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Balancing your homemade clubs

By Ed Kosco - St. Petersburg, Florida

"HEY! ARE THOSE THINGS balanced? "

That's what non-jugglers always ask me when I juggle clubs in the park. It brings up an interesting question, though. If you build your own props, do you know how to balance them, or even check their balance?

Once a club-shaped object is tossed upward and leaves the hand, it always spins around its own static balance point no matter how cleverly it is thrown.

Many factors influence "'how a club feels, but one is easy to measure clearance distance. This is the distance by which the fat part of a club clears your hand when flipped with a single spin.

Every club or club-like prop has its own clearance distance. To calculate it, simply

balance a club on a knife blade placed on a table such that the club knob is flush with the table edge. Then, keeping the knife in place, reverse the club and rebalance it. The distance from the club butt to the table edge is the clearance distance! I have made some casual measurements and tabulated this list:

Clearance distance

Fat American-style club +3.75 inches

Long European-style club +2.25 inches

Short European-style club +2.50 inches

Real machete -3.00 inches

Machete made for juggling - 0 inches

Apparently, clearance distances of about +2 inches to +4 inches are just about right. Notice how much the real storebought machete is out of balance. The negative sign means you must actually move your hand out of the way as the blade spins past your hand! Even the machete made for juggling could use some improvement.

If you happen to own an out-of-balance prop, all is not lost. I improved the balance of the machete by removing weight from the handle, hacksawing down the blade at that end and replacing the handle with balsa wood.

So, the next time someone asks you if those things are balanced, just ramble on about clearance distance until they get bored and decide to pay more attention to your juggling than your props!

A lesson in rola-bola balance

By Larry Vaksman - Philadelphia, Pennaylvanla

THE ROLA-BOLA (BONGO BOARD, balancing board) is a very simple, useful device which few jugglers exploit. It is easy to learn, simple to make (if you find some plastic pipe or tubing), not too expensive to buy, and easily transportable.

It is merely a board atop a plastic or wooden cylinder about five inches or more in diameter. You balance on it with each foot on an end of the board, shifting your weight from side to side. Many people can do it with just a little bit of practice.

If you can't, try this:

Place the board atop the roller at about the three-quarters point. Step on the bottom end and then the high end (how else?). A spotter should be behind you, with hands just below your armpits. The spotter should hold his or her arms stiff, but move them easily from side to side with your body.

Pick a spot on the wall in front of you and focus your eyes on it. With arms spread straight out to the sides for balance, shift your weight to the foot on the elevated end of the board. At first, practice offsetting your balance from one side to the other and stopping. You will momentarily feel the point of balance in the middle. Soon you will be able to stay in equilibrium by stepping harder on the left foot when the board goes to the right and vice-versa.

Keep your body's center of gravity (your weight) just above the cylinder. You don't know anyone who likes you enough to be your spotter? OK. Set up the rola-bola in front of a wall and learn to balance with both hands spread apart firmly against that wall.

But wait! Do not start yet! Here is some very important information on how not to get hurt. Simply keep both feet flat on the board as you lose balance, in spite of what your instincts tell you. If you should want to get hurt, that's easy, too. Just remove one foot as the board goes sideways, sending you, the roller, and the board into several different zip codes!

A rola-bola is a great training device for juggling tricks that are done with both feet on the ground. I got disgustingly good at juggling five balls by doing it on the board. Once you can do it while balancing, it's a breeze on solid ground!