Juggling
Never tried juggling? You should. It makes you stand up and get a bit of circulation going, it looks nice, it's relaxing and it's something good to do with your hands while listening to music too. A really good thing with juggling is how quick it is to learn. I got the hang of three balls in a few weeks, so someone with a bit of aptitude for balls should get the hang of it in notime. Also, progress felt very notable, I really felt like I improved from day to day, and that's a very good motivation. If you need more motivation to start I can point out that it's about as inexpensive as it gets, and it's a nice way to take a break from sitting in front of the screen. On the other hand, it can be damn annoying when you seem to get nowhere but then, so is the rest of life too.
So, how's it done?
Right, the three-ball juggle! Before we start, I'd like to say that I'm neither an expert juggler nor an expert teacher. Comments and constructive criticism are always welcome (that's why this site says mail me everywhere ...). That said, I'll calm down and get to the subject.
First, get some juggling balls from a toystore or something. They don't bounce and roll around too much (very important properties, you'll soon to realize) and they have a nice weight. Secondly, for other's sake, being on the ground floor or a soft surface might be a good idea. You will drop a lot of balls, and the sound might get to people in the vicinity. Don't practise above someone's bedroom if they're trying to sleep ... Now, on with the real steps!
- Step one is just throwing one ball from hand to hand. You may start with the ball in your strong hand just to get that habit in for the future. Most of us probably get bored of this step pretty fast, so let's move on, shall we?
- Ok, now we're getting a bit more advanced. Step two is one ball in each hand. Throw the one in your strong hand, then throw the one in your other hand just before you catch the first one. Keep it up until you get bored.
- Step three, and it's time for the real thing. Start with two balls in your strong hand and one in the other. The start is the same as in step two, the trick is of course to throw the third ball before the second reaches your strong hand. Once you get to the point where you can do that you've done it! Then, it's just a question of getting into and keeping the rythm. You'll notice you can keep a pretty relaxed speed and still keep the balls in the air, so don't get stressed and throw too fast, that'll only ruin the rythm.
- To go further, there are places like juggling.org where skilled jugglers share their knowledge and experience.
See, that wasn't too hard, was it?
