Juggling is a great way to relieve stress–but do you have the balls to try it?
It’s turning again to the warmer months in Fredericton and people are looking for things to do. Everywhere I look I see new bikes, longboards and running shoes. For me, the warming weather always means digging through the back of my closet and pulling out my juggling gear for another summer of strange looks, friendly smiles, and occasionally messing up and getting smacked on the head with a pin.
In the range of hobbies that a student can pick up, juggling has to be one of the best . It’s dirt cheap, reasonably easy to learn, you can juggle indoors (with softer balls or harder ones if you don’t have downstairs neighbours), and it makes an excellent break from writing term papers. Basic three ball juggling takes anywhere from a couple of days to a couple of weeks to pick up and you can expand from that point to anywhere– from juggling pins and contact juggling to fire spinning.
To start, all you need is three balls (sounds like the start to a bad joke, I know). You can pick them up at any toy or pet supply store (dog balls can be good) and dollar stores are another good place to check. Get something that doesn’t bounce much, unless you want to be chasing them all over the place. Make sure the balls you choose have a little bit of weight – it’ll be easier for your brain to figure out where it’s going (try juggling balloons, you’ll see what I mean). For learning materials, there are about a million YouTube videos that will take you through the steps, just search ‘learn to juggle’.
I’m not going to lie – this takes a lot of practice, especially when you’re starting out. Stick with it and you’ll get the hang of it. It took me about two weeks to learn to juggle and I was pretty bad at it. I suggest practicing in front of a couch so you don’t have to bend over as much to pick up the balls when you drop them repeatedly. Once you get those first few passes, it starts getting easier and easier. For me, it wasn’t long before I was juggling everywhere. It’s a good way to wake up at get the blood moving after sitting at desk for too long at work or school. A few quiet places on campus, or walking home from the office on Charlotte Street were my favorite places to juggle. It takes a little longer to be able to walk down the street while juggling, but the sideways glances you get from strangers are worth the practice.
So next time you’re bored and wondering what to do to kill a little time, find some round things and give juggling a try. If you’re coping with three term papers, four exams, and two presentations, you’re probably pretty good at it already anyway.
