Juggling: Theory and A Simple Three Ball Trick

Juggling three balls proficiently is a skill that will announce loudly to those around you, "Yes, I do have too much free time; but no, that time was not wasted." When you casually juggle three oranges at the office, those around you will reflect sadly on all the time they have spent playing video games when they should have been learning to juggle. But you will not rub your victories in their faces. You will teach them to juggle. Because that's just the kind of guy you are.

Juggling three balls proficiently is also, by the way, a skill that takes some time and dedication to learn. Some will learn in months, others learn in less than an hour. I have taught hundreds of people to juggle from all walks of life (seriously, all walks of life). And all of them learned to juggle. This is not a testament to my skills as a teacher, but rather, a testament to unexplored abilities that lie within each and every human being. I have often heard the excuse, "but I'm not very coordinated, I can't learn to juggle." That is a lie.

You can learn to juggle. (If you don't have hands, you can still become very good at foot juggling.) If you do have two hands and the ability to move them, you have no excuses. In fact, juggling is often used as physical therapy for those with coordination or vision impairments. In fact, one of the best jugglers in the world, initially learned to juggle as a means to overcome his gross motor skill impairments. Juggling is also very good exercise (think of all of the bending over you'll do to pick up the balls you drop.) All you'll need are three juggling balls, oranges or wadded up socks and a lot of patience and persistence. Let's learn to juggle, shall we?

Alright. First let's start with a simple trick that should only take a couple of minutes to learn. You'll be able to do this right away.

The Orangutan-- This is the easy one. This trick is funny. If you announce that you can juggle, and then you do this trick, and you are not on a stage at a Juggling convention, then you will get a positive reaction. It is called the Orangutan because you will inevitably look a little like an Orangutan as you perform this trick. Whether you try to look like an Orangutan or not is up to your own personal sense of style. (I generally wouldn't advise it.) The three balls should be sitting on a table in front of you.

• Pick up a ball with your left hand and place it in your right armpit.

• Pick up a ball with your right hand and place it in your left armpit.

• Pick up a ball with your left hand.

• Drop the ball from your right armpit and catch it in your right hand (this is as hard as it gets).

• Place the ball in your left hand into your right armpit.

• Drop the ball from your left armpit and catch it in your left hand.

• Place the ball in your right hand into your left armpit.

• Repeat a few more times and call it a day.

You've just learned to juggle three balls (sort of). That wasn't so hard, was it?