Freestyling Football

In conversation with one of Tamil Nadu’s finest freestyle football players, Dani Mukund, I came to learn more about this sport and the growing popularity of freestyle football recently. Freestyle football is the art of self-expression through creatively juggling a football using the body, excluding hands from elbows down. It combines football tricks, dance, acrobatics and music to entertain onlookers and compete with opponents. Dani is one of the leading freestylers in Chennai. Here is an excerpt of the interview with Dani Mukund:

Dani Mukund demonstrates the Dragon Stall move

Have you always been connected to football?

Yes, I was a football player from sixth grade and my friends encouraged me to pursue football as a career. I was selected for my college department team and other small teams. Since I have been playing for a long time, I have been to football camps such as Manchester United, Barcelona and many professional teams. I’ve also played for YMCA Nandanam’s football team and that is when I started taking my football career seriously. I was trained to play in a major team to take part in matches held in other parts of the country, which helped in developing my skills. All these years I have been training under Mr Jayaseelan and Mr Ramesh.

How did your career with freestyle football start?

As I was playing for teams and local matches, I saw someone on YouTube, doing some tricks with their body, and that inspired me. My sister encouraged me to pursue this sport, and that is when I made freestyle football my career. People did not support my choice of career, but having my uncle and my sister was a big support for me from the very beginning.

What does your typical day look like when you train?

I usually wake up at six in the morning. Then, head to the beach, walk and jog, do some stretching. I work and then train from 3:30 pm to 6:30 pm. When I’m not working, it’s a different schedule. I start my training in the morning from 7:00 to 10:00 am and in the evening, from 4:00 to 7:00 pm. I rarely get tired of my training because I keep myself occupied all day.

What does your free time look like?

I usually spend my free time travelling to watch sunsets and clouds. I spend some time gardening, playing with my dog and feeding some stray puppies. I play badminton and go to bowling alleys to improve at other sports too. I learn from better players and train alongside them.

What do you think are the limits to achieve success in this sport?

There is no limit to this sport. There are participants as young as six and older people pursuing freestyle football as well. Anyone who is interested and inspired, can pursue this sport as their passion or career.

What aspects of freestyle are negative and what are positive?

To be frank, there are no negatives in this sport. The positive point is you get to choose your own style. Freestyle is all about the style you get trained in and the purpose you get trained for.

The Mouth Stall move

Have there been any special moments in freestyle that you think are breakthroughs in this sport?

Yes, there have been a few breakthroughs as I have discovered some of my own moves and tricks. I learnt and worked on my variations. I have performed them on many stages and at competitions. Freestyle is about creativity in inventing our own moves, tricks and our ability to adapt to that sport. A good breakthrough is when you create something on your own and improve in it.

What do you consider your greatest success?

My greatest success is putting a smile on others' faces when I perform tricks on stage. Personally, I like to entertain people in different parts of the country and the world too. I’m one of India's top 4 freestyle footballers of 2019. I secured 2nd place in South India in 2019 and 1st place in Tamil Nadu in 2020.

If you were not an athlete then who?

If I wasn’t the person I am today, I would have probably been doing a 9-5 job in a government or corporate sector undertaking to fulfill the needs of my family.

Who do you think is currently the best freestyler in the world?

The people who train for world championships are the best. I like Erlend, Andrew Henderson, Luca, Luki, Brynjar and many top freestylers. I like Indian players such as Pradeep Ramesh, Puneet and Kunal. They have a creative way of training and they’ve supported me from the beginning. Pradeep Ramesh, the Redbull Street Style Champion of India (2012), is the one who guided me and gave me a reason to start this sport. I look up to him because he combines tricks to form his own style.

The Clipper Stall move

What advice would you give beginners?

Concentrate on the basics and do not give up.

Do you have a quote or an idea that helped you train in the beginning?

Mohammed Ali was my inspiration. I followed his quotes and his ways of training. During hardships, I would motivate myself by watching various videos of freestyle from different parts of the country.

This quote motivates me:

"I hated every minute of training, but I said, 'Don't quit. Suffer now and live the rest of your life as a champion.’"

A quote which I followed in my career of Freestyle is:

"Just do what makes you feel alive and happy."

"Float like a butterfly, sting like a bee." And, "Just go with the flow."

What are your career plans?

As of now, I am concentrating on my business. I wish to engage myself more in the business. I will start my freestyle career soon and make myself fit enough to be more involved in other sports too. Freestyle helped me to get through tough times. I used to train all day to keep myself occupied during times of trouble. It’s the only sport in my life which I aced, because of which my parents felt proud. This made me a better person.

With this, we ended the interview musing about life and the brevity of it and how one needs to make the best use of it.

Editors: Prema Tressa Abraham & Aurelin Ruth