Tips

You can isolate anything.

I got this tip from Andrew Wilson. Pick up any object and try to isolate it. Any object or thing can be isolated. Try it. By practicing isolations of other objects it will make it easier to isolate a sphere. Also it may give you other props to use when you CJ.

Remember to BREATHE

Hands shake after a minute or two of performing to an audience? Probably not breathing. A good way to remember to breathe is, find your focus (for example when doing pyramid patterns I'm focusing on the top ball) and let that focus remind you to breathe. Practice breathing when say doing the dishes. Breath is the one autonomic system that anyone can control-- it's very powerful. P.S. Don't forget to blink either! ;)

Know your Body!

Everyone has a different body, and different places to get creative with. Know where the ball will roll defore it gets there.

You are manipulating more than a sphere

To everyone else you look like you are just manipulating a sphere, but in essence you are learning to manipulate your body and allowing the sphere take it's natural course.

CJ to Music

Music will change your Contact Juggling style. Different music makes you Contact Juggle in different ways. Try it you'll like it.

Begginers, dont show off !!

Dont bore your friends when starting out by constantly talking about your new hobby, or by showing them a shakey butterfly that you are proud of but isnt really that visually impacting. Stick with it until you can really amaze them. Much better feeling!

Make the Difficult look easy. And make the easy look beautiful.

Don't just learn a trick and move on. Constantly work on making them look stunning.

Become a Sponge for knowledge

Learn everything you can. I don't think I need to expand on this concept

Everything you see, try to learn. And everything you learn try to perfect.

Speaks for itself....

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.

Contact Juggling

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