Juggling ring facts for kids
Juggling rings, often just called "rings", are a cool prop used by people who juggle. Jugglers usually use them in sets of three or more. Sometimes, they mix rings with other juggling items like balls or clubs. These rings are typically about 30 centimeters (12 inches) wide and 3 millimeters (0.12 inches) thick.
Rings are usually easier to juggle than clubs, but a bit trickier than balls. This is because of their size and how you throw them. People love using rings because they look really impressive, even though they aren't the hardest thing to learn.
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How Rings Are Used in Juggling
When you juggle rings, they usually spin around their middle. This spinning motion, called gyroscopic motion, helps the ring stay in the same position after you throw it. Jugglers use this special trick to create cool visual effects. For example, they might juggle some rings flat towards the audience and others sideways.
Just like with balls and clubs, the most basic ways to juggle rings are the cascade and the fountain. In these patterns, your left and right hands take turns throwing rings at about the same height. Some tricks you do with balls or clubs can also be done with rings. But because of their unique shape and spin, rings create a different look.
Unique Ring Tricks
Rings have some special tricks that only they can do. For instance, a spinning ring held upright can be balanced and spun on another ring held flat. Another trick is "pancake flips," where rings spin along different angles. "Color change" is a trick where rings have different colors on each side. Jugglers catch the ring with their hand facing up, then throw it with their hand facing down. This makes it look like the ring magically changed color!
One very common trick unique to rings is the "pull down." This is often used at the end of a performance. Each ring is caught and then placed over the juggler's neck, one after another.
Juggling Many Rings
Because rings are thin, light, and easy to gather, jugglers often use them to juggle many props at once. If a juggler is using more than four rings, they often wear gloves. This is because the rings can spin very high and their thin, hard plastic edges can rub and cause skin irritation.
Passing Rings
It's possible to pass rings between jugglers, though it's not as common as passing clubs. For example, in the famous show Corteo by Cirque du Soleil, jugglers passed many rings to each other.
Rings are perfectly round, which means two or more jugglers can spin each ring in any direction around its center. This makes throwing and catching rings easy, no matter how much they turn. This is different from club juggling, where clubs usually don't spin around their main axis when passed.
Juggling Records
The record for juggling the most rings (where each ring is thrown and caught at least twice) is ten rings. Anthony Gatto set this record in 2006 with forty-seven catches. The record for "flashing" the most rings (where each ring is thrown and caught just once) is thirteen. Albert Lucas achieved this in 2002.
