Contact Juggling

Just as a disclaimer, the pictures are not mine. I got 'em from Contactjuggling.org, the best CJ site on the Net. For a better "tutorial"-thing than this, go there and click on Marco Van Der Bijl's Workshop, under "Essays."

Yeah, I know. The first thing you think is: What the heck is contact juggling?

Well, it's been described a number of ways; my favorite was "part magic, part mime, part dance and part art." (At least, I think that's how it went!:) It's where you take a ball (any type, although I prefer acrylic balls myself) and roll it over your hands, up your arms, around your whole body - but basically on your hands. If you've ever seen the movie Labyrinth, Jareth (the Goblin King) does a slight bit in the beginning ("I've brought you...a gift"). Actually, it's not him, it's Michael Moschen, but that's beside the point.

I know, that doesn't help much. Let me show you then:


The Butterfly
(also called the Windshield Wiper)



How to do it: OK, take a ball. A tennis ball is good to start out with; so is a lacrosse ball. You can use other balls when ya get good!
STEP ONE: Place the ball on the back of your hand, on your first three fingers. Dip your middle finger down so the ball rests there like a cup. This is called the cradle. Here's a picture: Get comfortable with this. Toss it up and down, make sure you can catch it on the back of your hand. Practice this in both hands.

STEP TWO: Once you've mastered holding it in the cradle and tossing it up and down and stuff, it's time to practice throwing it in your palms. Take the ball and hold it in your palm. DO NOT CLOSE YOUR FINGERS AROUND THE BALL! That's the most important thing. Toss it up and down, hand to hand. Make sure you can catch it on your palm, without closing your fingers around it.

STEP THREE: Now we put the two together, sorta. Place the ball in the cradle of your good hand. Now, like before, you're gonna throw it from the cradle - but not straight up. This time, you're going to throw it out to the side. As the ball is up in the air, follow it with your hand, moving your hand in an arc so that the ball lands in your palm. Here's a picture: Practice this until you get really good. This is the most essential part! The ball should kinda roll from the cradle to the air, the rolling's very important.

STEP FOUR: Now, repeat Step Three with a little less height on the throw. Just keep throwing it less and less high until you can pass your hand under it. The effect is that it looks like it's just rolling over the top of your hand. Like this:

STEP FIVE: Practice, practice, practice! Then amaze all your friends and relatives!

OK, now that you're good, check out some cool moves at Contactjuggling.org, click on "Moves" in the left.

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