How to learn juggling in one evening

This technique was developed in order to learn how to do juggling with 3 balls. It is divided in two, very simple, phases, or three, depending on how we define the criteria.

Justification

One of the most recurrent fetishes of human beings, is that insane thirst for immediate results. Either when we want to lose some weight or when we want to profit, we are disgusted by the idea of having to wait to see significant results. That expectation, naturally reasonable, but rarely met, is exploited against us. We would like, just like Neo in The Matrix, to learn it all at once. For the particular case of juggling, it is possible to see some immediate results.

Why juggling? The primordial reason is to satisfy that 'power process,' where we acquire more confidence in every successful attempt. It is possible, in one evening, learning something new. It is possible to see immediate results.

This is only an introductory technique. It gives the juggler a basic trick, simple, but one on which he can improve to make some more complex tricks. Primordially, it gives the juggler confidence, and awakens the appetite for learning some more; to ascend one step at a time. To learn juggling is something trivial, maybe irrelevant to some, but I would like to think that it is something more than a game; an experience that can be extrapolated to other moments in life. It is to say, to learn something new. Not to be, of course, a party animator when conversation has come to a dead end, nor to beg on crossroads and on the bus. Those can be, nonetheless, legitimate objectives in themselves.

A second reason-a bit less idealist-was that one evening I did not have much to do. To kill some time I wanted to know if I could do it, and most importantly, to know how I was doing it. Nothing has to be very complicated. In computing, a problem can be divided among sub-problem sets, simpler units that can be addressed one by one.

Materials:

1. 3 Hacky Sack balls.
2. 1 free evening and a bit of patience.

Not for promotion of the little balls, but I recommend them because they are ideal for what I am going to do, given the fact that they not bounce that much, compared to rubber balls or even lemons.

 

Phase 1: Two balls, one hand

The most basic movement, but fundamental to developed the entire trick, with 3 balls. As you can see in the animations, the purpose is to maintain a ball in the air and the other en our hands; while we calculate the exact time to exchange one for the other. We will divide this phase into two movements: a) ball in ascension and b) ball in descent.

I am calling ascension the time in which ball A is thrown to the air and reaches a zenith, or highest point, from then on, it will acquire a trajectory in descent. What we are really interested in, is when falling, the ball is about to fall close to our hands. To give this some sort of metric, say two thirds from to the vertical, as it is shown in the figure.

In this point, which I would call exchange point, ball B, which has been in our hands, is thrown, and we receive ball A, now in our hand.

Let us see the animation

Phase 1.2, hand exchange

Here it comes, the hand exchange. This movement has to be practiced but now with the left hand, so that both can have the same degree of dexterity. The aim is to condition ourselves to the fact that when a ball is falling, our body 'triggers' the reaction of throwing the one we hold and catch the one falling.

Estimated time

Repeating this movement, 1.5 hours per hand

What we have to take into consideration is the tendency towards displacement. A common defect is to throw the ball in such a way that the trajectory goes forward and does force us to stretch our arms out, further and further, in order to catch the ball, and, when we have no more arm to extend, moving forward. We must condition our body to throwing correctly, to avoid our throw being deficient.

A very easy way to avoid it, is standing right in front of a bed or chair, putting our knees close to the object in question so that we avoid moving forward. That will make a much more precise trajectory out of our throw.

Phase 2, adding a third ball and using both hands

Once we have the ability to 'throw and catch' with both hands, it is time to add a third ball, and it is now that magic takes place. It seems difficult, but it is really simple:

With the hand we are holding two balls, we throw one, ball A. Instead of catching it with the same hand, as we were practicing it, let us make it fall now in hand B. Now we see that, this other hand, now conditioned by the previous exercises, will throw the ball that is holding just before receiving the next one. So, the ball now in the air is to be received with the initial hand.

The animation I show to the right shows the example I am describing: the trick is maintaining only one in the air-not three. That is the illusion. At first our movements will appear to be somewhat clumsy, but it is the speed with which we execute this trick that will give the illusion of having all in the air.

We now, provided we have mastered the previous movements, can make the trajectory of the balls to go diagonally, parallel to an imaginary plain in front of us, instead of our hands looking for the ball, but having the balls falling into our hands. We will just make the appropriate hand exchange.

Well, there you have it. Either if you wish to be the soul of every party you attend, or just out of boredom, I hope that you find this technique useful. Good luck.

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