Juggling, One Ball at a Time

By C. D. Martin

Perhaps the first juggling book to provide a clear path from three balls to five balls. Whether you're a complete beginner or a solid four-ball juggler who has already started on five, this book can help you.

• Language: English
• Publisher: C. D. Martin
• Release date: Jan 29, 2013
• ISBN: 9781301585069

Book preview

Juggling, One Ball at a Time

By C. D. Martin

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Smashwords Edition

Copyright © 2013, 2016 C. D. Martin. All rights reserved.

Smashwords Edition, License Notes

Thank you for downloading this free Ebook. Although this is a free book, it remains the copyrighted property of the author, and may not be redistributed. If you enjoyed this book, please encourage your friends to download their own copy at Smashwords.com. Thank you for your support.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgements

Preface

Chapter 1: The Cascade

Chapter 2: Outside Throws

Chapter 3: Two-Ball Patterns

Chapter 4: Higher Throws

Chapter 5: Timing

Chapter 6: Four Balls

Chapter 7: The Five-Ball Cascade

Afterword

Appendix A: Mills’ Mess

Appendix B: Siteswap Notation

Appendix C: Three in One Hand

Appendix D: Showers and Towers

Appendix E: Flashy Tricks

Appendix F: Multiplexes

Acknowledgements

For the feedback and encouragement: Laurie Collard of Butterfingers Books, Derek Vasconi of Sakura Publishing, Heather Wolf of JuggleFit, blogger Rachel Cotterill, and Fiverr Super Seller Morissa Schwartz (feefeertr).

In general: All the jugglers who have previously shared their knowledge with the world. Of particular help to me personally were the Internet tutorials of Tunbridge Wells Juggling Club, Matt Mangham, and Steve Hoggan.

Although she did not teach me to juggle, Heather Wolf of JuggleFit has shared many cascade tips which are included here. If you need additional help to get started, Heather does workshops and offers basic juggling lessons via Skype.

Preface

Perhaps you already juggle, or perhaps you tried and didn’t get far. As with any skill, you need to get a few things right. Each throw must follow the correct path; this is best learned one throw at a time. Beyond that, basic juggling is a matter of parsing throws and catches. If you can easily juggle three balls in a basic pattern, skip ahead. If you can’t yet juggle three balls, skip nothing.

Generally, the best props to practice with are round beanbags designed specifically for juggling. These come in a variety of sizes, but anyone with developed hands should use at least the standard beanbags, which each weigh 130 grams (4.6 ounces.) Even if you have previously juggled with smaller balls, your muscles will quickly adapt to the larger ones, which are easier to control. Try to get them in different colors, so that you can always tell them apart. With that said, such a purchase is not necessary to get started. Round fruits, especially oranges or lemons, work quite well. Tennis balls by themselves are too light and bouncy, but they will work if you can fill them up inside. Other stopgap choices include footbags or rolled-up socks. Whatever you use, your props should be roughly equal in size and weight.

Some people begin by juggling light scarves. This is quicker to learn, since you don’t really have to master individual throws. Unlike balls, scarves are carried upward and then released. Once you can exchange two scarves in a release-release-catch-catch sequence, it should be fairly easy to juggle three. Scarves will remain within reach; you won’t have to chase them. Although the scarves are light, the arms will get a workout carrying them upward and downward. Scarf juggling is optional; there’s no harm in skipping it. The technique is quite different from that of ball juggling.

Before trying to juggle four balls, learn several three-ball patterns. This will develop your skill; one pattern builds upon another, eventually leading to patterns with more balls. The discipline of juggling several balls is known as numbers juggling.

Any trick which builds overall skill brings you closer to adding a ball. However, if adding balls is your main goal, esoteric three-ball patterns may be a waste of time. Numbers juggling involves patterns which are conceptually simple, but hard to master. Likewise, the intermediate patterns are easy to understand, but may take a while to learn. Practicing these patterns can become tedious; mildly complicated tricks, such as those found in the appendices, can provide a change of pace.

Learning a trick is a matter of teaching your muscles the requisite movements. Patterns are usually built throw-by-throw and move-by-move; a new pattern will not come instantly, and some will take quite a while to learn. Practicing every day, even briefly, is generally the best approach. However, if a particular trick seems impossible, you could simply forget about it for a few days. When you restart it, you may surprise yourself; the subconscious mind has a way of working things out over time. Once you master a trick, your muscles usually won’t forget it. Expert jugglers have taken long hiatuses, and then quickly recovered their previous skill.

Some jugglers like to visualize tricks, mentally picturing each move. If you do this at bedtime, the trick may be easier the next day. You can also mime a pattern, practicing the hand motion without balls.

You may wonder where the illustrations are. Just follow the written instructions, and observe the results. Even if you don’t understand perfectly, seeing your own throws is much more helpful than seeing a few pictures. Still images could obscure important points, since juggling entails continuous movement.

Chapter 1:

The Cascade

The cascade is the most basic pattern in which three balls can be juggled. Alternating between hands, the throws should occur at even intervals and reach an even height. The balls travel up across the body, staying out of each other’s paths. The hand which makes the second throw then catches the first, the hand which makes the third throw then catches the second, and so on. With three balls, this can go on continuously.

If a physical or visual impairment makes symmetry difficult for you, the two-in-one-hand patterns in Chapter 3 may be a better place to start. Other than that, the cascade should