learning to juggle – Page 2 – Go Retire Psychiatrist

Flipping Out on Ambidexterity in Juggling

I’ve been trying to learn a new juggling trick and found out there was a prerequisite—which is that I practice some skills I’ve ignored until now. One is trying the two in one trick which is juggling two balls with one hand. The other is trying tricks on both the left and right side of my body. Ambidexterity is a plus in juggling.

That’s a tall order, at least for me. But if I’m going to move forward, I guess I have to try it.

I remember the problems I had learning the under the leg on my right side. The same problems occurred on the left, no surprise. I had trouble letting go of the ball, I threw the balls way out of the pane of glass juggle space, and I’m lunging all over the room.

But I got further than I thought I would, and I was able to at least do the trick after only a few tries. The left side under the leg is pretty ugly right now, which is normal for me anyway.

The left side two ball juggle with one hand was also difficult. I don’t know why I had a claw posture in my right hand.

Paradoxically, I’ve noticed lately that I have more trouble with the half shower on the right side than the left.

The only other time I had to make do with my left hand was when I was a kid. I broke my right wrist when I fell from the top floor of the garage. It was built like a barn and the only way up to the loft was a wooden ladder nailed flush and vertical with wall up to a sort of attic hatch. It was a good thing it was over summer vacation from school. I tried to learn how to write with my left hand, but all I did was scribble.

Juggling on my non-dominant side is like scribbling with my non-dominant hand.

Progress in Ugly Juggling Tricks!

This is an update to my progress in ugly juggling tricks. I have a short video of the ones I’ve been practicing the most and one new one.

The new trick is called “Finger Plex” by JuggleMan, who is Daniel Menendez, an astonishing juggling expert you can learn more about at his YouTube site, YouJuggle. While I was trying to imitate it, I wished for a slow-motion clip of it. I hope I’m doing it right because I included a slow-motion clip of the trick in my video.

I have looked for a definition of “plex” pertaining to juggling. I haven’t found it yet. The word “plex” itself usually is described as a combining form in dictionaries, usually about building sections, for example “duplex,” “multiplex,” and so on. Even the Scrabble dictionary gives the meaning as “multiplex.”

Does This Shirt Make Me Look Retired?

Sena got me a new shirt that says: “Does This Shirt Make Me Look Retired?” It’s the greatest. No, she’s the greatest.

So…does it? Think carefully about your answer.

Introducing the Hula Shower Juggle!

Today, I spent a lot of time practicing the shower juggling pattern. I didn’t know it at the time, but I invented a new variation of the shower: the hula. I made a video of it and about a minute and a half into it, I noticed I was doing the pattern wrong.

It looked like I was doing the hula! I was trying to get the horizontal pass across at first and was doing OK—until I wasn’t.

I think part of the reason was that I was tired of making only a couple of throws at a time. Doing the hula seemed to raise my average.

According to Juggleman:

Doing it wrong will make you an artist.
Juggleman

I guess inventing the hula shower juggle makes me an artist. You’re welcome. No applause necessary—just throw money.

Beating My Head on The Shower Wall

I’ve been practicing the shower juggling pattern. I’m combining at least a couple of different methods, which may or may not be helping me improve.

I’m using JuggleMan’s advice about trying to get some extra space in between the balls so I feel less rushed. I’m also trying to use Taylor Glenn’s method of combining the vertical and horizontal tosses.

Using both looks pretty ugly. So, what else is new? My horizontal transfers look snappier but are lopsided according to some experts. I consciously try to hold my dominant slapping hand up higher to avoid the gradual sloping up to a half shower flip up. That up slope often causes mid-air collisions between balls on one side. And I’m getting a little extra space in between the throws, so I’m starting to get one or two extra throws.

I’ve been learning to juggle since last October. It’s fun but definitely not easy. All the stuff about machine learning and artificial intelligence in the news lately got me wondering whether AI can learn to juggle.

It turns out that people have been working on this for years. I gather it takes a while to teach a robot how to juggle. Making a robot able to teach juggling would probably take a very long time. I don’t think it’s as fun to watch a robot juggle as it is watching a person juggle.

Juggling isn’t a very practical skill, although if you’re a really talented juggler you can make a little spare change busking with juggling. A machine doesn’t need spare change and doesn’t appreciate admiration.

By the way; John Henry was a steel-driving man. He beat the steam powered drill, a machine—and sacrificed his own life doing it. Machines don’t understand sacrifice.

Practicing the Shower Juggle Inches Along

I’ve been practicing the shower juggling pattern and progress has been slow. Part of the problem is that it’s a difficult pattern and very fast. I have trouble getting elements of it solid.

For example, I tend to make the horizontal transfer from my non-dominant hand more of a toss-up. That makes it look more like a shallow half-shower.

I tried to compensate today by trying to hold my left hand a little higher. That helps a little. But then I have to toss the balls higher, which is difficult to get just right. I drop a lot of balls. But then I usually do. I’ll have to work pretty hard to get more than just a couple of throws in.

It’s pretty ugly, but that’s the name of my YouTube section—Ugly Juggling.

Sena The Flashy Juggler!

Sena is a flashy juggler now, OK! She is now able to do the 3-ball throw and catch (for the cascade eventually), and in my Learn to Juggle manual, that means she is now juggling.

She counts the throws, pays attention to the juggler’s pane of glass (the juggle space) and just generally has a good time.

She has been diligently practicing and is now wondering the same thing I wondered (as I am wondering now about the shower pattern).

How the heck to let go of the balls?

Why Sena’s Juggling Balls Are Resting

Sena’s juggling balls have been silent lately, meaning I’ve not been hearing them hit the floor. She is pretty busy doing other things, like gardening.

But I’m pretty sure another reason is dropping the balls. She and I are probably at about the same learning stage in juggling. She’s trying to get past the hurdles of learning to juggle the cascade pattern. I’m still trying to get past the hurdles of learning the shower juggling pattern.

I practice every day. When I drop the balls (which is very often), I pick them up and try again. Some of my bloopers are funny, so I included them in an ugly juggling video. I don’t include all the bloopers because that would be monotonous in the extreme.

But you can tell I get pretty frustrated—and a little out of breath. I do the usual lunging, grabbing, and faking.

It’s still pretty fun. Keep trying, Sena!

Update: Sena practiced today! The evidence is on the floor:

Ugly Juggling Shower Slow Practice is Still Progress

I’m still practicing the shower juggling pattern. I’ve got an ugly presentation with claw-grabbing, flattening the half shower fake jobs, and uneven throw spacing. But I’m not quitting yet.

I’m trying to follow the JuggleMan’s example.

I didn’t get a breakthrough until yesterday when I tried my black and gold Hawkeye juggling balls. I guess they’re lucky!

Sena is still practicing the basics of trying to introduce the third ball into a cascade pattern, just like I’m trying to get the third ball into the shower pattern. She thinks one to two minutes is long enough to practice, though.

Slow progress is still progress.

How Are Water Heaters and Jugglers Alike?

Let’s start off with a riddle I think I made up. I can’t find it anywhere on the web:

How are water heaters and jugglers alike? The answer is at the end of this post.

I’m still practicing the shower juggling pattern. Progress is slow. I found a YouTube channel called YouJuggle. It’s this guy called JuggleMan, a professional juggler who is older than I am. His site has way over 10 million views. He describes and demonstrates how to do the shower a little differently than other jugglers do. The title of the video is “How to Juggle Three Balls in a Circle.” It’s for beginners.

He teaches the two-ball practice by showing that you start with two balls in the dominant hand, then toss them both up. Then before the second ball drops you pass the first ball over to the non-dominant hand. You almost have to slap it because it comes down so quick. Now I understand why my Learning to Juggle book says almost exactly that:

“Take two balls, one in each hand, and do the schoolyard throw. Toss a ball into the air as an over-the-top throw with your strong hand, then pass the other ball by the short route to the strong hand. Actually, it’s more of a slap of the ball from one hand to the other.”

Then the author tells you to take 3 balls and “just go for it.” Right. The instruction is the same as others have; you have to throw two of them from the strong hand, one right after the other, …” following the same path as the first, and then slap the third into your empty strong hand…”

Anyway, guided by JuggleMan, so far, I feel like I’m making a tiny bit more progress moving from the 3-ball toss and catch to even trying one extra throw.

The key is to time the tosses so that there is even space between each of the three balls. That’s to avoid getting that rushed feeling, because it’s a very fast pattern.

For me, trying to juggle the shower pattern is a lot like trying to take a cold shower. I had experience with this when our water heater failed. We learned to take really fast showers.

But I don’t want to do the shower fast—I just want to do it. Speaking of water heaters, here’s the answer to that riddle for you:

How are water heaters like jugglers?