Late 2018 the family got involved in a local circus school. Seeing the amount of fun, failure and success they had really challenged my ‘too old to learn’ thinking. So I had to give juggling a serious try!
No shortcuts
I quickly found the core reason for my early (younger) failures at attempting to juggle. Rushing to throw 3 balls around while frantically trying to catch them isn’t the way. This, I quickly found out as soon as I spent time with someone who knows what they are doing with the patience to step me through the process.
Simple catch
It starts with a simple one ball throw and catches from left-to-right-right, right-to-left with the ball passing around forehead height with each throw. The ball travels in an arch and the hands are held around waist height. This simple practice is the key, and can’t be skipped. Getting a consistent throw for 50+ throws is deceptively tricky and builds the essential muscle memory needed to juggle. I found 5-10 minutes practice with a break a good way. Greasing-the-groove by practising often in short bursts throughout the day really nails that muscle memory.
Next time….. Progression