Thursday, July 16, 2015
Clubs, and Magic
Yesterday was such a hard day. There was work drama, and some very high anxiety about my health. And on top of it, I am currently seeing my Mom through the end of her life, which could now come at any time. It's was the kind of day that left me feeling like I didn't want to juggle, or do much of anything.
I went to the park and sat on a bench, watching the river go by, fighting back tears. And trying to make myself get up and start throwing the balls. I knew it would work. I knew it.
I started by working on my three ball flash start. The first few throws felt forced, even fake, like doing something I didn't believe in. But as I became more and more absorbed in the attempts, the magic happened. I got out of my head, and things started to feel better. The three ball flash needs work, but it's so exciting when I do get it; I take 3 balls in one hand and throw them into the air one after another, until they are all airborne in a vertical column. Then, as they fall, I juggle them. It's really showy, and fun to do.
Next I worked on the clubs. I threw two balls and one club, which I'm getting very good at, and then I went to three clubs. I was very excited to get several runs of over ten throws with the clubs. I sat down to take a break, and of course, the thoughts and feelings came pouring into my head. But they felt different somehow, more approachable. I drove back to the pub and chatted with Dan and Luke for a bit, then went home and got some sleep. Today, things look better. And that's the real magic of juggling.
I went to the park and sat on a bench, watching the river go by, fighting back tears. And trying to make myself get up and start throwing the balls. I knew it would work. I knew it.
I started by working on my three ball flash start. The first few throws felt forced, even fake, like doing something I didn't believe in. But as I became more and more absorbed in the attempts, the magic happened. I got out of my head, and things started to feel better. The three ball flash needs work, but it's so exciting when I do get it; I take 3 balls in one hand and throw them into the air one after another, until they are all airborne in a vertical column. Then, as they fall, I juggle them. It's really showy, and fun to do.
Next I worked on the clubs. I threw two balls and one club, which I'm getting very good at, and then I went to three clubs. I was very excited to get several runs of over ten throws with the clubs. I sat down to take a break, and of course, the thoughts and feelings came pouring into my head. But they felt different somehow, more approachable. I drove back to the pub and chatted with Dan and Luke for a bit, then went home and got some sleep. Today, things look better. And that's the real magic of juggling.
Thursday, July 9, 2015
Summer of Clubs
For a couple of years now, I've tried to learn to throw clubs. I pick them up off and on, but it never seems to take off. This summer, my interest renewed. I studied the moves over and over, and I got a solid two club switch going. But I wasn't getting anywhere with three.
Then Clayton and Sidney came by the juggling circle last week. Clayton is show-quality with clubs, and he was in form that day, throwing under handed switches and two-revolution high throws. When I asked him to coach me, he watched me for a few moments. Then he advised that I juggle two balls and one club. He said it would help me focus on the club throw.
I thought that sounded like a crazy idea. But after he left, I tried it. And sure enough, I started to get my club throws dialed in. I worked that mix for a few days until i was getting 10 or 12 good throws. Then I picked up three clubs. And a couple of tries in, I got a solid sequence of five throws. Then I lost it for awhile and I started to struggle.
When I got a good sequence again, I heard the handles slapping into my hands. And it occurred to me that the cadence of the throws was much slower than I expected. It shouldn't have been a surprise, really. Clubs are bigger than balls, and they have to turn over in flight. That's a lot to do before they come down again.
So I counted in my head, with the cadence of the handles slapping into my hands. One, two, three, four. Then I threw the clubs up in the air, to that count. And sure enough, it worked. I was juggling clubs, to a slow cadence, at a pace that seemed surprisingly lazy. "I" stood back and I could have sworn someone else was doing it. It's a feeling that comes over you, I think, when you master something new; suddenly, even if in a small way, there's more of you than there was a moment ago.
Many thanks to you Clayton, for my summer of clubs!
Then Clayton and Sidney came by the juggling circle last week. Clayton is show-quality with clubs, and he was in form that day, throwing under handed switches and two-revolution high throws. When I asked him to coach me, he watched me for a few moments. Then he advised that I juggle two balls and one club. He said it would help me focus on the club throw.
I thought that sounded like a crazy idea. But after he left, I tried it. And sure enough, I started to get my club throws dialed in. I worked that mix for a few days until i was getting 10 or 12 good throws. Then I picked up three clubs. And a couple of tries in, I got a solid sequence of five throws. Then I lost it for awhile and I started to struggle.
When I got a good sequence again, I heard the handles slapping into my hands. And it occurred to me that the cadence of the throws was much slower than I expected. It shouldn't have been a surprise, really. Clubs are bigger than balls, and they have to turn over in flight. That's a lot to do before they come down again.
So I counted in my head, with the cadence of the handles slapping into my hands. One, two, three, four. Then I threw the clubs up in the air, to that count. And sure enough, it worked. I was juggling clubs, to a slow cadence, at a pace that seemed surprisingly lazy. "I" stood back and I could have sworn someone else was doing it. It's a feeling that comes over you, I think, when you master something new; suddenly, even if in a small way, there's more of you than there was a moment ago.
Many thanks to you Clayton, for my summer of clubs!
Prodigy
Sometimes when you teach something to someone, it's more like they already know and you're just reminding them. That's how it was yesterday when I taught Junior to juggle. I usually expect to spend an hour drilling the basic moves, before we even start with three balls.
In junior's case he had the basic throw down in minutes. And he learned a two ball switch in just a few minutes more. It seemed way too early to introduce the third ball, but he had the switch down cold, so it was time.
I reviewed the basic moves with him, then told him go for it. And on the first toss. He got a solid one, two three sequence. He stopped then, shocked. There's a look you see on a person's face when they get it for the first time. The look that says, "I didn't know it was going to feel like that". Junior had that look, and it was a happy thing to see.
We juggled for about an hour after that, me working on clubs and a new pattern, Junior working on the three ball throws. His hands get high, still, because he's reaching up for the balls. This makes his throws go out ahead of him, so he's a sprinting juggler, but a juggler none the less. That's him in the pic, right hand column.
Count one more juggler in the world today.
In junior's case he had the basic throw down in minutes. And he learned a two ball switch in just a few minutes more. It seemed way too early to introduce the third ball, but he had the switch down cold, so it was time.
I reviewed the basic moves with him, then told him go for it. And on the first toss. He got a solid one, two three sequence. He stopped then, shocked. There's a look you see on a person's face when they get it for the first time. The look that says, "I didn't know it was going to feel like that". Junior had that look, and it was a happy thing to see.
We juggled for about an hour after that, me working on clubs and a new pattern, Junior working on the three ball throws. His hands get high, still, because he's reaching up for the balls. This makes his throws go out ahead of him, so he's a sprinting juggler, but a juggler none the less. That's him in the pic, right hand column.
Count one more juggler in the world today.
Monday, July 6, 2015
Next gathering
July 8 at 7:00pm
Skinner Butte Park, just west of the big playground
I will be juggling by the river all weekend! If you'd like to join, send me a text and we will meet up.
Skinner Butte Park, just west of the big playground
I will be juggling by the river all weekend! If you'd like to join, send me a text and we will meet up.
Little Boy Drop In
Juggling in the park today, I sense someone standing behind me. And when I turn there is a little boy. I say hello, and he watches for awhile, with the usual spell-bound expression. He's very small, maybe three, and suddenly I realize there is no parent in sight.
"Where are your parents?" I wonder out loud. He says they are lost.
Uh oh.
Let's go play, he says. Let's go find your parents. In answer to my repeated inquiries about parents, Rudy waves his arms vaguely. He isn't sure where he saw them last. But he wants to show me a tree house. A young woman comes by and I tell her "this is Rudy and his parents are lost."
"I'm his mother'" she says. Oh good. And I figure that's it. But Rudy isn't done. He tells his mom all about the juggling, and that she has to come see. So off we go, to the shelter of my shade tree, where I juggle for Rudy and Emily, his mom. Rudy's a nice little boy, but I do have to tell him once that he can't hit my pinky ball with a juggling club, using it like a bat.
Now Rudy wants me to come juggle for his baby sister, over in the busy part of the park. I decline, politely. I'm not up for an audience today. Multiple health problems have me reeling, and it was a personal victory just to get out of the house today.
Rudy isn't taking no for an answer, and soon I'm packing up my stuff and hiking off to meet Baby sister Eliza, and Rudy's dad, Roger. They are a nice family. We chat and I juggle. Baby sister is not interested. "My dad can juggle," Rudy blurts, and dad looks chagrined. But dad has a nice, solid shower pattern. He tells me his fourth grade teacher taught him. And in his thirties, he still knows. Because it's the body that learns to juggle, not the brain. And the body can't forget.
Dad mentions he's always wanted to learn how to pass. Well now's your chance, I say, and soon we are getting some good solid passes between us. Then it's time to go. They are on the road to Portland. Now a woman has come up behind me. She's thanking me for juggling, and she wants a picture of my home made clubs. She says her grandfather was a juggler, and I've reminded her of him. She says she has his clubs at home, in the attic. They are hand carved. I bet they are perfectly balanced, and probably worth a fortune..
And so from Rudy, to Rudy's family, to a woman who remembers her grandfather, the magic of juggling has taken me some distance away from the nagging fear about my many health problems. It always happens that way. Spectators see that I have given them something beautiful, something poetic and created. But they never seem to realize the greatness of what they give to me.
"Where are your parents?" I wonder out loud. He says they are lost.
Uh oh.
Let's go play, he says. Let's go find your parents. In answer to my repeated inquiries about parents, Rudy waves his arms vaguely. He isn't sure where he saw them last. But he wants to show me a tree house. A young woman comes by and I tell her "this is Rudy and his parents are lost."
"I'm his mother'" she says. Oh good. And I figure that's it. But Rudy isn't done. He tells his mom all about the juggling, and that she has to come see. So off we go, to the shelter of my shade tree, where I juggle for Rudy and Emily, his mom. Rudy's a nice little boy, but I do have to tell him once that he can't hit my pinky ball with a juggling club, using it like a bat.
Now Rudy wants me to come juggle for his baby sister, over in the busy part of the park. I decline, politely. I'm not up for an audience today. Multiple health problems have me reeling, and it was a personal victory just to get out of the house today.
Rudy isn't taking no for an answer, and soon I'm packing up my stuff and hiking off to meet Baby sister Eliza, and Rudy's dad, Roger. They are a nice family. We chat and I juggle. Baby sister is not interested. "My dad can juggle," Rudy blurts, and dad looks chagrined. But dad has a nice, solid shower pattern. He tells me his fourth grade teacher taught him. And in his thirties, he still knows. Because it's the body that learns to juggle, not the brain. And the body can't forget.
Dad mentions he's always wanted to learn how to pass. Well now's your chance, I say, and soon we are getting some good solid passes between us. Then it's time to go. They are on the road to Portland. Now a woman has come up behind me. She's thanking me for juggling, and she wants a picture of my home made clubs. She says her grandfather was a juggler, and I've reminded her of him. She says she has his clubs at home, in the attic. They are hand carved. I bet they are perfectly balanced, and probably worth a fortune..
And so from Rudy, to Rudy's family, to a woman who remembers her grandfather, the magic of juggling has taken me some distance away from the nagging fear about my many health problems. It always happens that way. Spectators see that I have given them something beautiful, something poetic and created. But they never seem to realize the greatness of what they give to me.
Thursday, July 2, 2015
Next Gathering
July 8 at 7:00pm
Skinner Butte Park, just west of the big playground
I will be juggling by the river all weekend! If you'd like to join, send me a text and we will meet up.
Skinner Butte Park, just west of the big playground
I will be juggling by the river all weekend! If you'd like to join, send me a text and we will meet up.
Clubs, Wands, Friends
What a great night of juggling last night! Clayton and Sidney came by and Clayton and I worked on passing some. My throws are a little short, but as they got stabilized, Clayton and I were very excited to get several good passes. He still juggles clubs very well, with underhand throws, cross-overs and one-and-a-halfs. It is so fun to watch him. He also gave me some coaching, and I made good progress toward juggling clubs, my goal for the summer.
Later Christina came by and we had a great time juggling. Christina has a nice, solid shower pattern and she's beginning to learn new patterns. Last night, she worked on a two-ball start and she came very close to getting it. I expect I will hear within a week or two that she's nailed it.
After the sun went down, it cooled off and turned into a very pleasant evening. We all sat on the grass and just chatted for awhile. It's magical how juggling can relax you and give a certain feeling to a moment. I love the place by the river too; the flowing water adds to the ambiance.
Later Christina came by and we had a great time juggling. Christina has a nice, solid shower pattern and she's beginning to learn new patterns. Last night, she worked on a two-ball start and she came very close to getting it. I expect I will hear within a week or two that she's nailed it.
After the sun went down, it cooled off and turned into a very pleasant evening. We all sat on the grass and just chatted for awhile. It's magical how juggling can relax you and give a certain feeling to a moment. I love the place by the river too; the flowing water adds to the ambiance.
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