REVIEWS

 

BOOKS

 

Four Ball Juggling - from Simple Patterns to Advanced Theory. By Martin Probert. Published 1995 by Veronika Probert. ISBN - 0 952486008.202 pages, 5 7/8" x 8-1/4" 700-plus illustrations.

 

About 15 years ago, the D. C. area had only two five-ball jugglers: Brian Olson and Tony Duncan. Now you have to beat 5­baIlers away with devil sticks as they crowd every corner. The average level of competence has risen to such an extent that Mills' Mess is no longer an ultimate goal and "Beyond the Cascade" sells out regularly. Looking around we see all kinds of three-ball tricks, five-ball cascades, reverse-cascades and half-showers and even some obligatory short runs of 7­balls.

 

Did I skip anything here? Ah, even numbers. A lot of people can do the four-ball fountain, but then they quickly move on to five-balls, leaving four a rare sight. Tricks? Not many. Now, riding in to save the day is Martin Probert with Four Ball Juggling, which includes more than 150 pages of exceptionally well-illustrated four­ball patterns, six pages of five-, six- and seven-ball patterns and about 30 pages of mathematical and notational theory.

 

Along the way are patterns in- and out-of-synch, multiplex, one-count holds (fakes), showers, hand-off (snap) patterns, bounce patterns with and without toss juggling, Mills' Mess and even one-handed patterns (for those truly exploring the outer limits).

 

Strengths of the book include the large number of pictures illustrating every throw with the position of the other balls included, a presentable routine of tricks in a natural sequence and an eight-page explanation of Mills' Mess with 24 pictures in a step-by-step learning progression.

 

Probert invented a notation similar to site-swap, but extended, and used it on every page. It is not obtrusive and is explained clearly at the back of the book.

 

A few minor objections:

1) The pictures don't show the hand movements. They have the balls traveling in an impossible ellipse, caught and thrown from the same point.

2) In a version of tennis (called "one-over") the ball being thrown over is marked with an "X" for clarity. This is a good idea and balls should be marked similarly in other pictures for a quicker understanding.

3) The book is glued at the back and doesn't flatten well, which would have been a convenience.

 

The three points above are trivial and should not prevent Four Ball Juggling from getting the enthusiastic response it deserves, appearing in every juggler's library. Soon, the next step after three balls will be four, not five!

-by Barry Sperling

 

My First Diabolo Book: An Introduction to Diabolo Techniques. By Donald Grant; 48 pages, illustrated by the author; published by Circustuff; available in the US from Infinite Illusions

 

Donald Grant is back at his typewriter, and his sketch pad, with an offering aimed at the newcomer to diabolo. "My First Diabolo Book" is a bit of a misnomer, given the fact that it is, in fact, Donald's fourth diabolo book. But it rounds out the series nicely. Anyone fa­miliar with his previous books knows that Donald has forgotten more tricks than most of us will ever learn, but this latest book starts back at the beginning, aimed at-delivering elementary instruction.

 

This is a Donald Grant book, all right. Like his other three, it's an easy, straightforward read, with a good dose of the author's infectious humor, and plenty of gentle encouragement for the tender novice. The artwork is characteristically cute, uncluttered, and effective. I did find myself pondering why everyone in Donald's world appears to walk around full time wearing scuba flippers. I finally decided that he must have attended all the art classes on drawing heads, goofy expressions, arms, legs, torsos, handsticks, and diabolos, but overslept the morning of the class on "feet."

 

The instructions on how to get a diabolo spinning and under control are clear and concise. The book progresses through a few easy tricks, including some building block moves needed for harder tricks. There are moves with a little flash to impress your first audience, and a taste of the more complicated as well with grinds and a suicide. In short, there's a little bit of everything diabolo, and encouragement to invent on your own.

 

This book is almost "Diabolo For The Complete Klutz." Almost, because if it was, there would be more initial "how-to hand­holding," more discussion on self-diagnosing and correcting common problems, and probably fewer tricks. However, since getting a diabolo going is not nearly as difficult to master as a three-ball cascade, the book's instructional balance of basic skills to tricks is about right.

 

This is obviously not a book for anyone with diabolo experience. It is, however, extremely well suited to someone with little to no experience, and serves as a logical spring­board into the other books in the series.

- by Dan McDonald

 

The Juggler's Little Instruction Book. By Daniel Holzman' 56 pages soft cover; available for $9.95 postpaid check or money order.

 

It's hard to imagine a seasoned professional like Holzman not knowing to shake off excess torch fuel before lighting them up in the street. But he claims it happened, and that he suffered the consequences!

 

Holzman says this and other gaffes on his way to "The Tonight Show" prompted him to gather 300 pieces of wisdom into a volume that will help others avoid those mistakes. His encyclopedia of hot tips begins with 21 notes for torch jugglers, then runs through sections on knife juggling, unicycling, street shows, cruise ships, practicing your routine, before the show, during the show, after the show, show business, and creating routines.

 

Some are highlighted in bold type, such as #124, "For a quick lesson in the importance of perfection, practice juggling brand new silicone balls on top of a steep hill." Some are humorous, such as #59, "If you wear your costume into K-Mart and nobody stares, it's not a costume." And some are downright insightful, such as #279, "The best way to come up with a good idea is to come up with a lot of ideas."

 

If you've had a lot of performing experience, most of these notes will be familiar components of your own mental check list. But if you're just starting in the business, this quick read is worth the price to help you get where you're going even quicker!