A little while ago, a guy came up to me at a convention after he'd been watching me juggle 3 clubs. "Where do you get your ideas for tricks from?" he asked. "Just jamming" I answered.

But it got me thinking, why do so many beginner jugglers ask "What trick should I learn next?" Come to that, I think many intermediate jugglers may wonder the same thing. An obvious consequence of this is jugglers copying other jugglers, leading to a homogenisation of tricks and styles (pirouette, anyone? 97531?). OK, I'm not having a go at anyone, but if you're stuck for inspiration, why not look to yourself for ideas?

What am I talking about? Well, try this: next time you're juggling, just throw something any old how, in any direction, and see what happens. OK, it'll probably be a drop, but then try it again, and do whatever it takes to catch it.

Ugly, wasn't it? Now do it again - throw after throw, and see what you come up with. You'll be surprised how quickly you find yourself forced into doing something you haven't before, whether it be a despairing lunge to save an errant club, or a quick tuck of a ring into an unusual placement, or some odd multiplex you'd not thought of before. Carry on with this for 10 or 15 minutes, and I bet you come up with at least one move you actually think is worth repeating.

I've probably come up with many tricks this way over the years, and forgotten just as many too. If you're the type to take notes, or video your practise sessions, you could turn out to be your own gold mine.

If nothing else, your gladiators technique will be sharpened up a treat ;-).

Have fun! The Void
October 2006.