Tips

Take a break

If you find yourself getting bored with Contact Juggling, take a break. You can develop new ideas during this time and when you return to CJ, you will be ready learn more. I took a two month break and it really helped me.

Feeling Technical? Write a Notation System.

I've found that the only way to fully grasp the concept of European Point-to-Point is create your own CJ notation system(onlygoldenchicken's system, CJSwap, SiteSwap, etc...) or write a combo generating program(CJGen). It really helps getting used to this new idea.

Beginning is Tough

As a beginner myself, I know how hard it is to start. I go to a performing arts school and take a juggling class (most people club juggle) and I've seen many people pick up the poor battered halfshattered CJ ball, try it for a day and never pick it up again. It's hard to start, but if you stick with it it gets easier and easier and then you can amaze yourself with the things you can do with a little practice. ^_^!

Learn a new move...Congrats!! Now reverse it.

When one learns a new move we often only learn it one way, in one direction, alot of cj moves can be reversed to make some pretty nifty looking manipulations.

carry your balls wherever you go

Take your practice ball(s) all over the place. You can do isolations (palm circles) and a few other moves without worrying about dropping the ball, so it can be practiced almost anywhere you go. (Practicing while driving is not recommended.) You'd be surprised how much extra practice time you can squeeze into your daily routine.

Got a pool? Go swimming!

I practice with my 4" dube' ball in the pool. It floats, and is soft enough to not harm the kiddies.<P>
Do not practice in cement pools with any acrylic or polycarb ball that you want to keep from getting
scratches.

Small Apartment? Make an enclosure!

If you live in a small apartment, and don't have a room to spare for practicing in, try protecting your
valuable breakables with tulle [pronounced "tool"]. It's a thin nylon fabric often used in veils. Figure out a
way to create enclosed areas, so any dropped balls wont go far.<P>

<B>DO NOT</B> allow it to drape against ANY heat source. or use a heavier netting around your bed in
the event of a fire<P>

BTW: Black is the best color for seeing thru. So you can watch TV in the security that you won't break it.
(Don't panic about breaking your picture tube, I've broken several TV tubes in the past, but only by throwing
large 10lb ROCKS down on them.)

Sleep on it

If you are alone, or not going to disturb your partner, practice problimatic moves in bed, just before going to
sleep. You may find that your mind will have figured out what you were doing wrong.

Be kind to your Neighbors

If someone lives below you, a great substitute for acrylics are hollow vinyl stage balls. They are lighter, but improve your control and have improved my performance with acrylics.

Graph your progress.

Get several sheets of graph paper, tape them together, and graph your progress month by month. Set your goals during a certain month, then graph up for each trick or technique you learn. The best thing about these graphs, is they never go down.

Set no limits, only goals.

In the art of contact juggling the whole aspect is mind over body to a degree. When you first saw it did you think it was possible for you to attain? I sure didn't think so. But after so hard earn work the impossible is not so impossible after all. You could almost say that the ball/balls become a part of you.

New to CJ? Start with buying several balls.

Lets face it, you're new, you're gonna drop the ball... If you only have one ball, each and every time that
thing gets away from you, you're gonna have to chase it. If you have several balls, you don't have to chase
it each time you drop.

Once you get good. . . .Break the rules

Once "proper" form has been learned, and you feel comfertable with your basic moves. . . .just break the rules. Go out of the ordinary to explore possible new moves or combinations. There are unlimited possibilities with just the butterfly, by breaking the rule of having it go over the tips of your fingers.

Warm up with a wave

Hands together, ball running from side to side across your upturned fingertips, easy to learn, (watch your fingertips in the mirror), great trick for getting yourself into the right headspace......

Use hand lotion to restore a sparkle to your balls.

It's bound to happen sooner or later, your ball is going to get scratched, scuffed, or even a small crack... then
as you practice, they get duller and duller in appearance.

I use hand lotion to restore a sparkle to my balls.

PS: Upscale stores in malls are a great source for free samples of hand lotion... or for you
ladies...makeup, perfume, and mirrors .

Use a small mesh stuff sack when practicing on public transportation,

I ride the bus, and practice CJ. Occasionally I'll drop a ball, and then have to go chasing after it... with the bus in motion. (One driver is ready to have me banned from her bus).

I found that a small mesh stuff sack (found at a outdoor supply store for around $7 US) can keep the balls
from hitting the floor. I just pull the drawstring so that my hand (with a ball in it) cannot slip out, and voila, a
safe way to practice.

The bag also doubles to keep your balls from being loose in your backpack. TIP: How to Practice on Public Transportation.

Balance your muscles

Be sure to work opposite muscle groups. For example If you're practicing loads of palmspins you ought to work the muscles on the backs of your hands as well with skills that totally engage those muscles. This way you will avoid overworking the palms-- eventually tightening them all up, and underworking the back muscles-- causing them to atrophy

Never agree with them.

So often people will say, "I could never do that" or "I am too uncoordinated to do that". DO NOT AGREE WITH THEM!! Hand them one of your old, beaten up acrylics, and teach them how to hold the ball in the cradle. Tell them that anybody can learn how to Contact Juggle.

Learn from mistakes

Don't just make the same mistakes over and over again, learn each time you fail at some new move. Listen to your body: each muscle records what went wrong at the time of your mistake, and you can learn from it once you learn how. Also, if you have some weird mistake that looks kind of cool, fly with it! Turn a mistake into a new move.

Get a Signature Move

Once you get used to the basics of CJ, get a signature move, a move that just screams. . . .YOU! My signature move is the "Spined" Tandem Butterfly. A signature move is just a nifty little way of making yourself known.

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