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Hi! Edward Jackman West Coast juggler here. For those who don't remember who I am, I am the guy with the goofy devil stick routine and runner-up in the club juggling competition at this year's convention. I have a couple of ideas for you jugglers to try.
Idea
1: Juggling six balls. Most of the people I see juggling six balls do three in each hand and a few do a double shower. Both of these patterns are more difficult than the one I learned first which looks like the figure at the left. I learned this pattern up to twenty-four throws before I could juggle three balls in my left hand. After learning this pattern, the double shower was easy, and better looking, and three balls in my left hand cane without practice. Also, I think this pattern looks better than three in each hand (which I am finally learning).
To do this pattern with six balls, start .with three balls in each hand. Raise your right hand three inches above the height of the left hand. Both hands move in unison at all times. All throws pass in front of your nose (which makes them easy to see, in contrast to when juggling three in each hand). Because the right hand is always three inches higher than the left hand and the hands throw together, the balls do not collide in the middle. Here is a set of diagrams showing the cycle of the pattern:
(Of course, eight balls may be juggled in the same manner. I've been able to flash eight rather easily with small bird seed balls and to juggle eight for twelve throws [only four catchesJ. I can barely juggle four balls in my right hand, let, alone my left.)
Idea
2: Twelve balls -- four people. Here is an interesting pattern for ball passing where all throws are passes. From above it looks as follows:
All right hands throw straight across together and left hands throw to the right together. The pattern is a little mind boggling, but not difficult. We have been able to do this pattern with fourteen and sixteen balls also. With fourteen balls, right hands don't throw together and neither do the left hands. With sixteen balls, all hands again throw together. I have not seen it done with clubs or rings, but I would like to. Have fun!
IJA
MENTIONED IN SCIENTIFIC AMERICAN (On Ron Graham's Coattails)
IJA past-president Ron Graham is featured prominently in Martin Gardiner's renowned "Mathematical Games" column in the November 1977 issue of the internationally circulated journal, Scientific American. Almost a page of the six-page article 'is concerned with Ron's work in an area of mathematics known as "Ramsey theory." The section of the article discussing Ron's work begins as follows: "Ronald L. Graham, one of the nation's top combinatorialists (he heads the Discrete Mathematics Department at Bell Laboratories), has made many significant contributions to generalized Ramsey theory. It would be hard to find a creative mathematician who less resembles the motion-picture stereotype. In his early youth Graham and two friends were professional trampoline performers who worked for a circus under the name of the Bouncing Baers. He is also one of the country's best jugglers and former . president of the International Juggler's Association. The ceiling of his office is covered with a large net that he can lower and attach to his waist, so that when he is practicing with six or seven balls, any missed ball obligingly rolls back to him." |
