Juggling

General Explanation:

Juggling is a general name for a variety of activities that require concentration, coordination, hand-speed and lots of practice. Classical juggling includes mainly throwing and catching juggling props (usually balls, clubs and rings), where the difficulty lies in the fact the there are more props than the juggler has hands. Juggling starts with throwing three balls, but there are an endless number of possibilities to go on to from there. Today juggling also includes novel props (diabolo, devil stick) in addition to the classical ones.

When juggling is mentioned, most people imagine circus clowns, amusing street performances, and the juggling of knives and flaming torches. In reality, however, the connection between these performances and juggling is like between the connection between card-tricks and a game of bridge. Most of the juggling in the world is done by people who enjoy the personal achievements, challenging themselves, and the physical activity involved in juggling. Many people use juggling as a means of relaxation.

The Benefits of Juggling:

The primary benefit of juggling, and indeed the most important one, is the benefit that a person gets from any hobby - enjoyment in their free time. Just as chess players enjoy the game itself and do not examine whether the game benefits them (in aiding their memory, planning ahead and so on), jugglers enjoy the activity as it is, and this is a sufficient reason to juggle. As it stands, however, research into juggling has shown that juggling has additional values:

Health:: Juggling is first and foremost a physical activity. Every juggler determines his own limit. It is possible to make juggling a moderate physical activity (some jugglers are 60 years old, or even older), but it�s equally possible to practice for hours and to tire just like in any other sport. There are those who combine juggling with other physical activities, such as jogging. Juggling also helps develop hand-eye coordination.
Concentration:: Juggling demands intense concentration, and the more a person practices, the longer he learns to concentrate on one thing. The ability to concentrate is of course transferred to other fields as well. There are even people who consider juggling to be a type of rhythmic meditation.
Self Confidence:: People who regularly juggle start by learning the basics, and in a short period of time reach notable achievements. Both the initial learning (three balls, for example) as well as each additional trick add to the self confidence of the learner. The achievements depend almost entirely on the amount of practice, and once learned they are not forgotten. In this fashion, someone who practices learns that there is almost no goal in juggling that cannot be achieved through hard work and practice. A positive approach to juggling leads to a positive approach in general in life. In the United States, a program was established to teach prisoners juggling in order to improve their self confidence, and the feedback of the prisoners was decisively positive.
Social Activity:: Juggling as a social activity can bring together people of all political and social backgrounds. The real need for additional people in order to learn new tricks and improve (unlike in competitive sports, for example) improves the social behaviour of those who juggle. Most jugglers in the world are kind, generous people who are happy to teach or learn from any person.

Juggling in the World:

The International Juggling Association (IJA) brings together some 3,000 members from all over the world. There also exists a European juggling association. Almost every city in Europe or the United States can boast a local juggling club which constitutes a meeting place for jugglers, old and new. Every year juggling conventions are held worldwide, at which hundreds or thousands of jugglers exchange ideas, participate in workshops and games, compete between them in various competitions, and watch juggling performances.

In a number of places in the world there are also schools which specialize in juggling, and some even grant a degree parallel to a bachelor�s degree at the end of the student�s studies.

A number of juggling magazines are published throughout the world in which conventions and performances are reviewed, interviews with jugglers are published, and information is passed on about the development of juggling in the world.

Juggling also has scientific aspects, and from time to time mathematical, physical and psychological research papers relating to juggling are published. Recently a complete mathematical theory has even been developed which describes juggling tricks using sequences of numbers. Articles have been written about this theory in journals such as Scientific American and American Mathematical Monthly. Many experiments involving learning ability use juggling to test hypotheses.

The world wide development of juggling is visible on the internet as well. Each week new juggling related sites are opened. On the internet, jugglers learn new tricks, read articles about practice techniques, find locations of local juggling clubs, and order equipment from juggling stores around the world. The internet also serves as a means of communication between jugglers, allowing exchange of ideas, answering of questions, and spreading of world wide juggling news.

Summary:

In the last few years, an enormous advancements have taken place in the field of juggling. In Israel the field has begun to gain momentum. Juggling clubs have been established in Jerusalem, Haifa and Tel-Aviv. Recently, national juggling conventions have been organized in Jerusalem. The hope of jugglers in Israel in that this positive trend will continue to flourish.