Now I feel compelled to take up juggling.



No, really…..

Nearly all of the article is what I've experienced. I have taught over 1000 people how to juggle -- I stopped counting at 1000. I use a slightly modified version of the KLUTZ method.


1. Get three balls, one of which is a very different color from the other two. You want them about 3.5 - 4 oz.
Tennis balls are too light. Canadian lacrosse balls are the right size and weight, but it's easier to learn with beanbags or balls that won't roll away. Call the odd ball, "IT".

2. Hold IT in one hand. Drop the other two balls at your feet.

3. ALWAYS: Keep your elbows at your sides. Keep your forearms parallel to the ground (straight out in front of you). Keep your palms up.

4. Toss IT from one hand to the other, about eye-height.

5. IMPORTANT: Try to catch the ball with your hand a little out to the side, and throw across your chest. The ball is making a sideways figure 8 that's as round on the bottom as it is on the top.

6. GOAL 1: Ten tosses and catches without dropping.



7. Pick up one of the other balls. Hold one ball in each hand.

8. Toss IT, just like before, and JUST BEFORE IT LANDS, toss the second ball to the hand where IT started.

9. Next, toss IT from the hand where it just landed. Just before it lands, toss the other ball.

10. ALWAYS: Throw IT first, no matter which hand it is in. The pattern is Right-Left Left-Right Right-Left Left-Right

11. ALWAYS: Make sure both throws are the same height. Wait as long as possible to throw the second ball. To help, say out loud, "toss (pause) toss".

12. GOAL 2: Ten Right-Left Left-Right repetitions.



13. Pick up the third ball. Hold two balls in one hand, one in the other.

14. From the hand with two balls, toss ONE of the balls to the other hand.

15. GOAL 3: Six throws back and forth.



16. Now that you can toss-toss and you can hold two and throw one, you have all of the necessary skills.

17. The "Jug":
a. Starting with the hand that has two balls, toss one ball to the other hand.
b. Just before it lands, throw the ball in the hand it's about to land in.
c. Just before the second ball lands, throw the ball in the hand it's about to land in.
d. Catch the third ball without throwing another.

18. Focus on the tosses, the catches will start to come naturally.

19. GOAL 4: Three tosses.



20. Finally, do everything you have been doing, but DON'T STOP.

21. You are now juggling.

22. If you get stuck on the third or fourth throw, for example if you tend to throw the ball away from you instead of across to the other hand, try starting with the two balls in the opposite hand (always start with the hand that has two).

23. GOAL 5: At least six tosses (three from each hand).



Congratulations. You are now a juggler.

I learned how to juggle with Klutz as a teen! I got pretty decent at it. Now I’m just good enough to impress students. (Read: can juggle 3 balls without dropping any for about 30 seconds )

A professional juggler is driving home from a show. His props are in the back seat of the car. He gets pulled over. The officer shines his light in the back window and sees some dangerous looking objects. He tells the driver to roll down his window.

Officer: Good evening, sir. I see you have some weapons in your back seat.

Juggler: No, officer, those aren't weapons. Those are the tools of my trade.

Officer: But you have some dangerous looking clubs, there, and a number of machetes.

Juggler: You see, sir, I am a juggler. Those are my juggling props.

Officer: A juggler, eh? Well, suppose you prove that...

About this time, Bubba Jones is leaving the tavern after an evening out with his pals.

The juggler opens the back door, grabs the three machetes and starts to juggle them.

Bubba sees this from a few dozen yards away and surreptitiously turns around and goes back to the tavern. He goes in and tells his buddies, "don't head out on highway 33... officer Smith is out there and you won't believe the sobriety test he's givin' this guy."

PJ,

WTG, you should try juggling, it's super fun!

Mr. SK and I took a juggling class. I could barely get the basic (juggle three bean bags) but Mr. SK got really good at it quite quickly.

I'd like to take it up again actually.

The other thing I tell people is that juggling helps you be more ambidextrous and achieve a new sort of balance. The article almost touched on that… always start learning a trick with your off hand. Practice everything on both sides so you can do them equally well on either side.

I taught myself basic juggling when a guy who worked for me could juggle, and I got stubborn and decided I'd prove I could juggle, too.

I got to about Dol's level of efficiency.

I tried a couple of weeks ago, and the skill had deteriorated. I'm working on getting it back.

My brothers and I learned to juggle around the same time. We learned to pass balls from person to person and pass around a triangle.

My younger brother even got pretty good with clubs!

Ordered a scarves set.
Should be fun.

Here is an actual piano-juggling act.
https://youtu.be/1NkE11LIIvs

That was great!!!