Learning to Juggle
The Juggling Scientist learnt to juggling when he was 11 years old. Anyone can learn to juggle, you don't need to be particularly coordinated, the main thing you need is motivation and some basic instruction.
James learned to juggle from a book called 'Juggling for the complete Klutz' (you can still buy it today, it's brilliant and it comes with three beanbags).
As it says on the back of the book:
If you can scramble an egg, find reverse in a Volkswagen or stumble onto the light switch in the bathroom at night... you can learn how to juggle.
So where do you start?
1. Find something to juggle with.
Juggling balls and beanbags are easily found in shops or on the internet. Don't buy anything that weighs less than 100g. Anything lighter will bounce out of your hands and not feel right when you throw it. You can buy a good beanbag from a shop like this for less than £3 so three should cost less than a tenner.
You can make your own bean bags using balloons and rice or balls using tennis balls and rice. Search YouTube for 'make juggling bean bags' and you will find hundreds of tutorials.
Or you can use whatever you have to hand. Bizarrely enough three medium sized round potatoes are perfect. (Don't use eggs, too messy. And don't use oranges either, they start off ok until they split and then they get almost as messy as the eggs.)
2. Watch the animation below juggling a 'three ball cascade'.
Until you get an idea of what you need to do into your head all the instructions in the world won't make any sense. It is almost certainly NOT what you imagine three-ball juggling to be. Notice the balls DON'T go round and round in a circle.
The three 'secrets' are that you need to learn are these:
Both hands throw and catch
Most of the time there is only one ball in the air
The first throw must be made with the hand holding two balls
James learned to juggle from a book called 'Juggling for the complete Klutz' (you can still buy it today, it's brilliant and it comes with three beanbags).
As it says on the back of the book:
If you can scramble an egg, find reverse in a Volkswagen or stumble onto the light switch in the bathroom at night... you can learn how to juggle.
So where do you start?
1. Find something to juggle with.
Juggling balls and beanbags are easily found in shops or on the internet. Don't buy anything that weighs less than 100g. Anything lighter will bounce out of your hands and not feel right when you throw it. You can buy a good beanbag from a shop like this for less than £3 so three should cost less than a tenner.
You can make your own bean bags using balloons and rice or balls using tennis balls and rice. Search YouTube for 'make juggling bean bags' and you will find hundreds of tutorials.
Or you can use whatever you have to hand. Bizarrely enough three medium sized round potatoes are perfect. (Don't use eggs, too messy. And don't use oranges either, they start off ok until they split and then they get almost as messy as the eggs.)
2. Watch the animation below juggling a 'three ball cascade'.
Until you get an idea of what you need to do into your head all the instructions in the world won't make any sense. It is almost certainly NOT what you imagine three-ball juggling to be. Notice the balls DON'T go round and round in a circle.
The three 'secrets' are that you need to learn are these:
Both hands throw and catch
Most of the time there is only one ball in the air
The first throw must be made with the hand holding two balls
Keep looking at the animation. All the information you need to learn to juggle is there.
Follow the path of one ball. It is caught by one hand on the outside, 'scooped' into the middle and then thrown to the other hand, where it is caught on the outside and 'scooped' back. This is the basic throw and you can practise this if you like with one ball.
Follow the path of one ball. It is caught by one hand on the outside, 'scooped' into the middle and then thrown to the other hand, where it is caught on the outside and 'scooped' back. This is the basic throw and you can practise this if you like with one ball.
the 'el ocho' or infinity pattern
The Spanish call this pattern 'el ocho' which means 'the eight'. The balls follow a figure eight pattern on its side, you can think of it as an 'infinity' pattern if you like. Whether you are juggling all three balls or if you are practising with just one try to describe that 'eight' or 'infinity' pattern. Catch on the outside- scoop and throw on the inside- catch on the outside- scoop and throw on the inside- etc.
Have another look at the animation. This time look at just one 'hand' in the animation. Can you see how the balls are exchanged? When you start this feels awkward and jerky but after practise it will feel very natural and smooth. Just before you catch you have to throw. As you scoop and throw from the inside your hand carries on round and makes the catch. Your hands are constantly going round in circles catching on the outside and throwing from the middle.
For most of the time only one ball is in the air. You never have all three balls in the air, for a split second there are two but never three. Keep looking at the animation until you get this. A ball is thrown from left to right, just before it lands a ball is thrown from right to left, just before it lands another ball is thrown from left to right, etc.
You can practise this with just two balls if you like. Throw one ball from left to right, just after it peaks throw the other ball from right to left, catch the first one, then catch the second (then stop- without the third ball that's all you can do. Take a breath and try it again starting with the other hand). It 'sounds' like this:
Throw-Throw-Catch-Catch-Stop
If you can do this rhythmically starting with either hand and without reaching (or running) to catch, put two balls in one hand, one in the other. Start with the hand holding two balls and go for it:
Throw-Throw-Throw-Throw-Throw-Throw-Throw... etc
Don't worry about catching. If the throws are good your hands will catch naturally. If you think about the catches your concentration won't be on the throws, the throws will be rubbish and you won't be able to catch anyway. Another thing to say in your head is:
Left-Right-Left-Right-Left-Right-Left-Right... etc
If you can exchange the balls three times it then just repeats so you can do it 33 times or 333 times. (I know what you're thinking- FYI the world record is 12hrs 5mins- that's about 87,333 throws assuming 120 throws per minute).
For most of the time only one ball is in the air. You never have all three balls in the air, for a split second there are two but never three. Keep looking at the animation until you get this. A ball is thrown from left to right, just before it lands a ball is thrown from right to left, just before it lands another ball is thrown from left to right, etc.
You can practise this with just two balls if you like. Throw one ball from left to right, just after it peaks throw the other ball from right to left, catch the first one, then catch the second (then stop- without the third ball that's all you can do. Take a breath and try it again starting with the other hand). It 'sounds' like this:
Throw-Throw-Catch-Catch-Stop
If you can do this rhythmically starting with either hand and without reaching (or running) to catch, put two balls in one hand, one in the other. Start with the hand holding two balls and go for it:
Throw-Throw-Throw-Throw-Throw-Throw-Throw... etc
Don't worry about catching. If the throws are good your hands will catch naturally. If you think about the catches your concentration won't be on the throws, the throws will be rubbish and you won't be able to catch anyway. Another thing to say in your head is:
Left-Right-Left-Right-Left-Right-Left-Right... etc
If you can exchange the balls three times it then just repeats so you can do it 33 times or 333 times. (I know what you're thinking- FYI the world record is 12hrs 5mins- that's about 87,333 throws assuming 120 throws per minute).
Don't worry about dropping- you can already catch- worry about the throw- this sideways throw is new and you will have to learn it.
Juggling is all about throwing. Once you've got the throw secure enough you can close your eyes and juggle 'blind'. The catches will take care of themselves. The reason we are using juggling balls, bags or potatoes and not eggs is that dropping is to be welcomed not worried about.
Take your time. Keep going back to that animation to get it clear in your mind. Concentrate on keeping the balls in a flat plane in front of you describing that infinity pattern and you will be juggling in an hour.
If you want more step by step instructions follow this link to the wildcat jugglers. There is some nice video to help you as well as practise tips.
Take your time. Keep going back to that animation to get it clear in your mind. Concentrate on keeping the balls in a flat plane in front of you describing that infinity pattern and you will be juggling in an hour.
If you want more step by step instructions follow this link to the wildcat jugglers. There is some nice video to help you as well as practise tips.