Breaking
Phil Wizard on training with and battling against Hong 10
Discover what talented young breaker Phil Wizard learned when given the chance to train and compete against legendary b-boy Hong 10.
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Last year, in South Korea, a crowd of eager and excited breakers gathered in a dance studio after hearing that talented young b-boy Phil Wizard was going to take on Red Bull BC One champion Hong 10 in a battle of unlimited rounds.
The rules were simple: the two breakers would keep battling until one of them gave up. Phil said he would go first, so that he could decide to stop the battle if he felt his quality was dropping. With a friendly laugh, Hong 10 replied, "I'm not going to stop it."
The crowd were treated to two of the best b-boys in the world pushing themselves mentally and physically as they went back and forth for more rounds than they would need to win a Red Bull BC One World Final. Both displayed the uniquely creative styles and signature moves that have won them multiple championship titles and even though they’re crew-mates in the Red Bull BC One All Stars and the 7 Commandoz crew, neither breaker held back.
After an exhausting battle, Phil finally threw in the towel. "He kept going strong and I started to crash," he said after the battle. "Hong 10 is king."
Battling against Hong 10 is a challenge worth taking
© SonStar/Red Bull Content Pool
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Challenging himself
He's won multiple championship titles, including the 2018 Undisputed World title and the 2018 and 2019 IBE solo competitions, but Phil still strives to improve as a b-boy. “I wanted to take opportunities to elevate my breaking, and I think training with the best will help,” he says.
So how does a breaker who's reached the highest level continue to push himself to further elevate their skills? For Phil it meant training with Hong 10 so that he could learn the "secrets on why his stamina is so good and to see if I can match it."
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Why Phil chose Hong 10
Hong 10 has already cemented his legacy in breaking. A championship-winning b-boy with a seemingly endless arsenal of moves – many of which he's famous for creating – and more than 20 years of experience, he seems to be stronger and more conditioned than ever. He proved this in 2022, when he went to Las Vegas and took on a team of 10 young US breakers.
Hong 10 battled them by himself for 10 rounds with no break and then, later in the year, he travelled back to the US and battled a team of 10 New York breakers, this time for 20 rounds non-stop.
These feats of incredible stamina have made Hong 10's legacy even greater and were the reasons Phil wanted to learn from his fellow crew member. He's also looked up to Hong 10 for a long time and says, “I see him as a big brother. It’s felt that way since I first met him.”
Phil Wizard and Hong 10 chatting in a practice session
© SonStar/Red Bull Content Pool
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A brand new approach
Before getting to his actual stamina training method, Hong 10 showed Phil the simplicity of his approach to practising, saying: "What I do is simple, I just keep stretching, keep exercising and keep practising. Those things keep me in shape." It might surprise people to hear that Hong 10 has no complex methods or formulas for training, but rather simple consistency in taking care of his body and working at his craft.
He carries the same simplicity over to his mindset when it comes to improving and sharpening his moves, "I just keep repeating, repeating, repeating to make better execution," he says. "When I practice just for stamina, I'll simulate 10 minutes battles twice a day."
Expanding on this method, Hong 10 explains that it’s, “also about better execution of my moves and how to recover from messing up. When I freestyle, I’m trying to create the move in the moment.”
This shows. Phil noticed that when Hong 10 practises his moves "he always keeps going, even if he messes up a little bit. He kind of continues to go and close out of it." This determination to never hold back and always push through on your moves was something Phil observed as another reason why Hong 10's stamina was so good, adding to the lessons that he was learning.
This is when Hong 10 decided that he wanted to test Phil’s current stamina and saw the best way to do this was via a battle of unlimited rounds.
Hong 10 has consistently delivered top performances for over 2 decades
© SonStar/Red Bull Content Pool
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The battle
What went through the two elite breakers minds during the battle?
Phil says it was, “Probably after 3 rounds I started to get tired, but I just kept mentally telling myself, ‘one more round,’ and after a while I lost track and we kept going.”
"From the first round I was thinking I want to give up, because even though I have stamina, mentally it’s hard,” adds Hong 10. “There's a voice inside me that keeps saying, ‘Why do I have to do this? Why do I have to keep dancing like this? It’s too tough.’ So every time I have to keep pushing myself.”
Similar to Phil, Hong 10 focused just on the next round and says he concentrated on “the moves and following the music,” saying, “it’s like my mind goes to another dimension, I get into that deep flow state, and you stop realising how much time is passing.”
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What Phil Wizard took away from the experience
Only lasting 17 rounds in the battle was below the expectations Phil had of himself. He believed he had the stamina to battle for 20 to 30 rounds, but Hong 10 was impressed, saying: "I was really expecting him to crash more and show that he was tired, but he never did."
Phil Wizard always strives to become the best b-boy he can be
© SonStar/Red Bull Content Pool
If I can do 17 rounds, I can do three rounds in a row no problem
Having the audience also made it feel like an actual competition battle for Phil and this was something he saw in a positive light: "It felt like good training for upcoming events," he says. "If I can do 17 rounds in a row, I can do three rounds in a row no problem."
In the end, Phil got what he wanted from his mission to train with Hong 10. "I honestly do feel like I took a lot away from this," he says, "and it motivates me to keep going and to take it even further with my training as well."
Hong 10 adds that it felt great to help his crew mate and friend: “Phil’s already a great b-boy who I respect, and I really hope this gave him something. Anything I can help him with, I will.”
Watch the video below to see Hong 10 and Phil Wizard once again do battle, this time at the Red Bull BC One World Final in Paris. The duo delivered another epic clash, with Hong 10 taking the win and claiming a third world title.
World Final
Watch the world's best b-boys and b-girls battle it out to become the 2023 Red Bull BC One World Champions.
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