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OK, are you ready for lesson number two?
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Location: Blogs Sly Comments |
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| Posted by: Emory Schley |
5/7/2007 7:13 AM |
On Monday, March 12, I explained to you how to go about learning how to juggle. The technique I described was a simple one wherein there is only one ball, or beanbag, in the air at any given time, although that’s kind of hard to discern when you’re watching someone do it. The technique discussed then is called the cascade. There are other forms of juggling, too, but the cascade is the one most people find to be the easiest.
Another much more difficult technique is called the shower. Whereas the cascade juggle is based on a more-or-less figure 8 pattern with the paths of the balls crossing over each other, the shower adopts a circular pattern where each ball follows a circular (or parabolic) path with no crossovers.
The shower is a much faster routine than the cascade, although to the observer, it doesn’t seem to appear much faster than the cascade. But the shower is much more difficult, nonetheless. Oddly enough, if you hand three balls to a non-juggler who has no knowledge of the skill, and ask him to try to juggle, most will try to do it shower style, even though the cascade is much easier. The odd thing about all this is that the cascade appears more difficult to do than the shower, although the exact opposite is the real truth. It’s just one of those strange anomalies we meet up with in daily life. An absolute novice might try the shower, assuming it’s the easier form – and fail miserably. He then will think there’s no way he could ever do the cascade because it seems much more difficult. However, the eye is easily deceived, and I’ll try to explain why.
I had mentioned in the first paragraph that with the cascade technique, only one ball is in the air at any given time. With the shower technique, two balls are in the air at any given time, and that is why the shower is a much more difficult maneuver than the cascade. You just gotta move those hands a lot faster!
Don’t be discouraged if you can’t do this right away. It takes time and practice. If it takes you a week to learn how to juggle cascade style, then it may take you a month or more of daily practice (15-20 minutes each day) before you’re able to do the shower style of juggling. But here’s a great incentive: LOTS of people can do the cascade, but few of them can do the shower-style.
OK, you’ve got your three balls, or beanbags (beanbags are best because they’re easier to hold onto, and they don’t bounce and roll when you drop them). These instructions will presume you’re right-handed. If you’re a southpaw, just make the appropriate adjustments and you’ll be all set.
Stand loosely with your feet about 6-8 inches apart. Put one ball in your left hand, and two in your right. The balls in your right hand should be arranged so that one sits on your lower palm and the other is laying on your upper palm. Your fingers should naturally curl around both balls when you close them. Hold both hands in front of you just a bit above your waist, with palms up. Then toss the first ball in your right hand up and into an arc toward your left hand. Then immediately toss the second ball from your right hand into the same path as ball number one. As you throw ball two, simultaneously toss the ball from your left hand straight across into your open right hand, then immediately catch ball one in your left hand and toss it to your right hand. Keep it up for as long as you can. See what I mean? It IS a lot faster, isn’t it? (And you thought I was trying to pull your leg, right?)
Learn how to do showers, then you can be a REAL show-off, even to other amateur jugglers! Practice on this one for a couple months, and then we'll take up the subject of juggling clubs and torches next time we talk about juggling. |
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