29-6,p10

HARTMAN'S HULLABALOO

This month ~ will explain a cigar box trick which I showed to several people at this year's convention. I call the trick "Pop-Zig, Pop-Zag". Mike Marlin and other box jugglers showed an interest in this trick of mine, and I hope you will too.

Start with three boxes in Ready Position (boxes end-to-end, center box suspended by inward pressure of the two outside boxes). As a trick-before-the-trick, toss the center box into the air (with a half or full spin) by "twisting and pushing" the outside boxes. While the center box is in the air, twist the left hand (and its box) counter-clockwise one-half turn. Now catch the flying box on the upturned surface of your left-"hand-box". You now proceed to shower two boxes while using the third (left hand-box) as a hand. With a full spin, toss the right-hand box slowly up and over to your left hand-box -- notice the different placement of hyphens here. Now snatch the center box (on top of the left hand-box) with your right hand, and then catch the spinning box on the now-empty left hand-box.

Proceed with a few more of these shower throws.

After this has been done, stop with a box on your left hand-box. Turn your right hand-box upside down so that it looks like your left (on the other hand ...?). Now, with a dramatic movement, use your left hand to toss the box in the left hand (the lower of the two boxes on the left up and out, with a half-spin, toward the right hand-box. Catch this box on the right hand-box. See the following illustration.

Meanwhile, the box that was on top of the left hand-box is doing a counter-clockwise half-spin above your left hand. Carefully catch this box with the left hand palm up.

Your left hand is now ready to catch the lower of the two boxes now being "held" in the right hand when you reverse this move. Do this trick several times, and then go back into your routine. In my next article I will explain a flashy. finish to this mini-routine. I apologize if the foregoing is confusing, but if you read it carefully step-by-step, you shouldn't have a big problem. For now, practice, and remember: "If I didn't have my left hand, then my right would be left."