Toss juggling
Encyclopedia
- This article focuses on toss juggling. For a more general discussion of juggling, please see the main article: JugglingJugglingJuggling is a skill involving moving objects for entertainment or sport. The most recognizable form of juggling is toss juggling, in which the juggler throws objects up to catch and toss up again. This may be one object or many objects, at the same time with one or many hands. Jugglers often refer...
.
Juggling
Juggling is a skill involving moving objects for entertainment or sport. The most recognizable form of juggling is toss juggling, in which the juggler throws objects up to catch and toss up again. This may be one object or many objects, at the same time with one or many hands. Jugglers often refer...
which is most recognisable as 'juggling'. Toss juggling is at once: a performing art, a sport
Sport
A Sport is all forms of physical activity which, through casual or organised participation, aim to use, maintain or improve physical fitness and provide entertainment to participants. Sport may be competitive, where a winner or winners can be identified by objective means, and may require a degree...
, a form of exercise and meditation
Meditation
Meditation is any form of a family of practices in which practitioners train their minds or self-induce a mode of consciousness to realize some benefit....
, a recreation
Recreation
Recreation is an activity of leisure, leisure being discretionary time. The "need to do something for recreation" is an essential element of human biology and psychology. Recreational activities are often done for enjoyment, amusement, or pleasure and are considered to be "fun"...
al pursuit and often is a hobby.
In toss juggling, objects — such as balls, bean bags, fruit
Fruit
In broad terms, a fruit is a structure of a plant that contains its seeds.The term has different meanings dependent on context. In non-technical usage, such as food preparation, fruit normally means the fleshy seed-associated structures of certain plants that are sweet and edible in the raw state,...
, clubs, etc. — are thrown or tossed into the air and caught. Multiple objects may be thrown in succession, so that at a given point, some are in the air, going up, some are falling back towards the juggler's hands, some are being caught and some are being thrown. Technically, toss juggling is a form of object manipulation
Object manipulation
Object manipulation is a form of dexterity play or performance in which one or more artists physically interact with one or more objects. These can be special props made for the purpose of the manipulation itself - such as balls, clubs, hoops, rings, poi, staff, devil sticks, etc. - or any other...
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Performance
As a performing art, the juggler will display his or her skill at manipulation, quite often performing intricate maneuvers with the tossed objects, but usually limiting those tricks to ones that the juggler is confident of successfully accomplishing. Some of the tricks performed can be a fountainFountain (juggling)
The fountain is a juggling pattern that is often used for juggling an even number of objects. In a fountain, each hand juggles separately, and the objects are not thrown between the hands. For example, in a four-ball fountain, each hand juggles two balls independently.A fountain can be synchronous...
when juggling an even number of objects, where each hand juggles half the number of objects to itself. Another common pattern is the shower
Shower (juggling)
A shower is a juggling pattern for 2 or more objects, most commonly balls or bean bags, where objects are thrown in a circular motion. Balls are thrown high from one hand to the other while the other hand passes the ball back horizontally. The animation depicts a 3 ball version. Siteswap notation...
which refers to a toss pattern
Juggling pattern
A juggling pattern or juggling trick is a specific combination of manipulations of props while juggling . At its simplest level, a juggling pattern can normally be defined as a sequence of various throws using a certain number of props...
in which the balls follow each other in a rotary pattern, with each ball being thrown from the same hand, and each ball being caught with the opposite hand, then quickly passed to the throwing hand again. Instead of a fountain, when juggling an odd number of objects, the most common pattern a juggler may perform is a cascade
Cascade (juggling)
In juggling, a cascade is the simplest pattern achievable with an odd number of props. The simplest cascade is the three-ball cascade. This is therefore the first pattern that most jugglers learn.-Three-ball cascade:...
— where balls are thrown from alternate hands, and caught in alternate hands.
Patterns and tricks
Besides the cascadeCascade (juggling)
In juggling, a cascade is the simplest pattern achievable with an odd number of props. The simplest cascade is the three-ball cascade. This is therefore the first pattern that most jugglers learn.-Three-ball cascade:...
, (or reverse cascade
Reverse cascade
The reverse cascade is a juggling pattern in which the props follow the same path as the cascade, but with time going backwards, hence the 'reverse'....
), other toss patterns include the box
Box (juggling)
The Box is a juggling pattern for 3 objects, most commonly balls or bean bags. Two balls are dedicated to a specific hand with vertical throws, and the third ball is thrown horizontally between the two hands...
or column
Columns (juggling)
Columns,also known as One-up Two-up, is a juggling trick where the balls are thrown upwards without any sideways motion. The simplest version involves having three balls, with two going up simultaneously on either side, followed by one going up in the middle...
, and any number of multiplex patterns
Multiplex (juggling)
Multiplexing is a form of toss juggling where more than one ball is in the hand at the time of the throw. The opposite, a squeeze catch, is when more than one ball is caught in the hand simultaneously on the same beat...
or contact juggling
Contact juggling
Contact juggling is a form of object manipulation that focuses on the movement of objects such as balls in contact with the body. Although often used in conjunction with "toss juggling", it differs in that it involves the rolling of one or more objects without releasing them into the air...
tricks within the pattern
Juggling pattern
A juggling pattern or juggling trick is a specific combination of manipulations of props while juggling . At its simplest level, a juggling pattern can normally be defined as a sequence of various throws using a certain number of props...
.
There are also amusing stunts such as the Yo-yo and the Robot, which give the illusion that the balls are connected to each other or to the juggler's body. By adding elementary skills to any juggling pattern the pattern can be increased, incrementally, in complexity.
There are even wildly intricate patterns such as the Mills Mess
Mills Mess
In juggling, the Mills Mess is a popular toss juggling pattern, typically performed with three balls although the number and objects can be different...
invented by Steve Mills of The Dazzling Mills Family. For a given pattern any number of variants may occur to the juggler, for instance, Mills Mess has at least three well-known variants, produced by adding flourishes such as chops
Chops (juggling)
Chops is a 3-ball juggling pattern based on the cascade but involving a semicircular carry performed with either one or both hands...
, holds, stalls, and carries.
Sport
As a sport, juggling can be done competitively, with jugglers taking turns to try to best each other's abilities, or juggling together, in teams—called passing. In passing, two or more jugglers will throw objects to each other, performing such feats as may be accomplished 'solo', but juggling more objects. Jason GarfieldJason Garfield
Jason Garfield is a juggler and entertainer from Norfolk, Connecticut. He is the founder and president of the World Juggling Federation .-Sport Juggling:...
is a leader/initiator of the concept "Sport Juggling". This concept really took off in 2004 when he put together the World Juggling Federation competition. This is an annual event that has been previously held in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Passing and feeding
If three jugglers can each juggle three items, together they may readily juggle nine items. A variation on simple passing, called feeding , is performed by two or more jugglers all tossing to one specific juggler—called the feeder. The feeder is usually the juggler with the better-developed skill. In a 3-person feed, the feeder may pass on every second beat (called "solids" or "2-count") -- alternately passing to the other two jugglers, where every right hand throw is a pass, while they in turn pass back to him on "every others" (every fourth beat (sometimes called "4-count"), where every other right hand is a pass). Meanwhile all the balls not passed to the feeder are 'self-tossed' or thrown to oneself. Of course, a seemingly infinite variety of combinations of number of balls, number of jugglers, feeding directions or rhythms, etc. may be accomplished. Pass juggling helps to develop a better sense of rhythmRhythm
Rhythm may be generally defined as a "movement marked by the regulated succession of strong and weak elements, or of opposite or different conditions." This general meaning of regular recurrence or pattern in time may be applied to a wide variety of cyclical natural phenomena having a periodicity or...
.
Exercise and fitness
As exercise, juggling is a highly aerobicAerobic exercise
Aerobic exercise is physical exercise of relatively low intensity that depends primarily on the aerobic energy-generating process. Aerobic literally means "living in air", and refers to the use of oxygen to adequately meet energy demands during exercise via aerobic metabolism...
activity, increasing the heart rate
Heart rate
Heart rate is the number of heartbeats per unit of time, typically expressed as beats per minute . Heart rate can vary as the body's need to absorb oxygen and excrete carbon dioxide changes, such as during exercise or sleep....
and respiration
Respiration (physiology)
'In physiology, respiration is defined as the transport of oxygen from the outside air to the cells within tissues, and the transport of carbon dioxide in the opposite direction...
. Juggling helps one to develop good hand-eye coordination, physical fitness and balance.
Reflexes
Juggling helps to develop quick reflexReflex action
A reflex action, also known as a reflex, is an involuntary and nearly instantaneous movement in response to a stimulus. A true reflex is a behavior which is mediated via the reflex arc; this does not apply to casual uses of the term 'reflex'.-See also:...
es, and in fact, jugglers develop "higher-order reflexes", reflexes not typically associated with normal human
Human
Humans are the only living species in the Homo genus...
activity. These reflexes are formed through repetition of what are, at first, slowly-learned and difficult processes. As the various processes develop into reflexive actions, additional, more difficult or complex skills are 'layered' atop previous, well-developed skills. These new more complex skills eventually become more reflexive, and eventually, various unusual high order reflexes develop. An example is that, while catching a raw chicken's egg
Egg (biology)
An egg is an organic vessel in which an embryo first begins to develop. In most birds, reptiles, insects, molluscs, fish, and monotremes, an egg is the zygote, resulting from fertilization of the ovum, which is expelled from the body and permitted to develop outside the body until the developing...
may be quite challenging to a novice juggler, a more skilled juggler might be able to easily catch — unbroken — an egg thrown towards him without warning.
Meditation
Paradoxically, the same processes that are well-known for exercising the body, can also be a very relaxing activity. As meditationMeditation
Meditation is any form of a family of practices in which practitioners train their minds or self-induce a mode of consciousness to realize some benefit....
, juggling a repeating pattern or patterns can take one's mind off the stresses they might encounter in their daily lives. Jugglers have described a phenomenon of near-disembodiment and tranquility which may come over them while juggling. The constant rising and falling of the objects, the regularity of the rhythms, can become almost hypnotic, and the attention of a juggler while tightly focused on the juggling pattern may seem to expand and even to "encompass the universe".
Recreation
As a recreational pursuit, juggling excels in many ways. Besides the previously-mentioned health benefits, any form of juggling is at its best when done socially. The equipment is inexpensive or free — though very costly equipment is also available — and easily portable. Juggling is great for "breaking the ice" at parties and other social gatherings . Jugglers are a friendly sort, usually, and are often very willing to help beginning jugglers with advice. Juggling conventionJuggling convention
Many countries, cities or juggling clubs hold their own annual juggling convention. These are the backbone of the juggling scene, the events that regularly bring jugglers from a wide area together to socialize...
s, clubs and other gatherings where jugglers congregate can be great places to meet and share the art of juggling, for experts novices and even 'non-jugglers' — who often find themselves doing some form of juggling themselves.
Common juggling patterns
One of the most basic three-ball patterns, the first trick a juggler normally learns, is the cascadeCascade (juggling)
In juggling, a cascade is the simplest pattern achievable with an odd number of props. The simplest cascade is the three-ball cascade. This is therefore the first pattern that most jugglers learn.-Three-ball cascade:...
. Below is a list of other common three-ball patterns.
- Reverse cascadeReverse cascadeThe reverse cascade is a juggling pattern in which the props follow the same path as the cascade, but with time going backwards, hence the 'reverse'....
- ShowerShower (juggling)A shower is a juggling pattern for 2 or more objects, most commonly balls or bean bags, where objects are thrown in a circular motion. Balls are thrown high from one hand to the other while the other hand passes the ball back horizontally. The animation depicts a 3 ball version. Siteswap notation...
- Mills MessMills MessIn juggling, the Mills Mess is a popular toss juggling pattern, typically performed with three balls although the number and objects can be different...
(and other 'messes' such as Boston Mess) - Burke's BarrageBurke's BarrageBurke's Barrage is a toss juggling pattern named after its inventor Ken Burke. It is quite popular among jugglers due to the impressive arm moves, but it's not so hard to master, compared to the Rubenstein's Revenge for example....
- Rubenstein's RevengeRubenstein's RevengeRubenstein's Revenge is a 3-ball toss juggling pattern named by George Gillson after its inventor, Rick Rubenstein. Along with Mills Mess and Burke's Barrage it is one of three well known named juggling patterns that involve complex carries and crossed arm throws...
- BoxBox (juggling)The Box is a juggling pattern for 3 objects, most commonly balls or bean bags. Two balls are dedicated to a specific hand with vertical throws, and the third ball is thrown horizontally between the two hands...
- ChopsChops (juggling)Chops is a 3-ball juggling pattern based on the cascade but involving a semicircular carry performed with either one or both hands...
- ColumnsColumns (juggling)Columns,also known as One-up Two-up, is a juggling trick where the balls are thrown upwards without any sideways motion. The simplest version involves having three balls, with two going up simultaneously on either side, followed by one going up in the middle...
- Yo-yo
- FountainFountain (juggling)The fountain is a juggling pattern that is often used for juggling an even number of objects. In a fountain, each hand juggles separately, and the objects are not thrown between the hands. For example, in a four-ball fountain, each hand juggles two balls independently.A fountain can be synchronous...
- MultiplexMultiplex (juggling)Multiplexing is a form of toss juggling where more than one ball is in the hand at the time of the throw. The opposite, a squeeze catch, is when more than one ball is caught in the hand simultaneously on the same beat...
- FlashFlash (juggling)A Flash in juggling is where each throw in a pattern being juggling is thrown and caught once. For a three ball cascade, this means three throws and three catches. However, for a four balls mills mess, this means six throws/catches as one round of the pattern requires six throws to complete it....
See also
- JugglingJugglingJuggling is a skill involving moving objects for entertainment or sport. The most recognizable form of juggling is toss juggling, in which the juggler throws objects up to catch and toss up again. This may be one object or many objects, at the same time with one or many hands. Jugglers often refer...
- JogglingJogglingJoggling is a competitive sport that combines juggling and jogging. People who joggle are called jogglers.The most common objects used in joggling are juggling balls, or sometimes juggling clubs, but any set of three or more objects can be used. The juggling is usually done in a three-ball cascade...
- Juggling patterns and tricks for more toss juggling maneuvers.