Weight training for injury prevention by Steven Ragatz

Warming Up by Steven Ragatz

Visualization and Juggling by Steven Ragatz

Numbers Training by Steven Ragatz

"Juggling is about throwing, not catching."

Good throws lead to effortless catches, whereas errant throws require a "save" to some degree in the catch, and in subsequent throws, to maintain the pattern. Therefore, it is common sense to say that the throws are far more important - particularly when you are working with a partner.

In some ways, the skill of juggling is all about feedback. Of the senses, jugglers rely on sight a great deal more than the others, but one sense that is often overlooked is the tactile feedback of the props making contact with the body. Touch is a very important aspect of juggling because it is at the time of physical contact that the juggler has some influence over the prop. After the contact is lost, and the prop has been propelled into the air, gravity takes over. After this point (the throw) the prop's fate is predestined. So the point where the juggler can do or die is the point when the prop is in hand just before the release.

The sense of touch provides a great deal of information about the throw. Try juggling in very cold weather with numb hands - it is possible, but more difficult. Do some juggling wearing mittens. Then try juggling blind. Obviously, it is also possible, though in a limited way. Blind juggling demonstrates the value of tactile feedback since it is possible to maintain simple patterns without any visual information at all.

When passing, each juggler is stripped of some information that the solo juggler relies on. Since it was the other guy who threw the pass, there is no feedback about the pass and its qualities (over, under, long, short, high, low). Additionally, the information gained by the catch isn't very useful to the catcher because they were not the one to initiate the throw they just caught. This is why it is crucial for passers to communicate verbally to each other to help make up for the lost information. You rely on your partner to tell you how the passes are being received so that you can modify the feel of each throw.

There is even more information lost when the passing pattern involves numbers. With low numbers of props, both passers can at least see each other when they face, so there is some visual information of the throw quality because you can see your partner struggling and recovering from your mistakes. With numbers, that information is lost as well because the jugglers' focus is lifted as the pattern gets higher. With double spins (clubs) or more, you can no longer see your partner, and you loose another piece of feedback information.

Of the traditional passing props, clubs, balls and rings, the juggling clubs are the most difficult. Not only do the passes need to be delivered at the right place, at the right time, but they must have the correct spin and correct orientation. So, with this added necessity for precision, the passer needs all of the information that they can get about the pattern.

Here is a tip for club passing with doubles or more spins. Because you can't see the end of your throw (the catch), spot the placement of the club at the top (apex) of the arc. Remember that as soon as you release the club, barring any collisions, the throw's destiny is set in stone. Gravity will take over, and you no longer have any control over the club's path. But, you can see the first half of the throw's arc as the club ascends. The throw's descent on the other side to your partner will mirror the throw's ascent (which is the side that you see.) This means that the position of the club at the apex must be locked down to a point in space that is halfway between the position when the club was released and the position when the club is caught.

At the apex, if you could take a snapshot of the throw in your mind, you should see the club pointing handle up, and perpendicular to the ground. Additionally, the direction of the pass can be determined by the line between the point of release and the point of the club in the air. I refer to this line as the "corridor" (discussion of the corridor will have to wait for another post...) Also, the position of your club in relation to your partner's club will provide some information about distance.

Seeing that instant frozen in time in your mind will give you a great deal of information about your pass even when you cannot see the second half of the arc or your partner making the catch. So, in the same way that you spot the pass as it flies from your hand and lands in your partner's hand with six, when juggling seven or more, with double spins or more, you spot the top of the pattern and visualize how the club must be positioned knowing that the second half of the pass will mirror the first. Focus on that spot, and place each club so that it hits that spot exactly.

"Perfect throws beget perfect catches."

Steven Ragatz