Put your hands together for Seven - the kid who can clap 1,080 times in a minute

By Kristen Stephenson
Published

Nine-year-old Seven Wade has broken the record for the Most claps in one minute, by clapping 1,080 times in just 60 seconds!

His journey to record-breaking success is a story of determination and practice.

The kid from Florida, USA saw a video of the previous record holder Eli Bishop demonstrating his quick-clapping talents.

After that, he decided that he wanted to break the record.

Seven has been learning to play the drums since he was a toddler, so rhythm and beat is something that comes naturally to him – skills that are very important with this clapping record.

"Seven badly wanted to break the world record and began bursting into random clapping episodes every chance he could to make his point! Eventually we told him that if he really wanted us to take him seriously about making an official world record attempt, he would have to prove it by setting up a daily practice schedule where he would speed clap in longer intervals than his usual 15-20 seconds." Chikako Wade, Seven's father

Seven then started practicing every day – using the microwave as a timer!

He practiced so hard that he got blisters on his hands. After that he decided to wear tape around his hands!

Seven’s dad is very proud of his son for his dedication:

"I think it was important for Seven to understand that a lot of preparation and planning goes into something like this. It’s not enough to just be good at something.

"Practicing was only the beginning. Researching the rules and requirements, setting up the attempt, hiring the studio and sound engineers, recruiting the needed photographers, videographers and time keepers, and keeping up with the paperwork all took an incredible amount of dedication.

"I think it’s important to celebrate his skills. I am grateful to Guinness World Records for giving him the opportunity to achieve recognition for such a fun and unusual talent! The experience from start to finish was invaluable."

Most claps in a minute

"As a parent, knowing that Seven has achieved Guinness World Records status is nearly the perfect kind of honour. It represents so many of the values that are important to us as a family. His particular achievement for most claps in a minute is quirky and fun, light-hearted and free-spirited and yet also a serious achievement that represents months and years of practice, repetition and dedication. It will be something we will be talking and smiling about for the rest of our lives."

For other kids who want to break a record, Chikako says that they should "pick something rare and uncommon, then be ready to practice... a lot!"

Well, what are you waiting for?

Check out our Try This At Home challenges for inspiration.