Kae:More Palmspinning
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More Palmspinning (1-4 balls)
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[edit] 2b Orbital Isolation
An “Orbital” Isolation is when one ball is isolated, and one or more others are "orbited" around it - like the moon around the Earth. It's not really clear which should be learned first - the 1b Isolation or the 2b Orbital Isolation - learning the 1b Isolation first would help very much with this move, but also learning this move first would probably give you a basis for the 1b Isolation. Maybe you should learn them both at the same time. Start learning by spinning very slowly. Concentrate on one ball, and try to get it to stay still in space while the other one is orbited around it. Pick a spot on the floor, or a corner of the room, and try to keep the ball still relative to that point. The second ball presses against the isolated ball, which actually helps with the isolation. Without the second ball, as you see from learning the 1b Isolation, the ball tends to try moving to the center of the palm. You can learn to do this with the balls not touching. Transferring this palmspin takes a bit of thinking. You can’t just transfer it as normal, because you have to keep the location of one of the balls precisely still. If you are spinning anticlockwise in the right hand, wait for the moving ball to come closest to the left hand before starting the transfer. The isolated ball is moved over before the moving ball – as the moving ball continues spinning away from the left hand back to the right side, follow it with the left hand, taking control over the pattern.
[edit] 2b Ratchet
This move is half isolation and half joke. Start with two balls in the right palm, with the elbow held in front of the chest, and the arm going out in front of you. Spin the balls clockwise, but move the arm around the balls so both balls stay isolated in space. When you reach the point where your forearm is directly on the opposite side of the balls to where it was in the beginning, move the forearm back, bringing the balls around clockwise with it. When spinning the forearm back to it’s “home” position, you can either not palmspin the balls, allowing the movement of the arm to spin them for you (giving the “ratchet” effect), or you can spin the balls – clockwise for a quick “unwinding” effect, or anti-clockwise to keep the isolation effect.
[edit] 2b Curl
Here is our first palmspin which needs a bit of bodily flexibility. Hold two balls in the right palm, forearm pointing out in front of you. We’ll do this without spinning first. Twist the forearm anticlockwise, bringing the palm in so it comes to the place just vacated by the elbow, which goes out to the side. Now, bend yourself forward and to the left at the waist, and carefully continue the twist until your forearm is pointing out the side (raise your elbow to keep the bend in the arm). Your arm will be twisted, with the palm still pointing up. Bend further to the left, and continue the twist so the palm comes over the head. Be very careful here, as a ball on the noggin hurts. Finish off the twist by bringing the elbow down, and straightening yourself back up. Practice that for a short while, being very aware of any twinges in your side. If you feel these twinges, stop what you’re doing, and sit down for a while. Don’t continue the curl practice for a few hours. When you are competent with the motion, try carefully adding a bit of anticlockwise spin to the balls. You will have a little trouble with the spin when your arm is very twisted. Try varying the bend of the elbow and waist to find the most comfortable position for you. In the right hand, this is the anticlockwise curl (the direction the forearm spins) – as with all contact juggling moves, though, it can be reversed.
[edit] 2b Isolated Curl
As someone said at the first ever contact juggling convention (CJC2001); every move can be isolated. It is tricky to think of a rolling or spinning move where this is not true. To start learning the isolation, you should first learn to curl so the pattern stays in the same general place, without moving vertically, or horizontally – it is okay for it to spin for now. To do this, you will need to bend your knees a lot, so you may tire quickly (don’t practice this too much before a performance…). When you can curl this reasonably well, it is time to finish the isolation. The isolation is “simply” a matter of palmspinning clockwise - where you are curling anticlockwise in the right hand – at just the right speed to keep the balls still. Reverse the direction as needed.
[edit] 2b Magnetic Palmspin
This move is really a 1b Palmspin in disguise. Spin a 1b Palmspin in the left hand. In the right hand, grip a ball with your fingers. Move the held ball in a circle mimicking the left hand ball. Keep the ball is near to a set distance from the left ball as possible. If done correctly, the left ball will look as if it is being controlled by the right. This illusion will work especially well if you can palmspin the left ball with the least amount of movement necessary from the fingers. The right hand does not need to stay on the right – you can move the hand around the left hand to any position you want – just keep the motion going at all times. You can even do it without a ball in the right hand, by pretending your fingers are controlling the left ball through some sort of telekinesis – but it looks best with the ball.
[edit] 3b Ratchet
I think the effect of this is very surprising. Start by holding the balls in your right hand as if starting a clockwise palmspin. Start the clockwise palmspin. Isolate the palmspin, though – the whole spin – so your hand moves, but the 3 balls stay still. When you reach a point where you can’t move your hands any further – hold the balls, and spin your hands back to the beginning position. Then start again. If you know what a ratchet is, you’ll understand this move. If you have trouble understanding it, ask any mechanic to show you a ratchet in action.
[edit] 3b Orbital Isolation
This move is done practically the same as the 2b Orbital isolation, the only real difference being the amount of work needed to get one orbit finished. The 3b Orbital Isolation should be learned slowly before you attempt to do it fast. Concentrate on getting the isolation good when seen from all directions. That is a common pitfall for contact jugglers - when seen from above (as we usually see the moves), it is fairly easy to get the horizontal part of the isolation good, but it's difficult to get the vertical element nicely when you can't see it. You can get a good idea of how an isolation looks to the audience by practicing in front of a mirror. If the mirror is a sufficient distance from you, you will not be looking down on the balls, but will see the move as the audience sees it.
[edit] 4b Stack Tumble
This little move is very impressive, very simple, and can be expanded to many other moves. Start by spinning a 4-Stack in the left hand. Bring your right hand under the left so it is on the left side of the stack. Pinky-lift the stack so the top ball falls off into the right hand. Continue pinky lifting the remaining balls - this is just to continue the illusion of fluidity. Bring the right-hand ball around the other side of the stack by either bringing the right hand under the left hand or around the front of the left hand. Note that if you bring the right hand under the left, you may block off the ball's visibility - get around this by exaggerating the movement. Bring the ball upwards so it slots into the pinky lifting in the left hand, and ends up as the top ball of a new stack there. For added kudos - continue the pinky lifting for a moment or two.
[edit] 1b Isolation
The 1b Isolation feels similar to the 1b Palmspin. The pressures are slightly different, but the movements are the same. Start learning this the same way you learned the 1b Palmspin – by moving from point to point. When you are moving from point to point, though – keep the ball still in space, and pull the hand under it. The points the ball moves through actually come to the ball, rather than the ball moving to the points. This, like all isolations, is easier to learn with a heavy ball, as heavy balls resist changes in their momentum much more than light ones. A ball has momentum whether it is moving or not, so physically, all you’re doing is moving your hand, trying not to apply any additional pressure to the ball. It looks very good when you isolate in one hand for a while, and then switch over to the other hand - you isolate the pass as well so the ball doesn’t move. The ball is usually passed from the index finger onto the opposite hand’s heel.
[edit] 4b Curl
This move can be seen in many different forms of object manipulation – ball spinning and plate spinning being the most common. Start off with a 4 Stack held in the right hand – do not spin it. You do not want to try this spinning until you have learned it still (acrylics hurt – especially on the head). Lean your body forward and twist the hand in until it is directly under the shoulder. Continue twisting the stack under until the arm is pointing almost directly right of you. That is an awkward position, so raise the stack (or lower your body) to ease the strain. Continue the twist slowly so the stack approaches a point a few inches in front of and above the head. When it reaches there, start leaning back, following the stack with your eyes as you pull it over your face and off to the right. Your arm should have the forearm facing up now, and the elbow pointing out in front of you. From there, simply continue the twist around until you are back at the starting position. This move poses strain in a few directions on the shoulder joint and blades; so make sure that you are limber before you attempt it. I disclaim all responsibility of you ignoring this point. Don’t come crying to me if you can’t go to work the next day because your arm doesn’t work.
