have the nicest sound as well.
- It helps with the accuracy, the speed,
the height and the power.
Everything you need to focus on when you're playing tennis.
(rhythmic music)
- Ooh! (chuckling)
- That's happened to me so many times.
- I thought she was a perfect tennis player.
- Oh, Harry!
- I wasn't really aiming for it but I still got it in there.
- Well done, Emily!
- I've just got the ball in the yellow hoop!
That shows that I'm really improving.
- Putting all the skills that Laura taught us together
was really actually quite hard.
- You've all done very well today.
So I'm gonna send you some homework.
You're gonna get an empty bin with the lid off
and practise getting it in as many times as you can
from different heights, different speeds.
And that's gonna help so much with your accuracy and aim.
Next time we see each other
it will be for the official attempt,
so best of luck, I'll see you then.
- After training, I was really happy.
I thought I really improved.
- I still had loads of practise to do.
- I definitely was very exhausted at the end of training
but I was excited to go home and practise there.
(Kieron): Time for our homework.
Tennis ball, check.
(Harry): Laura has told us to throw tennis balls
into a bin to practise our aim.
Oh, that's...
(Emily): But there's a catch, we can't move.
(Kieron): Let's see how we get on.
(Harry): This is a great way to practise aim.
(Emily): Have a go at home
and see how many you can get on target.
Yes!
(Kieron): After training, I think we all did really well.
And we all stood a good chance of beating the record.
- Everybody was working really hard.
I wish that we could all get the record.
- As reality kind of kicked in, I was like...
wow, but don't worry, you can do this.
- I've done my training, I've done my homework.
And now, I'm at the place of the official attempt.
(intense music)
(door creaking)
- Hello! I'm an official
Guinness World Records adjudicator, Pravin Patel.
- I was amazed that it's a real-life adjudicator.
This is a real life Guinness World Records official attempt.
- Today, you will be attempting the Guinness World Records title
for the furthest mini-tennis hit
from an elevated platform.
In order to obtain the title, you must follow
all the Guinness World Records guidelines.
The key points are:
you'll be standing on a raised platform
to at least five metres,
make a legal tennis serve,
and the ball must land between the lines
in the zone directly in front of you.
- I thought the hardest thing about the attempt
was going to be keeping in between the lines.
- The record to beat is 25 metres.
Do you have any questions?
- What happens if we all get past 25 metres?
- Great question, Kieron.
The furthest one is the one that will be counted
as the record holder.
- So whatever happens...
- I'm gonna go for it and do my best!
- We're a really good team and it would be...
just fantastic if one of us does break the record.
- Okay, Kieron, it's your go first.
Do you remember what you learned?
- Yes. - Best of luck.
We'll be cheering you on from down here.
Give it your best.
(Kieron): Going up was quite scary
'cause it was moving a lot,
but I've never done something like this before
and I think it would be good
to do something outside of my comfort zone.
- Kieron, this is an official Guinness World Records attempt.
Three, two, one. Go!
(Laura): You can do this! (Emily): You can do it!
(Kieron): I was just standing up there,
isolated and I was so nervous.
(Laura): A little bit to your right!
Remember the practise that we did earlier.
- Three, two, one. Go!
(grunting)
- Come on!
(Laura): That's in! It counts!
- Kieron, this is your third attempt.
- Take a deep breath.
- Three, two, one. Go!
(grunting)
(dramatic music)
(Kieron): It was harder than I expected.
I had done my best for the team,
but I have to wait for the end to get my results.
Next up was Emily.
- My heart was pounding!
I was kind of telling myself, "Don't look at the ground,
don't look at the ground."
- Is it high? - Yeah!
I'm just gonna deep breathe and remember
that I can do this.
- Emily, this is an official Guinness World Records attempt.
Three, two, one. Go!
- Take your time, Emily! - Come on, Emily!
- I'm often the smallest of a group of people,
but it definitely helps with my determination,
'cause it just spurs me on.
- Try a little bit further, that was really good.
- Three, two, one. Go!
(cheering)
(Emily): Second one was a bad throw,
so the ball didn't make contact properly.
- Three, two, one. Go!
(grunting)
(all): Ooh!
(Laura): Oh, that's close!
(Emily): I thought it maybe had fallen one metre short.
But it's a team effort and we're a really strong team.
So for now, our hopes are resting on Harry's attempt.
(Laura): Do us proud!
(Harry): I thought, "Don't screw this up.
Just be calm."
I did start panicking a bit because...
it's quite a big deal.
- Harry, this is an official Guinness World Records attempt.
Three, two, one. Go!
- That was so disastrous, I hit the railing.
The adjudicator is quite strict.
And I hit the ball before he said "go".
(Pravin): Harry, Harry! You have to wait for me
before you make the attempt.
- Thankfully it didn't count 'cause it nearly hit him.
In all fairness to me,
I could barely hear him, he was miles away!
- Three, two, one. Go!
- You can do this! (Laura): Go, Harry!
- I got a bit nervous because I realized
I'm gonna try and break the record now.
(suspenseful music)
(Kieron): Oh!
(Harry): My previous two attempts were very bad.
So it made me a bit doubtful about breaking the record.
- Harry! Three, two, one. Go!
- Take your time!
(dramatic music)
(Harry): This whole experience has been
a real rollercoaster and a journey.
And you never know when you're gonna be a winner.
(epic music)
- They all did so well, I'm really proud of them.
They were all so brave going up so high
on the scissor lift as well.
It's quite a lot to try and learn in one day.
But everyone smashed it.
- Today, you attempted the Guinness World Records title
for the furthest mini-tennis hit from an elevated platform.
If I can remind you, the record to beat
is 25 metres.
One of you achieved a distance of 31.7 metres.
Congratulations, Harry!
You are the record holder for the furthest
mini-tennis hit from an elevated platform.
Please, come over.
(applause) - Well done, Harry!
(Harry): When I found out I set a record,
I was buzzing! I was so happy. I went home...
just thinking, "I am the best at one thing."
I'm really proud of myself because I've proved
that I can do much more than I thought I could.
I think I have improved so much
and maybe me and tennis has a future.
The next Andy Murray.
(Kieron): You too could become a record breaker.
(Emily): There are plenty of records for different talents.
(Harry): And there are also records
especially designed for kids.
(Alexa): Even just practising is fun.
(Kieron): And you can learn so much!
(Mia): But you could end up proving
you're the best in the world at something.
(Kush): Ask your grown-ups to find out more
about how you can break the record.
(rhythmic music)