Tips

Learn to play the piano

The results of a study published in new scientist showed that soccer players who also played the piano had no less ball control with their preferred foot, and more ball control with their other foot, than players who did not play the piano. No doubt this transference of ambidexterity applies to contact juggling too.

Wooden Balls are good

I recently recieved three wooden balls for christmas. My Dad had gotten them at a nearby arts and crafts store. I find them ideal for palm spinning becuase they are smooth and resilient to damage. Although the wooden balls are only 2 1/2 inches and are a bit on the light side, they make a good alternative to the acrylics if you can't afford them or want to practice palm spinning in on the run.

Don't get discouraged

If you drop a ball (even the greats do it) and it gets a major crack in it, don't get discouraged and stop practicing. Or you could try using a wood ball until you are comfortable enough to start practicing with your acrylic.

Vision, Priorities and Determination

Visualize what you wish to achieve, keep to learning one thing at a time, Keep going tell you get to your vision... and smile cause you fufilled a dream.These three things have brought me much advancement in cjing.I found the more I limit myself in my learning the better I can be at the one thing of my study I am prioritizing. 5 ball free spin of most late.

Find a one person audience

I found it helps to have one person to watch when you have a new trick. Since you can't tell what it looks like from your view, find a friend that will comment on it. Remember, the customer is always right.

Use a feild hockey ball.

If you don't have an acrylic yet, use a spare feild hockey ball to start. They are about the same size, if not a tiny bit bigger, than most acrylics, and have a nice weight to them.

different balls for different folks

i personally have played all types of hockey over the past 12 years (roller, street, ice) so when i started learning CJ I naturally reached for the first ball i found, being one of my old street hockey balls, they have a decent weight depending on the brand, and are fairly smooth. all in all they work fairly well

Acrylics do melt

Try not to leave your acrylics in the sun because they have a tendency to melt.

softballs and ducttape

Ive been learning on a softball with duct tape on the outside, it works great.

A little poor? Visit the Pet Store!

Something I found out early in Contact Juggling is... balls are expensive. At the local pet store you can pick up heavy rubber etc balls for really cheap and they work as great practice balls! It helps save ware and tear on your good balls and hey... sure the rubber ones are hard for palm spinning but if you drop them they will sometimes just bounce back up!

(P.S. Avoid buying the mint flavored ones unless you like minty hands. Heh heh)

Start out with something you don't care gets broken

I started out with a tennis ball filled with rice, it helps you learn the basics without ruining a good cj ball.

Lacrosse Balls

Cant afford a few acrylics? (i cant im only 13 :) Buy some Lacrosse Balls! They run for 2-5 dollars at your local sporting goods store. Theyre also good for juggling, and bounce juggling (great way to learn it) Dont buy like 4 though if your only planning on palmspinning them, there not that good for palmspinning.

Acrylics are hard and can break teeth

I just broke one tooth tossing a 4" acrylic behind the back and, obviously, catching it in a wrong place. Consider using silicones instead. The tradeoff is that they do more damage to your surroundings (as they can bounce surprisingly far away).

Avoid getting burned!

If your walking in the sun with your acrylics, keep it moving in your hands. I prefer moving it from my palm to my finger tips and back. It works your hand too, impresses people if you do it with style, and you avoid getting burned.

Learn "The Secret"

I believe there is a physically describable "secret" to doing any trick. The secret is the key to accomplishing the trick. What once seemed undecipherable will seem easily deciphered. Also, if you know the secret to a trick, it helps wih teaching. The secret will help even the slowest learner to learn a trick quickly and easily.

toss juggler crosses barrier to CJ...u can too!

i have spent several years working on three ball toss juggling, and in my search for something new, i kept finding videos of people who worked CJ into their regular juggling...that's why i'm here, trying to find something new to add to my juggling.
But u can all do the same thing...take a look at toss juggling (what clowns and cartoons do), and i guarantee u that it will give u new ideas.
Everything u look at or practice will give u a new way of looking at your art, and will contribute to your skills!

slow it down

the slower the better, if you try to do a lot of fancy tricks realy fast and the person watching is not a cjer then they will miss it just like someone that does not frequent chat rooms can't read all that fast scrolling text

When CJing crosslegged, KEEP A PILLOW IN YOUR LAP!!!

If you're a guy Cjer, dropping the ball crosslegged can hurt pretty badly!

your language

think of your cj like a new language . the choice of mooves u practice and use is your choice of words.fascinating outhers is only secundary , as long as u feel : yes , thats me ...

Get yoursself a "beat-up" ball.

Pure acrylics are incredibly resiliant. They can take a thrashing on pavement and will come out of a practice session on the sidewalk with a couple scratches and maybe a small chip or two. Once your acrylic has started losing its luster, maybe scratched a lot make it into your beat-up ball. You can use it when you have no soft ground for balls to land on and to give to people to play with. Being fully confident that no matter how far you throw the ball it will be OK is great when learning more flamboyant tricks. No fear allows for some crazy experimentation.

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