How to Master the Principles of the Art

There is no reason why any boy possessed of an average amount of dexterity should not be able to perform many juggling tricks after a certain amount of careful and patient practice. By a close study of the following instructions, a clear idea of the principles of the art can be obtained; and when these principles have been mastered, the beginner should have no difficulty in elaborating the tricks to suit his own fancy.

As the system of juggling with knives, plates, or clubs is founded entirely upon the methods employed in manipulating balls, the simplest plan is to learn the tricks with these last before adapting them to larger objects.

Any kind of ball may be employed for juggling, but the specially-prepared balls, made of heavy metal, are the best, and can be purchased for a small sum in a set of four from any dealer in games.

1. The Vertical Fall

A ball should be thrown into the air in such a manner that it will descend to the exact point from which it was projected, as in Fig. 1. It is quite unnecessary to throw the ball higher than four feet. By an observation of the usual method of catching a ball, it will be noticed that the hand usually follows the course of the ball; but the great object of the juggler is to learn to catch without moving the hand from the position it occupied when throwing the ball into the air.

The great point of the vertical fall is to teach the beginner to move his hands as little as possible, and for this reason the exercise should be practiced with both right and left until such precision is acquired that the movement can be accomplished with the eyes closed.

2. Inside and Outside Falls

The inside fall is done by throwing the ball with the right hand, in such a way that it describes a curve and drops towards the left, as in Fig. 2. But instead of catching it with the left hand, catch it with the right by a rapid movement of the hand across the body. The ball being held in the right hand, it should be thrown back from left to right in a similar way, as in Fig. 3. The latter is called the outside fall.

This exercise is intended to teach the beginner to throw the ball several times in succession from side to side without its deviating from its course. The principle involved is very important for jugglery, and must be thoroughly acquired before proceeding with other tricks.

3. The Parallel Fall

This fall presents greater difficulties. The ball should be thrown with the right hand, as in the vertical fall, although the hand must be kept in a line with the shoulder. As soon as the ball has been caught, the hand must be rapidly brought into line with the left shoulder, the ball thrown from that position, and caught (Fig. 4).

Having learned the trick with the right hand, it is essential to become accustomed to perform it equally well with the left hand, moving it to the right shoulder.

4. Falls from Right to Left

Both hands are required for these falls, which are simply an adaptation of what has just been described. The ball should be thrown exactly as described in No. 2, but instead of moving the right hand across the body to catch the ball when it falls on the left side, the left hand should catch it, as in Fig. 5, and should immediately return it by means of the outside fall to the right hand. But little practice is required to learn this perfectly, and when smartly performed it makes a pretty display.

5. The Horizontal Pass

In this exercise the ball should be thrown from hand to hand in as straight a line as possible (Fig. 6), whilst the beginner must endeavor, by continually increasing the distance between his hands, to maintain a rapid volley.

6. The Double Vertical Fall

This is the first trick requiring two balls, and will need some attention. A ball should be taken in each hand, and the simple vertical fall performed with the right. Before this ball has descended, however, the ball in the left hand must be thrown in the air, as in Fig. 7, so that the two balls are continually in motion. It is at this point that the juggler will find the advantage of being proficient in the use of both hands for the single vertical fall.

A variation of this double fall can be acquired in the following manner:—

Both balls should be thrown up at the same time, as in Fig. 8, the hands being kept about two feet apart, care being taken that neither of the balls is thrown higher than the other.

The beginner must practice these thoroughly until perfectly accustomed to having the two balls in motion simultaneously.

7. The Double Inside Fall

This is a repetition of the outside and inside falls, but performed with two balls at once, and with both hands. The utmost care must be exercised to avoid a collision as they pass one another, and for this reason one ball must be thrown higher than the other, as in Fig. 9. Until proficiency is attained the balls should be thrown at various heights, and the hands well apart.

8. The Triple Pass

Having acquired the last trick perfectly, the beginner should now bring into use a third ball. A glance at Fig. 10 will show that the triple pass is nothing but the double inside fall performed with an additional ball.

Two balls are held in the left hand, and one in the right, the former being numbered 1 and 3, and the latter 2. Ball No. 1 is thrown from the left hand, and as soon as it is in the air, No. 2 is sent off from the right, after which No. 3 is thrown from the left hand. It will be noticed from Fig. 10 that No. 1 is sent the highest and No. 3 the lowest, and by this means a collision can best be avoided. The greatest care must be taken to throw the balls regularly, otherwise confusion will ensue.

To keep up the volley, each ball must be sent off again as soon as it has been caught, so that after the first throw neither hand holds more than one ball at a time.

9. The Triple Over Pass

The only difference between this and the Triple Pass is that each ball, as thrown, passes over instead of under the ball that precedes. This is shown in Fig. 11, where No. 2 passes over No. 1, whilst No. 3 is thrown the highest of all. This trick is usually combined with the ordinary Triple Pass, and from the spectator’s point of view presents no difference.

10. The Shower

This is one of the prettiest of all the tricks of Juggling, and should be learned with two balls. Take a ball in each hand and throw the right one in the air towards the left, whilst as soon as it is in the air pass the left hand ball to the right hand, as in Fig. 12. The moment this latter ball has been caught it must be thrown up in the wake of the first ball, and the whole trick continued as quickly as possible, so that one ball is always in the air.

This should be practiced continually until perfection is attained, as it forms an introduction to—

11. The Triple Shower

Two balls must be taken in the right hand, and one in the left. The first two should be thrown in rapid succession from the right to the left, the ball in the latter hand being passed to the right, as in the Simple Shower. As each ball reaches the left hand pass it rapidly across, as in Fig. 13, and start it off in the air once more.

The trick has the effect of making the spectators imagine that you have a large number of balls in your hands, and the more quickly the trick is done the greater the deception. By starting with three balls in the right hand and one in the left a still prettier display can be provided with little extra trouble. In this case, however, the balls will have to be thrown rather higher to give the left hand more time to catch the balls and pass them successfully.

As a final exercise the beginner should learn—

12. The Double Over Fountain

Four balls are required for this, a couple being taken in each hand, Nos. 1 and 3 being in the left and Nos. 2 and 4 in the right hand.

Nos. 1 and 2 are thrown up simultaneously in the simple Vertical Fall, as in A, Fig. 14. The hands are then rapidly moved apart and balls Nos. 3 and 4 are thrown over the first two balls in such a manner that they cross each other and are caught in the opposite hands (Fig. 14). The volley with those two balls is immediately returned and the hands are brought nearer together to catch and throw Nos. 1 and 2 again. Thus the fountain is kept up indefinitely. It will be observed that the two hands constantly approach and separate, as the two sets of balls are caught in turn, and such action must be very smartly performed.

The substitution of clubs or knives for balls can be easily effected, although the performance is none the better for the change. In using knives, the juggler should see that the handles are well weighted to insure that part of the object falling into his hand. The substitution of knives is not sufficiently interesting to compensate for the additional risk, and the amateur may very well dispense with them.

Plates and clubs are equally unwieldy, and the juggler can scarcely do better than content himself with the plain balls, the manipulation of which is certain to provide a pretty and interesting entertainment at all times.

---