Professional jugglers often speak about how important it is to vary your routine. Your pattern should move around the stage, change from high to low, and so on.  One great way to add variety to a show is to use your feet. There are many methods of juggling with the feet but for now let's look at club kick-ups. We'll start with kicking a club up from the ground and work up to the drop-kick-up in which clubs are dropped from a regular cascade and kicked back with a foot. We'll also touch on some advanced variations for those who have mastered the drop-kick-up.

The Basic Kick-Up

The kick-up is a valuable move that should be in the repertoire of every club juggler. It allows you to retrieve dropped clubs without becoming tired from much stooping and bending.

The motion of the foot and leg is very important, so before trying to kick up a club, try the following exercise.

Stand in a normal stance, with your feet shoulder-width apart and toes pointing slightly outward. For this exercise, let your arms hang at your sides and turn your hands palm down. Now lift your right foot and kick your right palm with the side of your foot. Your heel and little toe should touch your hand at the same time. If your toe is always lower than your heel, you won't be able to lift a club, so keep working on this exercise. Similarly, try to kick your left hand with your left foot.

Now you're ready to try the kick-up, using just one club. Straddle the club as shown in Fig. 1, and then use your left foot to roll the club onto your right foot (Fig. 2). To hold the club in place, keep the toe of your right foot as high as possible, leaving only your heel touching the ground, and twist the foot a little so its right side is higher than the left. The handle of the club should be touching the inside of your ankle (Fig. 3).