Lesson 2 . The exchange

For this lesson, take two balls, one in each hand. Using the same technique we learnt in lesson one, throw one of the balls to the other hand. Now here's the tricky bit, the hand which the ball is heading towards is already occupied, before we make the catch we must make a space for it! Here's how it is done…

Go away and try the exchange a few times...

If you were successful, repeat it over and over again, each time starting with alternate hands until the exchange becomes really smooth, like expensive ice cream. If your exchange is truly Häagen Dazs then it is time to move on to lesson three. However, I have a feeling that your exchange will be more like the lumpy custard that your mother used to make ... very inconsistent! It's time to have a look at a few of the common problems people experience at this stage:

Common Problems:

The cheat

It's time to nip this problem in the bud. There is plenty of time to make the exchange with two well aimed throws and confident catches. Get a grip on yourself. Try erecting a cardboard barrier between your hands using a cereal packet, making a physical barrier to the 'cheat' pass. Or have a friend watch you practice and give you a slap over the head each time you cheat, aversion therapy works wonder!

The panic

Some people seem to go to pieces at the thought of having two balls in the air simultaneously and consequently they drop everything. If you are having this problem, take a deep breath and relax. For the majority of the time there is only a single ball in the air and you can catch just one ball can't you? As you make the exchange you are swapping the ball in the air for another one. As you make the exchange shift your focus and attention to the new ball, let your hand and subconscious take care of the catch. If this problem persists, try throwing the first ball a little bit higher to give yourself more time to think

Height/Timing imbalance

Once you can perform the exchange (on both sides) getting the throw height and timings right is just the icing on the cake. You can immediately tell if either the height or timings are wrong because you will find that the catches are not made one after the other. At this point it may be useful to have a friend look at your juggling pattern, compare it to the animation at the top of the page. Ask yourself, are you throwing both balls to the same height? Do you have a good throw-throw-catch-catch rhythm?

Reaching and Lunging

Have these old chestnuts cropped up again? Time to go back to lesson one for a while!