30-2,p6

THREE BALL TRICK

The following is a description of what I feel is one of the nicest looking three ball tricks. For lack of a better name, I refer to it as "straight across." The trick looks like a fast switching of balls in irregular time with the most striking part being one ball repeatedly snapped and carried straight across.

The basis of the trick is as follows:

1) Ball A is thrown normally with the left hand so it falls into the right hand.

2) Ball B is thrown quite normally under ball A and up.

3) Ball A is caught in the right hand and instantly brought by the right hand straight across, under ball B which that same hand just threw, all the way over to the left, where it is to be thrown straight up; this is the key move to the trick.

4) All this time ball C has been held in the left hand; immediately after the right hand has brought ball A straight across, the left hand swings ball C under to the right side using the standard underthrow, and with one motion throws ball C straight up on the right.

5) Immediately after the left hand throws ball C up on the right, the right hand throws ball A straight up on the left.

6) The hands are uncrossed, and juggling continues as they come down.

The timing is: right hand, throw ball B; right hand, catch ball A and bring it straight across; left hand, swing ball C underthrow; right hand, throw ball A up.

It is probably best to learn this series of moves for one side and then separately for the other (simply substituting "left" for "right" and vice-versa in the directions) before going on. Then the two sides can be put together so that every throw of ball A involves the straight across movement, every throw of ball C involves the underthrow, and every throw of ball B is the standard.

Continuing the trick, the balls will be falling in the order B,C,A.

6) The hands are uncrossed, and ball B is caught in the left hand (on the left).

7) Ball C is caught in the right hand (on the right).

8) Ball B is thrown by the left hand Quite normally under ball A which is coming down into that hand.

9) Ball A is caught and brought straight across under ball B, which that same hand just threw, over to the right.

10) The right hand swings ball C under to the left, and throws it straight up.

11) The left hand, now on the right side, throws ball A straight up.

12) the hands are uncrossed, and the process is repeated as from step 2.

There is a tendency when first learning this trick to throw balls A and C at the same time. This is really a minor point which can be easily corrected later. This trick looks best when Ball A is snapped across very quickly.

Harold Cohen, New York, NY

VALERI GURYEV, Heavyweight Juggler

Valeri Guryev, the heavyweight juggler with the Moscow Circus, juggles cannon balls and kettlebells in his act and balances a 132 pound barbell on his chin. Valeri says that he strives for good tricks with strong presentation, and is not interested in performing with the heaviest poundages possible.

Among heavyweight jugglers, he says, there is no competition for maximum poundage, but rather for tricks performed effortlessly. However, Valeri juggles cannon balls that weigh 26 pounds each, and the kettlebells, he says, weigh 100 pounds each. At one point in his act, he balances the barbell on a support on his chin and holds a kettlebell overhead in each hand. That's more that 330 pounds!

Aside from his act, Valeri Guryev trains with weights and says that he can press 350 pounds and clean and jerk 440 pounds. But he calls this "boring" for the audience to watch and explains the new tricks he is working on. Without exaggeration, the Moscow Circus program describes his act as "an awesome display of artistry and strength."

Dennis Soldati