Welcome, this is the 'Getting Started' section. It is split into three parts:
History and the background of Juggling
How to Juggle (3 balls, help and advice)
Easy Tricks to get you started
Hopefully this will provide you with the gateway into the addiction that is juggling, give it a bit of time and you'll find yourself trying to juggle all different types of object at every chance you get!!
History and other background of juggling
Juggling has been around for years and years and years. Juggling has no real sense of meaning, it is a freedom based on the manipulation of objects. The word juggle, however, has come from an Old French verb jogler, which is 'to perform as a jester'. 'Jogler' has come from Latin, joculari (to jest), and jocus (a jest or a joke). Juggling was once not just about chucking things in the air, magicians, conjurers and the like were also put under this name in the past. Juggling never really started from anywhere, i bet even prehistoric man would chuck stones in the air and catch them again, which in theory is juggling. It was the jesters who entertained the monarchs of our history who made it what it is today.
How to juggle
Always a good place to start!! I'll be honest with you, the easiest way of learning is to have someone show you and teach you, i wish i could teleport out to teach you all but i can't so this'll have to do for now until technology vastly improves!! Anyway, i good place to start is to get used to throughing one ball in one hand and catching it, do this with both hands. Then through 2 balls up and catch them in the same hand. Then do this but throw them across and catch them in opposite hands. What i'm getting at here is that you need to get really used to using both hands at once. Some people are naturally good at this, others have to learn it.
Once this is sorted you're ready to try 3 balls! Firstly a few pointers that should help you out. The balls go underneath each other when you chuck them
up. It follows a rhythm Left Right Left Right etc. Try not to look at your hands, watch the peaks of the balls as you chuck them and your hands will naturally be in the right place. The balls should come to about shoulder height when juggling normally but when learning you might find it easy to throw higher and bounce as you do it (worked for one of my friends!!).
Now to actually do it!!
Take two balls in your good hand and one in the other. Throw one from the good hand to your other hand, just before catching it throw one back, underneath it. then do the same again with the last ball, and catch them all.
You should have made three throws and three catches, to alternate hands, but you probably didn't!! Don't worry just practice it. Then start with two balls in your other hand and do the same. Then when you feel you're ready or you just want to give it a go keep throwing the balls back and continue the pattern. I know it sounds stupid but you might find you keep catching all the balls instead of throwing one back before catching another, a way around this is for you or someone else to shout "THROW" or something similar when you need to (it does work honest!!). Eventually you'll make more throws and catches and you'll feel really good about it. Another good bit of advice, if you find yourself chucking the balls forwards then juggle in front of a wall so they hit that, after a bit of time you'll stop throwing forwards. Stick with it and you'll be able to juggle till your hands drop off!!
Easy Tricks
Ok so you can juggle, but now where'd you go. All i can say is try everything, these are tricks i think are easy but try all tricks, people are different some learn harder tricks faster than others and so on. You wont know unless you try!!
One trick i think is important to learn is what is known as a reverse cascade. The way i've told you, and the way everyone will teach you to juggle is called a cascade. To do it you have to change the way you throw the balls, normally you throw them under the ball your about to catch. To do a reverse cascade you throw the ball over the top of the ball you're about to catch. If it doesn't make sense tell me (i'm more likely to put diagrams on the site then!! :) If you're having trouble just do it on every other throw and slowly build it up to every throw.
Next, learn to juggle two balls in one hand, do this with both hands (not at the same time, if you can then you are juggling four!!). Well once you can do that do it with one hand and throw the other ball up with your other hand. There really are hundreds of varients so just experiment. You can throw two up and then one (this trick is actually called One-up Two-up!!), you can swap between doing two in your right hand and two in your left hand, you can make two balls cross at the top, like i said just experiment!! Anyway thats enough for here check out the rest of my site for more tricks.