Humor

that are lacking.
I once asked a tennis player while we were warming up before a match if he wanted me
to hit him some lobs so he could practise his overhead smash. He said, "No, I never
practiseoverheads because I'm lousy at them." Maybe he was "lousy" at them because he
never practised them. If you spot a weakness in your skills, that's what you should attack
with heavy-duty effort.
Inmy own writing work I sometimes notice that my jokes are getting too literal. I
haven't been letting them blossom out into fanciful or wacky references. They're not zany
enough. So I force myself towrite some "crazy" gags.
Sometimes I get lazy and do the majority of my gags on the same subjects. That means I
need to go back to basics and begin listing more references before I start the actualcomedy writing.
You hear the same things from people in every profession. Chris Evert wins a tennis
tournament but says she wants to work on improving her serve to get ready for
Wimbledon. JackNicklaus wants to add some distance to his drives. A college team is
ranked number one in the nation and the coach says he isn't happy with the team's
defensive work.
Perfecting your craft is anever-ending duty. It's like properly maintaining a house. By
the time you paint the outside, the inside needs wallpapering. After you clean up the
backyard, the front lawn needs mowing. Keeping yourskills in order is the same. It's a
matter of constant checking and practising with workouts such as these.
Consistent practice, too, keeps your skills sharp. Once, when I was producing Welcome
Bac\,Kotter, we had a scene that involved a school yard basketball game. I visited the set,
and the performers on the show were shooting the basketball at the hoop we had set up
on the stage. I used tobe a fair basketball player when I was a kid—a good shooter. So I
called for the ball. They couldn't refuse since I was the producer. I dribbled twice, threw
the ball toward the basket, and missed...