Chapter IV: Juggling with Balls

BY A PRACTICAL GYMNAST.

Juggling with balls, a pastime as pretty as it is entertaining, has also certain special advantages. In the first place, it is really an art, well worthy of the name, which may be easily acquired by members of either sex at any age, and it affords a gentle exercise which is extremely beneficial to the health.

In illustration of this, I may mention a fact which, some years ago, came under my personal notice. An artist friend of mine, finding that his health was giving way under the toil and the strain it was necessary for him to devote to his profession, asked me if I could recommend him some not too laborious exercise to which he might betake himself in the brief intervals of his work. Clubs and dumb-bells were too heavy, he said, and their use moreover rendered his hand unsteady, and so prevented his putting into his picture those delicate touches so necessary for success.

I suggested juggling with balls, as being an exercise less violent and equally healthy. He sprang at the idea, and after giving him some instructions I left him, and soon forgot all about the circumstance.

Several months afterwards I called on my friend at his studio, and, to my surprise and amusement, found him busy--not with his pencil, but with three juggling balls. ‘I’ve done it,’ he cried with great glee, as soon as he saw me; ‘I can shower three! Look!’ And thereupon he recommenced his operations, and soon convinced me that he had become an adept at his new pursuit; and he really seemed to be more pleased to have succeeded with the ‘shower’ than with his picture, which was shortly afterwards exhibited ‘on the line’ at the Royal Academy. That he was in good spirits you will have gathered from what I have just said, and you will readily believe that he could hardly have been so happy unless his health had been re-established.

Nor is the juggling with balls simply a healthy exercise. It _must_ lead to useful, and it may (and often does) lead to very important results. The quickness of hand and eye acquired by the practice is not only valuable in cricket, football, and other sports, but also can hardly fail to prove serviceable in the sterner duties and emergencies of life. If space permitted I could relate many stories of articles, and even life, being saved by the dexterous catch of one who had practised juggling. I am generally called upon, when in a gymnasium, to stand close to any one who is about to try a new exercise, or one attended with risk, either on the horizontal or trapeze bar, in case of a slip; and I entirely attribute my quickness in catching to my proficiency in juggling, the hand being taught instantly to follow any movement the eye may detect.

This subject, useful as I have shown it to be, has, so far as I am aware, never been treated on in any English publication, although in France and in many other parts of the Continent juggling forms an important branch of physical education, and is much practised in the gymnasia.

You may very naturally suppose that it is almost impossible to teach anything of this kind on paper, but it must not be forgotten that in this, as in everything else in life, to ensure success it is necessary to make a good beginning. There is no royal road to learning, and unless a proper foundation be laid the castle will prove to be but visionary. So even on paper I can give you many valuable hints and much practical advice, without attention to which you will never become adepts in the art. You must not suppose, however, that I can make practised jugglers of you in a few lessons, nor must you be too anxious to play two or three balls before you have a perfect command over number one.

The first object to be aimed at is to procure the best sort of balls for your purpose. Of course, anything in the shape of a ball will _do_--oranges, for instance, tennis or raquet-balls, etc.--but the best are made of hollow brass, two inches in diameter, and these may be obtained at from ten to twelve shillings per set of four. They are made specially for the purpose, their hollowness giving them a lightness which a solid substance obviously cannot possess. It is indispensable that the balls should all be exactly the same weight, otherwise in the rapid passes--such as the ‘shower’ or ‘fountain,’ about to be described--the lighter would be thrown farther than the heavier, and the most skilful performer would fail to accomplish the feat.

Being satisfied with regard to the balls, we will now proceed to the First Practice, viz.,

THE VERTICAL FALL (_Fig._ 1),

that is, to throw a ball into the air so that it will descend to the exact point from which it was projected. You will find, at first, that when you have thrown the ball up into the air it will not drop back again into your hand, but you will have to follow its course in order to catch it. The first point to be gained, then, is to throw the ball so that it will drop into the hand which is ready to receive it, and this must be practised with both hands, as the left will have quite as much to do as the right. When you have thoroughly mastered this art, and can catch a ball with decision when thrown from three to four feet in height, you may proceed to the Second Practice, which is called--

THE INSIDE AND OUTSIDE FALLS (_Fig._ 2).

What is required now is to throw the ball with the right hand so that it will describe a curve in the air and drop towards the left hand, as shown in Fig. 2; but, instead of catching it with the left, it must be caught with the right. This is the Inside Fall. Now throw the ball back in a similar way from left to right. This is called the Outside Fall. This, of course, sounds easy enough, as it is merely playing at catch-ball, but you will find it very difficult at first to throw the ball several times in succession without deviating from the same course, and this course is of the utmost importance, as, when you are playing two or three balls, unless they follow one another in the same course, the whole play will immediately become inextricable confusion, and they will all fall to the ground. Do not attempt at first to throw the ball higher than three feet, which, indeed, is the height generally required. When you are perfect with the right hand, practise the same play-motion with the left. Let me again impress upon you the necessity, if you would attain proficiency in the art, of using the left hand as much as the right in all these exercises. Without this success is impossible. We now come to the Third Practice, or--

THE PARALLEL FALL (_Fig._ 3).

This will be found rather more difficult than either of the former, because in this the arm, as well as the hand, will be constantly in motion. Throw the ball with the right hand, as in the Vertical Fall, keeping the hand in a line with the right shoulder. The moment it is caught, bring the right hand in a line with the left shoulder, throw the ball from that position and catch it, and _vice versâ_. Afterwards do the same with the left hand. Fig. 3 will show you the practice, the dotted lines representing the movements the ball should take. All these necessary, if somewhat tedious, rudiments of the science having been mastered, we will proceed to the Fourth Practice.

THE OUTSIDE AND INSIDE FALL FROM RIGHT HAND TO LEFT.

In this exercise both hands are brought into play. The motion of the ball is precisely the same as in Fig. 2, but, instead of catching it with the same hand, you must now pass it from one hand to the other. Practise this at first with the hands a very little distance apart, and do not throw the ball too high. As you improve, gradually increase the height, and move your hands away until they are about three feet distant from each other. Up to this time the ball has been forming a kind of hyperbole or arch in its course. Now, without altering the position of the hands, cause the ball gradually to lower its course until it is thrown in the Fifth Practice, which is called--

THE HORIZONTAL PASS.

This you will find quick work alike for eyes and hands, for, of course, the ball cannot be made to pass in a straight line from one hand to the other without giving it increased impetus and a considerable accession of speed. Gradually move your hands, at first closer to one another, and then farther apart. In fact, continue this exercise until your hands are as distant from each other as you can reach. This will be found excellent practice for the ‘shower’ at which we shall soon arrive. The Sixth Practice is

THE DOUBLE VERTICAL FALL

(as shown in Fig. 6). You will now take a ball in each hand, and commence by throwing that in the right hand vertically (as in Fig. 1), then that in the left in the same manner, alternately. Before the first ball has descended into the right hand, throw the second into the air with the left, so that the two balls shall be constantly in motion. You will now find the advantage of being proficient in the single vertical fall, as otherwise, your attention being distracted from the one ball to the other, you would probably not be able to catch either. Now practise throwing both balls up together, keeping your hands about two feet apart, and taking care that neither ball goes higher than the other. As the last practice was good for the ‘shower’ so you will see that the present will prepare you for the ‘fountain,’ the description of which will follow in due course. The Seventh Practice is termed

THE DOUBLE INSIDE FALL.

This is a repetition of the Outside and Inside Fall, but is performed with two balls at the same time and with both hands. In this exercise great care must be taken to avoid a collision of the balls when they are in the act of passing. To ensure against such a calamity it is necessary that one ball--generally that from the right hand--should be projected slightly higher than the other (as in Fig. 7). This should be practised at various heights until something like perfect accuracy is arrived at, as all the following practices are founded, more or less, upon this very important exercise.

The Eighth Practice is entitled

THE TRIPLE PASS,

which must not be attempted until you have made perfect the last exercise. On referring to Fig. 8, you will see that this practice is nothing more than a repetition of the last, with the addition of a third ball. This third ball, however, will seem to you at first to be quite an interloper, and the greatest care must be taken in throwing all the balls regularly, otherwise they will go into a ‘confusion worse confounded.’ The eyes and the hands, however, being by this time pretty well trained, increased vigilance in the former and increased agility in the latter are all that is required to enable you to master the increased difficulty of the performance. The dotted lines indicate the proper direction in which the balls should be thrown, showing how each ball should cross the course of the others without any of them coming into collision. We proceed at once to the Ninth Practice, which is called

THE TRIPLE OVER AND UNDER PASS.

This play is almost similar to the last, differing only in this--that, instead of the balls following each the course of the other, they are returned from the left to the right by the course indicated in the dotted lines in Fig. 8, forming an inner fall while the others are passing over them. The effect of the change is very pretty, and though it will perhaps be found somewhat more difficult, you are now becoming so skilful that difficulties will no doubt serve only to stimulate you to fresh exertion. The Tenth Practice is

THE SINGLE OVER AND DOUBLE UNDER PASS.

This is another variation of the same play, in which the over ball is kept outside, whilst the under two are performing a double pass. In this practice you must keep the outside single ball well above the two that are passing underneath, as shown in the dotted lines in Fig. 10. Care must be taken, in this as in every other practice, to avoid collision between the balls. Practice, we know, makes perfect, and nothing but patient perseverance can be recommended to ensure success.

The Eleventh Practice brings us to one of the neatest, prettiest, and most effective feats in ball juggling. It is called

THE SHOWER.

This, undoubtedly one of the most fascinating of all juggling feats, is an art easily acquired by so practised a juggler as you have now become. Take two balls, one in each hand, throw the one in the right hand into the air towards the left, as in Fig. 4, and while it is in the air, ‘pass’ the left-hand ball to the right hand, as in Fig. 5, and immediately throw it to follow the course of the first, continuing this play as quickly as possible, so that there may be one ball always in the air. You will find very little difficulty in showering two balls in this manner with one hand, as it is really nothing more than a Double Inside Fall (Fig. 2); in fact, some expert jugglers can shower three balls with one hand, but this is a very difficult feat, and the balls have to be thrown very high. You can make the attempt if you please, but I do not wish to enter upon matters which may confuse and possibly dishearten you, and will ask you therefore to perfect yourselves in this feat before proceeding to the Twelfth Practice, viz.,

THE TRIPLE SHOWER,

which is accomplished in the following manner. Take two balls in the right hand and one in the left. Throw one after the other in very quick succession in the direction of the Inside Fall (Fig. 2) with the right hand, and as each reaches the left hand, ‘pass’ it from the left to the right, as shown in Figs. 11 and 12, and continue the Shower as long as you please. From the swiftness of their motion, the balls appear to multiply, and your audience will almost be inclined to believe that you are playing with fifty balls, instead of with only three. When you are very expert in this you can proceed to the Thirteenth Practice,

THE QUADRUPLE SHOWER,

or Grand Shower, as it is sometimes called. This is the same play as the last but with four balls, three of which must be held in the right and one in the left hand. It is hardly necessary to say that the difficulty is greatly increased, as the balls must be thrown much higher, so that there may be more space between them in order to allow time for the rapid passes. In all the Showers, but in this especially, it is advisable to keep the right hand a little higher than the left, as shown in Fig. 13. The Fourteenth Practice, which is the last of the present series, is

THE FOUNTAIN.

This is the most difficult feat of all, as so much depends upon the precision with which the balls are delivered. Commence practising with two balls, and perform a Double Outside Fall with both hands (Fig. 14). You will find this sharp work for the eyes, as you will have to be looking at two places simultaneously as the balls descend. When you can play two balls well in this manner, you will find that

THE DOUBLE FOUNTAIN,

as described in Fig. 15, will not be difficult, as it is done in a ‘swing,’ as it is called, a motion of the body and arms which it is not possible to describe, but which will come naturally to you as you acquire the art of juggling. The Fountain may be varied by a motion which is known as

THE DOUBLE FOUNTAIN CHANGE.

Instead of throwing up the balls together, present them alternately, as shown in Fig. 16. This has a very pretty effect, and exactly represents the name given it.

Having now given you all the instruction in my power, it only remains for me to make one or two suggestions which I think will commend themselves to your intelligence. In the first place, I would advise you to practise over some soft material, on the lawn if possible, where the dropping of the balls can annoy no one; but if a lawn be not available, then over a sofa, or a bed, or a very soft rug or mat. You are certain to have many a mishap at starting, and I can conceive nothing in a small way more irritating than for a person seated in a room to be perpetually startled by the noise of balls falling overhead. Finally, let me impress upon you the fact that your success depends entirely upon yourselves. The teacher may show _how_ the thing is to be done, but it is for the pupil to do it. Remember that ‘whatever is worth doing is worth doing well,’ and if you think it worth your while to learn the art of juggling, you must devote to it patience, perseverance, and practice. Without these you will never succeed. With them success is certain.