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From: Rich Tatum <rtatum@dialnet.net> Organization: (none) Date: Mon, 24 Jun 1996 20:38:48 -0700 Subject: Re: How can I learn to juggle?
Message-Id: <31CF5F48.744D@dialnet.net>
References: <4q9nd9$vri@swordfish.fastnet.co.uk>
Jim Humphries wrote:>>I bought some juggling balls about a year ago and despite considerable efforts still havent learned how to juggle. Ive followed the instructions in 2 or 3 books carefully but I just cant get it.What can I do?<< I taught myself how to juggle in high school without the aid of friends, books, or examples. I started with a few basic premises and after a couple months of fooling around I finally "caught" the hang of it! First, master the one-ball toss and everything else will come naturally!. I know this sounds silly, but you really *should* start with one ball. There are basic principles that are best mastered with one item that two or more flying objects will distract you from. Hold your forearms roughly parallel to the ground. Hold the ball in one palm (not centered in the flat of your palm, but nestled at the base of your fingers with your longest fingers loosely curling around the sides of the ball, relax your wrist so the ball and wrist are *not* parallel to the ground like your forearms are). Look straight ahead (not *at* the ball, keep your eyes centered around the apex of where the ball will be and track its path with your peripheral vision). Lightly toss the ball from one palm to the other. When you toss the ball, send the throwing energy into the ball by lifting your *wrist* up and pushing the ball off with a snap of your fingers. Imagine flicking water off your fingers into somebody's eyes--your fingers will be distended at the end of the snap sending the movement of your wrist into the ball. The apex (top of the arc) of the ball will be about eye-level (for now), but don't center the apex right smack dab in the middle of your plane. In other words, the apex should be a few inches to the left or right of center. (When you start throwing more balls into the mix this will be important.) So, if you're throwing from the right palm, the apex will be accross from your left eye. If you're throwing from the left palm, the apex will be across from your right eye. When you *catch* the ball, don't let your forarm rise up to meet the ball -- relax and let the ball come to you. If you misjudged your toss, feel free to move your wrist on a plane parallel to the ground, but don't be lazy (for now). Train yourself not to chase the ball with the catching arm, but to aim the ball correctly with the throwing arm. Mastering the single ball is easy. You can do it in a night. By the way, I like to practice standing over a bed so that when the balls drop I can quickly retrieve them. Now, take a second ball and stand with one in each palm. Toss (or snap ... remember?) the ball from one hand to the other, aiming for that off-centered apex we talked about, and when the first ball nears (or is in) the apex and is on its way down, toss the remaining ball to your waiting hand, also aiming for the opposite apex. Don't forget the catch the ball that's about to dock! There's a certain rhythm you'll be "aiming" for with a two-ball cascade .. and after a while you'll notice there's a hole in it (that's where the third ball will come in). The rythm is ta-ta ... bump-bump -- or toss, toss ... catch, catch. Assuming you start with the left handed toss: Left: Toss .... catch Right: .... toss .... catch. See the hole? Let's call this one cycle. At first, don't worry about making the tosses continuous. Just worry about getting through one cycle without dropping everything. After you're proficient with leading with your strong hand (say you always start the cycle with your right hand doing the tossing), start alternating cylces. Lead with your left, pause, then lead with your right, pause, then lead with your left. And so on. Soon you'll be able to connect the cycles together and you'll truly be juggling two balls ... and even more, you'll "feel" the gap that third ball creates by its absence. After you've mastered two-ball juggling it's time to move to three balls. You can start by holding a third ball in one of your palms while you juggle with two. I know, you'll be impatient, but start for now just carrying the third ball while you juggle (it *can* be done). When your carrying hand is sitting around with nothing to do (remember the "hole" we talked about earlier), let it bounce to the rhythm the other two balls created. When the timing feels right, just toss that third ball into the gap between the first ball descending from its apex and the second ball going into its apex. Trust me, you'll see the gap when you've gotten the hang of two-ball juggling. (2B). x x .x x .x (3B)x .(1B) L R See? Ball 1 (whose arc is described by the xs) was tossed first by the L palm, and is either *in* the Right palm already, or is about ready to land. Ball 2 (shown by the .s) was just tossed by the Right Palm (just before the it Ball 1) Ball 3 has got to vacate the Left Palm to make room for Ball 2 now, and it will follow the same path as Ball 1. See? Three ball juggling is the exact same thing as two ball juggling, only without the "holes"! Practice, and be patient. You could learn to do this inside of a month or two without any problems at all! Hope this helps. Rich -- Richard A. Tatum - homepage: http://www.dialnet.net/rtatum/ - email: rtatum@dialnet.net "Carpe Capsicum!"
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