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2torial #0418:
Learn2
Juggle (Three
Balls)
(Continued)
 Just toss a ball around
Now that you've made three juggling balls, the
next step is to lay two of them aside and
concentrate on playing with just one. That's right,
playing. Pick it up and do what you did thousands
of times when you were a kid: toss it up in the
air, then catch it (with the same hand) as it comes
down. Do it with your palm up and only lightly
cupped, and only toss it hard enough to send it
only a few inches higher than your head. While you
keep this up, pause from time to time to read each
of the following observations. Perform the
exercises prescribed in them...but by all means,
keep tossing! You should spend at least half an
hour on this step alone.
Observation 1: The role of rhythm
No big whoop, eh? Keep doing it for several
minutes. See how there's a rhythm to it? Try
standarizing the height of the toss, making each
one send the ball at more or less the same height
and location. With a little practice it should be
easy to make the ball go up and down monotonously.
But notice that monotony--see how the rhythm has
become stronger?
Eventually, that rhythm will help you tell where
balls are in the air, just as surely as your eyes
will. That's because the rhythm corresponds to the
amount of time each ball in in flight: toss a ball
higher or lower and you'll get a different rhythm.
Observation 2: Relying on peripheral
vision
Keep tossing. But now, instead of concentrating
on the ball, try paying attention to your hand (the
one that's doing the tossing). Eventually you'll
observe something important: the fact that you can
look at your hand and still keep track of the
ball's progress.
This might take a while, but it'll come. It's
peripheral vision at work; and an ability you'll
soon strengthen.
People often wonder which ball a juggler looks
at when juggling. The answer? None. He or she is
usually not tracking the motion of any particular
ball, just trusting to peripheral vision to get a
working sense of them all at once.
Observation 3: The tossing position IS the
catching position
This is one of those Zen-like observations that
can make a huge difference in understanding what
juggling is all about. Look at what happens to your
hand in terms of its physical position: not much,
right? You cup your hand to toss and it stays
cupped for the catch. The position for both is
essentially the same.
Why is this important to grasp? Because as soon
as you start juggling, you'll find one ball coming
in for a landing just as you've given another its
flight. You won't panic and get boggled if you know
your hands are already in the optimal position to
do both. You'll simply toss one ball to clear your
palm for the incoming one, and next thing you know
you'll be juggling.
Observation 4: The abundance of free time
Now that you're looking at your hand, notice
how little time it's actually occupied with the
ball. It's really got lots of leisure
opportunities, doesn't it, so long as it's there to
catch the ball when it returns. Heck, at least half
the time your hand is actually empty!
Much of juggling is simply taking advantage of
that time. Here's an experiment: keep tossing, but
this time try snapping your fingers while the hand
is otherwise unoccupied. Don't try to turn tossing
and snapping into a single hurried motion--you'll
find there's plenty of time to do both. You should
be able to toss, snap, then reopen your palm and
let the ball fall back in. If you can do this,
congratulations: you've just mastered a skill that,
in motor coordination terms, is every bit as
difficult as juggling itself.
Observation 5: The moment of apogee
Notice how the ball reaches its highest point,
then stays suspended for a fraction of a second
before it heads back down? That moment--the split
second before gravity takes over--is the
apogee, and it's the juggler's friend. When
you graduate to multiple balls, you'll use it as
your timer. When one ball reaches its apogee, it's
time to throw the next. Three-ball jugglers never,
ever have to do anything at any other time.
Next exercise: when you toss the ball, try to
visually pinpoint the moment of apogee. Now try
saying the word "beep" every time your ball hits
apogee (aren't you glad you're doing this in
private?). After several dozen "beeps," you can
graduate to the next step. Instead of vocalizing,
try snapping your fingers on your other hand (the
one not tossing) at that moment.
Now you've got a handle on timing. Quite soon
now, you'll be substituting that action (the
fingersnap) for the action of tossing a second
ball. Do you see why one ball's apogee is another's
ideal launching moment? Because it doesn't disturb
the rhythm.
Observation 6: Tossing doesn't require much
movement
To send that ball repeatedly up over your head,
how much motion does it really take on your part?
All you really need to do is push your hand up
smartly and keep your palms open. Try keeping
extraneous movement to a minimum. In the beginning
you'll be lunging all over catching stray tosses,
but as your tossing gets consistent you'll find you
need to move only the area from your elbows to your
hands. Let momentum and gravity do most of the
work.
 Step
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