Balance and Motion show at Summit Elementary

I did a Balance and Motion show for the 2nd graders at Summit Elementary last week, and it went really well. I did a thirty minute presentation where I talked about the physics of balance and motion as it relates to juggling tricks, explaining each trick in terms of the vocabulary from the 2nd grade Balance and Motion unit. The kids get a huge kick out of it, and the teachers loved how it ties into the science unit.

I want to perform this routine at more elementary schools, I just need to get contacts at more schools around town.

Of course my daughter really enjoyed it, since she got to be my helper during the show. I brought out my unicycle for this act, which I'm doing more and more lately...I've developed more strength and it's easier to use the uni in smaller spaces now -- and it's a lot of fun.

Closing in on continuous behind-the-back throws

This month I'm trying to master continuous behind-the-back throws in a 3-ball routine. So far, the most I've done has been 4 catches. But I think I've got the process dialed in...I learned I have to throw the balls quite a bit higher than I expected to gain the time needed to free my hands for the next throw and catch.

I'm actually doing this mainly as preparation to do continuous behind-the-back throws with clubs. Oddly, on my first attempt at that, it didn't occur to me to work with balls first and it took a suggestion from someone at a Texas Juggling Society meeting to give me that little breakthrough. I mean, if I was telling someone else how to learn to do anything at all with clubs, I'd suggest that they learn the trick with balls first....but I didn't figure that out on my own, when it was me.

Of course, part of that is because I can already do individual behind-the-back throws in the middle of a club pattern, so I felt like I ought to be able to move forward from that. But continuous behind-the-back throws is a whole 'nother animal.