You can skip to 4:35 in the above video if you just want to be astounded by Hector Mancha‘s Grand Prix FISM-winning act, but you’ll be missing out on a great discussion between Hector and Shin Lim about developing a character for the stage. 

The benefit of adopting a stage persona, says Hector, is that it allows you to do things that are out of the ordinary, like using awkward hand gestures and body movements, without it seeming artificial. He goes on to use Peter Parker’s evolution into Spider-man to illustrate why you need to perform as much as possible to really understand the persona you’re embodying. It’s a great chat and a remarkable performance.