Little Paul - #
I should know this really, but what’s the best glue for reattaching renegade club knobs?
It's so long since I had to, but I think I remember using Araldite, and it working quite well.
haffnium72 - - Vorredner #
I haven't used it but the Rochester, NY Jugglers from the early 2000s swore by Shoe Goo. https://www.amazon.co.uk/Original-SHOE-GOO-Adhesive-110231EU/dp/B07V25CPSM/ref=sr_1_4?dchild=1&keywords=Shoe+Goo&qid=1607556317&sr=8-4 Jeff Peden had so many Renegade clubs. Shoe Goo is also useful for gluing shoes back together.
E-6000, without a doubt.
amazon.com/E6000-237032-Craft-Adhesive-Clear/dp/B004BPHQWU
This glue is similar to shoe goo, but made with stronger, more flexible stuff.
Little Paul - - Vorredner #
I finally got around to busying some E-6000 and yup! That's some good stuff alright!
Did the job wonderfully.
New Juggling Book!
Hey friends!
Been a while!
I've been working on a book about juggling technique for a few years now. It's coming out in August. I'm pretty excited about that.
Here's some information: www.jugglingbook.com
Here's an overproduced trailer: https://youtu.be/XE4mFaj3wCU
I hope you dig it! Just thought I'd share the news :)
Thom
Daniel Simu - - Vorredner #
I sure dig the trailer!
Hello all. I can do juggle two balls, but have never managed to do three for more than a catch or two, hence the user name. But I do like watching other people do it..
Living in Newark meant I saw a couple of bits of the EJC 2019. Sadly, I was coming back from an event I help organise on the Sunday, so I missed the parade.
The Sunday evening fire show was ok - the issues with the sound did not help. Some of the acts didn't make me gasp either. A poi.. on fire! A staff.. with a firework on the end!! Or both ends!!! But it was often visually great.
Before it started, I could see someone practice with their equipment not on fire (the pair of staffs on fire on both ends?) behind the stage and they had rather a lot of drops, but performed it fine on stage.
I had the opportunity to see something midweek, but again other things got in the way. Grrr.
I did get to see the Gala as a guest and have been looking for something that had the line up - I can find some names, but not all of them: is that published anywhere?
I liked the afternoon show so much I went home, got a different lens for the camera (I'd brought one for being 'big top' away from the action to the afternoon), and came back to see the evening one.
Compere, ??: fine.
First act, Matthew Tiffany: I'll be surprised if he's not normally a street performer. It was fine, but I would also be surprised if a chunk of the audience couldn't do everything he did.
Second act, Florence Huet: balancing the rings as she moved around is presumably rather harder than she made it look? Very elegant.
Third act, ??: I really liked the science + juggling material, but I suspect you needed to be closer to the stage - and interested in the science side - to fully appreciate it. My partner didn't, but by the end I was reminded about how a fuel cell works. By jugglers!
Fourth act, ??: the main bit was the big ring, with some balancing and dancing thrown in. I thought was ok, my partner liked them much more.
Fifth act. Masayuki Furuya: some of the best plate work I've ever seen, with some lovely stage presence. He got easily the best reaction from the audience, which I happily joined in with, but interestingly my partner wasn't that impressed.
Sixth act, Sylvia Rosat and Bobby Scala: crack, crack, crack goes the whip, but there's a reason she's dressed like that - it's not otherwise a visual act. Especially with the lighting in the evening.
Seventh act, ??: the bar routine was fine, but none of it made me gasp. I did like the 'the bottle and glass stay stationary, but the hands holding them change, by the end rapidly' bit.
Eighth act, Thom Wall: the lens change meant I could see how impressive some of his balancing was. Interestingly, he failed to pull off one bit in the afternoon - the move of the ball from something balanced on his chin to one balanced on his forehead - and didn't retry it, whereas everyone else did a (single) repeat of their drops. I do have a shot of the final routine when it went wrong (both balloons bursting) in the evening - not mentioned in the "The trick worked both times" bit of his blog! - and he did repeat that.
There was an interesting difference in the atmosphere between the two shows. The lighting didn't make much difference in the afternoon (natural light swamped it) and should been better in the particular places in the evening. I was also near to someone who spent much of their time being rude about the quality of the acts in the evening, although they did shut up during the plates and the final act...
So it was great, and I wish I could have seen more of it.
I am aware that not everyone thought so - in the evening, I was standing next to someone who was making derogatory comments about nearly all of the acts. They did shut up during Masayuki Furuya and Thom Wall's acts though!
Mike Moore - - Vorredner #
I wrote them down with delusions of being like Jon Peat:
Florence Huet (Hoops)
Ben and Fred (Science-related act)
Swing Circus (dancey, cyr wheel, hand balancing)
Masa (spinning plates)
Synthia (rapid whips)
Shake down (flair bartending, mixed with hand balancing)
Thom Wall (balancing, and did a two health bars finish with the balloon pop.)
MC: Dan Holzman
Hey there!
You're right! I totally biffed the balance transfer trick in the first show. When the winds picked up and they decided to move the gala show to the main hall, the ball I normally use for that trick was lost in the shuffle somehow... I had to borrow one of Tiff's balls last minute! His ball was a little smaller in diameter than the one I normally use... I trained the trick a few times before the show (all super last minute) and it seemed to work well -- but when I got on stage... muscle memory took over. As you can imagine, it's a super delicate trick to pull off, and a slight change in diameter of the ball can throw everything off. Between shows, I spent about an hour breaking down the technique and re-learning it with a smaller ball. Didn't want to waste everyone's time with me missing it a second time (or third. or fourth) in the first show. Such is life and live performance!
And, yeah... totally screwed up the double balloon in the second show on that first attempt. That's a really young trick for me (EJC was literally the first time I've put it on stage!) -- that was an error in preparation on my part... dragged the balloon along the edge of the knife when setting it up! Ah well. Still a beautiful trick, and I'm really pleased that I was able to execute the trick on the second attempt!
Glad to know Masa and I were spared by the hecklers during the show! Phew!
mike.armstrong - - Vorredner #
Matthew Tiffany: I'll be surprised if he's not normally a street performer. It was fine, but I would also be surprised if a chunk of the audience couldn't do everything he did.
You should be doubly surprised then!! He's one of very few people in the world who can do most of those tricks
Welcome aboard - hopefully we'll see you around more now that you've had a taste of juggling fests
Hey friends!
Long time since I've posted on here, but thought you might be interested in a book that I just published.
It's called "Juggling - From Antiquity to the Middle Ages: the forgotten history of throwing and catching" and it's about, well, exactly what it says on the tin.
It's the first fully sourced-and-cited history of juggling going through this time period - complete with 20 pages of bibliography and just shy of 100 footnotes and asides.
The book has gotten some really nice praise from Karl-Heinz Ziethen, Dominque Jando, the Circus Report, and Midwest Book Review -- but I'll leave it up to you to decide if it's any good.
Two years in the making, it's now on Amazon in paperback and ebook formats (as well as a number of local juggling shops around the world!) It's also on all of the international book databases, so you can request it from your local library. Just ask for it by the title & ISBN and they should be able to get you squared away.
Hope you dig it! (And apologies for being so absent! Life, shows, research... lots of excuses these days.)
Book - https://amzn.to/2Fkek2s
Trailer - https://youtu.be/ERstHjZWM5c
Podcast interview about the research process - http://propstothat.ca/listen
All the best,
--Thom
Little Paul - - Vorredner #
hurrah! Been waiting for this for ages...
It's in my cart on amazon, just waiting for the next time my order tips over the free-shipping limit.
Cool! I hope you enjoy it!
If you're looking for some kinda esoteric juggling reading recommendations to help push that cart over the limit, I can't praise this book enough:
It's written in Japanese, but has English translations on the facing pages. Really interesting look at the life and training of the current master of Daikagura.
I received your book in the post last Thursday.
I have had a quick flick through and it looks really interesting. I love the front cover.
Daniel Simu - - Vorredner #
That was a fun podcast :)
I hope your book takes off, flicking through the digital version you showed me convinced me it's full of interesting and new juggling knowledge! :D
31 Tricks for a 31 Year Old!
Just polished off the final version of my annual tradition. I hope you dig it!
Headbounce tutorial!
Hey friends!
I wrote a little blog post that talks about fundamental headbounce technique. Curious to hear if you have any thoughts on the matter that I may have missed ("adding the juggle" will come in a later article.)
https://thomwall.com/lets-bounce-ball-heads/
Hope you dig it!
-Thom
Let’s close that third eyeball up and bounce a ball on it.
Hahahaha!
I learnt to bounce a ball on my head for ~20 bounces a while ago, but I dismissed going further as, "not worth the effort". Then I was pretty much entirely put off by hearing an anecdote of an amazing head bouncer that performed at one of the Israeli Juggling Conventions, he was doing lots of amazing things like bouncing a rugby ball consistently but someone who spoke to him said that he could barely string a sentence together. I believe there have been studies on the long term damage caused to football (soccer) players from header training. While I do love juggling, I'm not willing to risk (further) brain damage.
Spare a thought for the Chinese pot jugglers who catch those very large ceramic pots on their heads.
Back in the day, I knew some people who had trained with a Chinese troupe - the pot juggler was affectionately known as Lumpy because of the callouses on his head. Part of his training regime was to stand with his head pushing against the corner of a wall to make/maintain a groove for catching the pot on its edge, like this: https://i.ytimg.com/vi/tk09cW4HR08/hqdefault.jpg
From all accounts he was a very sweet guy, but definitely not the sharpest tool in the box...
Part of his training regime was to stand with his head pushing against the corner of a wall to make/maintain a groove
Holy crap!
I used to think I was dedicated because I used to put a lot of hours in... Definitely not willing to mutilate myself for my craft.
If you take away the brain-damage aspect, it could probably be argued that it's not so far removed from weight-training to increase strength/stamina.
Although, when you stop weight training your muscles return to their 'normal' size. I'm not so sure about a groove in the skull...
Daniel Simu - - Vorredner #
Oof! I had never heard of that, but a quick google confirms that there is football heading research suggesting negative effects indeed. Now the impact of a headbouncing ball is much less than that of a football, especially of a light one, but the repetetion probably much higher. I wonder if there is a way to reasonably predict the effect of low impact high repetition brain shakes?
Relevant programme from the BBC: Alan Shearer: Demntia, Football and Me, available on iPlayer. Alan Shearer has agreed to donate his brain to medical research once he's finished using it.
The Smithsonian Insitution's Sidedoor podcast just came out with an episode all about the life and legacy of Paul Cinquevalli! Well worth a listen if for no reason other than to listen to the dulcet tones of Erik Aberg's voice.
Check it out!
Daniel Simu - - Vorredner #
Very nice, thanks for linking to it and you make a nice appearance in it :)
Found a download link for this episode in their RSS feed Sidedoor: ep. 7 | the man who defied gravity (mp3 36.3mb)
.
Thanks for the heads up Thom, just added this to my startling large collection of things to listen to!
Little Paul - - Vorredner #
Finally managed to get around to listening to this today white I was getting in my pelargoniums and taking cuttings. It was quite a good listen, even if it did give the listener the impression that nothing Cinquevalli did was gimmicked when some of it certainly was.
Surprised at Erik implying that the tricks were not gimmicked as he has stated here that he believes that at least some of the tricks were gimmicked. Here's the thread where we discussed this previously and an article I linked to that mentions how he might have done the billiard balance trick.
https://www.jugglingedge.com/forum.php?ThreadID=901&SmallID=6644#Small6644
Little Paul - - Vorredner #
I think at least some of it was “editing for the sake of a good story@
erik aberg - - Vorredner #
This interview was over way sooner than I thought. I have not listened to it, so I do not know what parts they used, but we hardly even scratched the surface of Cinquevalli. They asked questions that were rather silly (for an example, what a member of the audience would wear), and kept interrupting me before I could come to any point. Hopefully, there will be a chance of discussing him properly in the future. In terms of Cinquevalli and gimmicked props, the point is that he claimed not to use them, and specifically pointed that out, as a difference to magic. What the actual reality was, can of course be discussed. The distinction between juggling and magic is clear after Cinquevalli, but not before.
Thanks. I totally understand how they could have quoted you out of context. It seems like Cinquevalli was working to make the distinction between juggling and magic, but then breaking his own rules. I totally understand that his main goal was one of entertainment and making a living though.
Balancing and juggling (and juggling and balancing)
Hey guys!
I wrote up a little tutorial on learning to juggle with a balance (or... is it learning to balance with a juggle?..!)
Thought some of you might get a kick out of it! Curious to hear if my experiences are parallel with any of your own.
https://thomwall.com/balancing-and-juggling/
Cheers!
--Thom
Cedric Lackpot - - Vorredner #
That was an excellent read, thank you. Please show it to /r/juggling as well if you haven't already.
I found myself both agreeing and disagreeing with so much of it. But that's a reflection of my understanding of the trick, which has changed considerably over time. I used to think that it should be regarded as a single trick rather than a combination of two, but I eventually realised that it's better if you let the balance come first. I'm still not sure it isn't actually a single trick, but nowadays I very much agree with the importance of focusing on the balance.
But since I learned the trick before I learned to focus completely on the balance it seems evident that one can divide one's attention somewhat, and still succeed. It's hard to remember but I think back then I tried not to look at any one thing at all, just see the whole picture.
Thanks, Cedric! Just posted it over on Reddit. (Feel free to give an upvote! ha!)
I'm still not sure it's a single trick, either, haha. I think that three with a balance is certainly "canon" enough that can stand on its own as a trick, but find that learning different tricks while maintaining the balance makes that perspective lacking... (would you agree?)
Your comment about dividing attention definitely corresponds with my experience with headbounce... if you focus on any one thing too much, it all falls apart. You've got to see the whole thing all at once!
Little Paul - - Vorredner #
Just got around to reading it, and I think that you've covered everything I either picked up from other people or intuitively tried in the "conscious incompetence" phase.
I like the way you've written it up and illustrated it though - and I think you actually managed to describe why I've never found the forehead balance as comfortable as everyone seems to have told me it is - it's because I have to flip my perception.
You might even have inspired me to have another crack at getting it solid.
Awesome! I'm really excited that there wasn't much new info in there for you, actually... Doing my best to be comprehensive with these posts, and if I've covered everything that's occurred to you, I must be doing something right!
Good stuff. When learning the Bungay trick, I remembered Haggis McLeod's exhortation from his Club Juggling instructional video: DON'T DROP THE BALANCE. (Which pretty much summarises your article in a sentence.) It's really hard to keep doing that when you're first trying to add some throws under the balance, but it pays dividends in the end.
I never did work hard enough on just a club balance with a cascade. Maybe I should try again....
Little Paul - - Vorredner #
I think I made a VHS rip of it and still have it on my PC somewhere, but I didn't put it online because oddballs were selling it on DVD at the time.
It makes for wonderful "omg the hair! The clothes! The sheer bloody 1990s of it all"
Scott Seltzer - - Vorredner #
Good stuff, Thom. A few thoughts:
I think I remember hearing that Gatto recommended the forehead balance since it gives the audience a better view of your face. That insight is presumably from Nick, actually. So, forehead might be better for performer-types.
The Reading Test is my favorite drill before you put it all together. Work on it a lot after your balance is solid and before you work on adding the juggling. Try to get your head back as far as you can, even looking up somewhat behind straight up so you rely on minimal peripheral vision of the clubs.
Placing into a Balance - the trick here is to catch the club you're going to put into a balance up high and as close to the balance point as possible so there's not a lot of movement (and time) to get it into the balance. Watch people doing constant balances on one side and you'll see very high catches and minimal movement to actually put the clubs into the balance/roll).
One thing you didn't mention is clubs vs balls. Learning with 3 clubs is much easier than with 3 balls since you will see the clubs easier with your peripheral vision than balls which are generally thrown lower (throwing them high enough for suitable juggling with a balance is an unnatural slow rhythm). 4 balls is similarish height to 3 clubs so a reasonable start for those who prefer sphericals. I think it was "The Complete Juggler" that suggested that even numbers might actually be easier for juggling with a balance.
I'm guessing that even numbers would only be easier for the nose or chin balance since the club would obscure the crossing point of the cascade.
Funny that you say up high when referring to what I would call the bottom of the handle. Perhaps your mental model of a club is the other way round to mine. The disadvantage of catching near the knob for placing into a balance is that it's harder to get it to the right angle, but you're right that it can be quicker and easier to position it accurately.
Scott Seltzer - - Vorredner #
By "up high" I meant with your arm raised up high, right near your forehead. Another thing about this is that the throw should be one and a quarter spin so instead of catching the club perpendicular to your body line like normal, you catching it more vertically, oriented and ready for quick placement on your face.
That time of the year again!
Here's what I've been up to this year, friends... a few new tricks, from me to you! Hope you dig it!
Daniel Simu - - Vorredner #
Fun stuff! I especially liked the table cloth pull at the start :D
It's inspiring to see, and makes me want to make a similar video some day! However I'm really not in the habit of recording myself yet, perhaps that is a first thing to tackle ;)
How did "Bramson rolls" end up being called that? I see more and more people use that name, but I would really prefer to call them "Everhart rolls"
Do you know who first named them like this?
That's a good question (... For David! Ha!)
I've heard that trick referred to as "bramson rolls" for as long as I've seen it. My guess is that Bob is the first guy who was televised doing it? One point of anec-data for ya :p
Little Paul - - Vorredner #
I think I've been assuming it's similar to why Alberts/Treblas are called Alberts/Treblas.
ie they're so named because more jugglers have seen Bob Bramson do them than Everhardt (because more footage exists of Bramson, for obvious reasons)
Little Paul - - Vorredner #
Although, oddly - the earliest reference I can find to the term "Bramson Rolls" seems to be a post on rec.juggling form 2009 from Norbi.
Seems like the term should pre-date that, so it's kinda odd it doesn't show up on r.j before then.
lukeburrage - - Vorredner #
I'm not sure. I don't remember it having a name before I heard them called Bramson Rolls in the last five years or so.
And like "isolated" its one of the many juggling terms that really annoys me when I see it used "incorrectly". For me, Bramson's trick only has the correct aesthetic qualities when performed with four objects. With three objects, especially three small hoops or rings, it has a hole in it, and completely ruins the effect.
[answering thread:] Cf. https://www.juggling.org/fame/bramson/malone.html and https://www.juggling.org/fame/bramson/award.html - lotsa "rolls", but no "Bramson Rolls" mentionned.
Bramson Rolls is definitely a recent term. Everhart obviously did it first with three, but Howard Nichols did it with four, including on television and film, before Bramson. It probably just comes down to the fact that modern jugglers most often associate it with Bramson because he was the virtuoso hoop juggler of the modern era and so many videos exist of him.
Right, so it's Everharts with 3, and HowNics with 4. Glad that's settled. ^_^
Winners! - IJA Video Tutorial Contest 2016
http://ezine.juggle.org/2016/12/16/winners-6th-annual-video-tutorial-contest-2016/
Some really beautiful entries this year. Be sure to check out the link to see all of the tutorials - so many new things to learn!
Thanks to everyone who entered! Thanks to the sponsors! Thanks to the crack team of juggling judges!
Thom
VTC Director Guy
Mike Moore - - Vorredner #
Wooooo!
Indeed, great entrants this year. I've only looked at 5-10 so far, but am looking forward to going through them all.