Tips

low=control

I find that in any of my juggling endeavors, practicing while kneeling or sitting helps get the basics under control so I use my arms and hands for control instead of moving my body all erratic after the ball. This also helps when dropping, ball is shorter distance away! Later the body is very important in advanced moves as well as the theatrical part of contact juggling, so don't grovel forever!

practice in places that please you

I am lucky to work at my sister's gym which has a gymnastics floor. It has beautiful blue fuzzy covering trimmed in red and is springboard flooring. Also there is high ceiling with bright lights. My ball sparkles, and looking out on flawless blue floor, I feel like I'm a proffessional on a handcrafted stage. I do much better and am more creative when I feel that good and comfortable in my surroundings. My apartment on the other hand doesn't inspire me as well.

Let people play with one of your beat up acrylics, you may discover new moves within their follies.

Every time someone asks to play with your balls just hand them your beatup ball, the one you practice over pavement with. Most of the time they will just fool with it a little and hand it back. But every now and then, in their attempts to do some cool moves, they will show you a move you never thought of. Try to learn from not only your own mistakes but theirs, too.

its all possibe ,,if your mind can physically do it ..the body will mentally follow!!!

every part of the body that you can turn into a flat plain.. the ball will roll .. which is every part...then if you add physical momentum i.e spin ..you can bend the laws of physics to create any trick that you desire !!

indecision high-lites choice .
symbol recognition allows for a voice.
the fact your being ,always mean your doing.
so ,the art of freeing ,is all in the viewing.

....remember that all tricks go multiple ways don't contend yourself with one direction or side ...one trick = at least eight if you apply the right thought ..

Find your own style not only for performance, but also practice!

If the book or vid tells you to practice or start this way, you don't have to do it. If your beggining to learn the trickin a different way don't change just because thats not how someone else learned. To each his own.

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.

Contact Juggling

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