I want to learn juggling!

[noname]

Originally Posted by Goober

I've been reading up on juggling, and I'm starting to get it. But I have this weird habit of throwing the second ball a few extra feet off to the left. I've tried a few tricks I've found, but there's been no real improvement. Any tips?

Pay attention to where your arms are. They should be at your sides, kind of forming an L laying down almost like this i__. If you allow your arms to move forward too much or one way or the other it is going to throw off the cascade. Hope that helps.

[Lolly Plop]

I'm learning to juggle too. I'm using bean bags because I don't have to chase them all over the room when I drop one, or two or all three. Right now I can make one complete pass with three balls. I sometimes even catch all three in the hand that each bag should go to. I haven't made much progress from there. I stopped for a few weeks because I was bored with my lack of progress. I am starting to practice again. Will I just one day get it, or can I just stay stuck here in juggling limbo?

[tim]

If you can do one solid set like you suggest, then you are already well on your way. Do one set. Then another. Then another. When you have that feel for it stuck in your muscle memory, stop. You want to walk away with your body remembering that sense. Then return to it next time. Start out with the one set. If you're feeling it right, then just keep going by tossing the next ball, and the next, and the next. try to do two sets, three, until you can run it continually.

[OkiDoki]

You probably continualy start with 2 balls in your dominant hand ending up with 2 balls in your not dominant hand. From there start up with those 2 balls in your not-dominant hand eniding up with 2 balls in your dominant hand.

Next step: Before the third ball is cought in your non-dominant hand throw away the ball that is already in their. If you can catch it as well with your dominant hand great. Now you did 4 catches instead of 3. Etc. etc. this way you can slowly build it up to make more and more and even more catches until you are continualy juggling.

[MrsFix]

I can almost juggle two beanbags now!

Since I'm so tall (6'0"), I am sitting the end of the devil stick on a hard chair or box, whichever is handy. I don't have to bed over as much. Anyway, I'm getting it up to a foot off the ground/chair before losing it. That's progress, isn't it?!

My daughter is so cute. She wants to juggle and tries to use one of the beanbags. It's extra hard for her because coordination is even more lacking with autism. I don't discourage her, though. If she wants to do it, fine. If not, there are other things she like to do. ;-)

Thanks again for all the help here!

[Half-Pint]

If you want to go the DvD route, My favorite "How To" videos are the "Ultimate Juggling DVD Series". They make them for pretty much every juggling art form!!! I pick them up from Juggling Store Supplies. Here is the link for the ball juggling dvd:
Ultimate Ball Juggling DVD - The most complete instructional DVD on ball juggling ever assembled! Learn to juggle with in-studio explanations, slow-motion examples, visual diagrams, and real-world demonstrations.JugglingStore.com

Hope this helps!!!!
Half-Pint

[Jolly Well]

This may have been mentioned previously - if so, I overlooked it.

When learning to juggle, it helps to verbalize your pattern and will get you into rhythm.

2 balls in your dominant, 1 in your off-hand.

Toss the first ball and when it reaches its pinnacle, say "one" out loud and toss your second ball (don't forget to catch the first one), when the second ball reaches its pinnacle, say "two." Toss the third ball when you say "two" (again, catch) - when it reaches its pinnacle - you got it - say "three," and toss the first ball again.

The verbal component helps you get into a pattern, and also alolows you to track progress as you count your throws

"one, two, three, four, ...."

[noname]

Originally Posted by MrsFix

I can almost juggle two beanbags now!

Since I'm so tall (6'0"), I am sitting the end of the devil stick on a hard chair or box, whichever is handy. I don't have to bed over as much. Anyway, I'm getting it up to a foot off the ground/chair before losing it. That's progress, isn't it?!

My daughter is so cute. She wants to juggle and tries to use one of the beanbags. It's extra hard for her because coordination is even more lacking with autism. I don't discourage her, though. If she wants to do it, fine. If not, there are other things she like to do. ;-)

Thanks again for all the help here!

With the Devil Sticks, think of yourself as steering a car, in almost an exaggerated fashion. That is the type of movement you need to have in order to keep it going. Also, the closer you hit it to the top, the faster it will go, the closer to the middle, the slower and harder it will be to control.

[BennyO]

Well said Jolly. Verbalisation can speed your learning by ... lots.
When you have three balls in your hand and you throw one and then two you are in this situation where both hands are full and you have a descendig ball.

It is about now that your brain freak out. You may throw it off, pass it or may even not throw it. So count "ONE", "TWO" and "THHREE!" Three you throw.

This is what we call a flash. Throwing only as many objects as you have.

Another common mistake is to pass the ball from had to hand. I believe this is natural but not something not sondusive to juggling. The reason is if you where a prehistoric man with a spear in hand and hear the noise of something behind you, will you A. pass ths spear to the other hand or B throw it in an arc passing just above the eyes aka cascade throw?

after you can do a few flashes one after the other , ie throw three balls and catch three balls with our dropping. Move to throwing 4 times, then 5 etc.. When you can throw 10 times i typically get my students working on tricks.

Have fun.
Remember you never quite become accomplished at juggling which is why it can become addictive. After you can dothree there is still 4, 5, 6 , balls. There is site swap patterns... Mills with 4.. yuk. lots.

YouTube - luke burrage jungler amazing
this may well not help

[OkiDoki]

Originally Posted by BennyO

this may well not help

But great to watch.

Luke is one of my favorites because of his inventiveness performingwise, trickwise and as in who he is as a person.