Contrary to popular opinion, juggling doesn’t take coordination. Instead, juggling teaches it! In fact, this is the one sport in the world where those of us with two left feet and three thumbs begin with an automatic edge: We already know how to drop effectively.
Here’s how to expand effective dropping skills into excellent exercise that will have you laughing in no time—and juggling before you know it.
Start out easy
Every juggler in the world started at the same place: With one ball. So if you’re new to this performance art, plan to start there: With just one ball. And then, “… sometimes slowly, sometimes in spurts, you get better,” says Sven Jorgenson, professional performer, street juggler and instructor at the Boulder Circus Center in Boulder, Colorado.
Perhaps the best advice on learning to juggle comes from Paul Cinquevalli (1859–1918), the first “juggling superstar,” as he appeared before the Prince of Wales and other English nobility at Marlborough House in 1886:
“The question is often asked me, how to become a juggler. There is only one way, and one rule. It applies to everything else equally well, and that is: Whatever you make up your mind to do, stick to it until it is done. I have found it works very well.”
Don’t take that to mean you should start tossing balls until you catch every one. Quite the contrary. Juggling is, in effect, teaching groups of muscles to work in sync. So it’s important to practice in spurts, giving your mind and your muscles a chance to relax and adjust to this new activity.
“Anybody, anybody, everybody can learn to juggle,” says Joe Kohlhaas, president of the juggling club at Iowa State University. “We invite everybody to come juggle with us—students or not. Most people catch on in half an hour or so.” Most of those who don’t learn easily, he ruefully admits, have already decided they cannot juggle, “so it’s a self-fulfilling prophecy.” But even those who are positive that they cannot catch a ball can learn to juggle with perseverance—and an open mind!
Keep these tips in mind:
- Lots of people learn to juggle with tennis balls or oranges. Beanbags are preferable because they have the added advantage of staying put when they are dropped. You can even make your own!
- Practice over a bed. The balls will stay put when you drop them, you won’t have to bend so far to pick them up and the mattress will muffle the steady thud of dropped balls. So you’ll seem a faster learner to those you live with.
- Picture yourself behind a picture frame. Aim for the opposite top corner when you toss.
- Practice, patience: Wait for the ball to land in your hand instead of reaching up for it.
That said, pick up three oranges, tennis balls or bean bags, and practice until you feel confident. Check out these methods to help you.
Advance in the sport
Once you’ve learned to juggle three balls (don’t even pretend to wait for perfection, as dropping is part of this performance sport!), you’re ready to advance to:
Gain inspiration
Thanks to the Internet, you can watch great jugglers of the past and today’s greatest performers(streaming video). It’s important to watch such amazing juggling feats —for inspiration and for rest between juggling spurts!
Find a group … or start one!
Juggling clubs are a great place to learn and have fun. There’s one at Iowa State University that meets weekly during the school year.
“We meet every Tuesday evening from 8 to 10 at the State Gym,” says Kohlhaas. “Everyone is invited; you don’t have to be a student to join or to visit.” There is no charge to visit or learn to juggle. And there is always a willing teacher.
“That’s part of the fun of juggling: sharing it,” says Bill Pesche, co-founder of the Iowa Jugglers. The Iowa Jugglers, an informal group of juggling teachers and performers, meets throughout the summer on Wednesday evenings at Gray’s Lake in Des Moines. Winter juggling is at the Des Moines YMCA on Saturday afternoon. The group does not have a Web site; for information, call JuggleBob at 515/282-9726.
So pick up those three soft objects and start the process. Toss…drop…pick up…toss…drop...pick up…toss…CATCH!...toss….