Juggling terminology facts for kids

Cascade: This is a basic juggling pattern where you throw balls inside.

Reverse cascade: This pattern is like the cascade, but you throw the balls outside.

Burke's Barrage: A cool juggling pattern that includes a special "claw" catch.

Juggling is a super fun skill where you keep objects moving, usually by throwing and catching them. To understand how jugglers talk about their tricks, it's helpful to learn some special words. This guide will explain common terms used in toss juggling, which is when you throw and catch objects like balls or clubs.

Basic Juggling Moves and Timing

Juggling has many different moves. Understanding these basic terms will help you learn new tricks.

How Juggling Happens

• Alternating/Asynchronous
  • This means you throw or catch with one hand, then the other hand, one after the other. It's like taking turns.
• Catch
  • This is when a ball lands in your hand or you grab it out of the air.
• Toss
  • A toss is simply throwing an object up into the air.
• Toss Juggling
  • This is the most common type of juggling. It's all about throwing objects up and catching them.

Juggling Timing and Rhythm

• Beat
  • In juggling, a beat is the time between throws, or between a throw and a catch. It helps jugglers count the rhythm of their patterns.
• Hold time
  • Also called "dwell time," this is how long you hold an object before throwing it again.
• Period
  • The period is how many throws it takes for a juggling pattern to repeat itself. For example, the basic cascade pattern repeats after just one throw.
• Synchronous
  • This is when both of your hands throw or catch objects at the exact same time. It's the opposite of alternating.

Different Ways to Juggle Objects

Jugglers use many creative ways to move and handle objects.

• Balance
  • This means resting a juggling object on your body or another object for a short time or longer.
• Bounce
  • When you bounce an object, you let it hit a hard surface, like the floor, before you catch it.
• Bounce Juggling
  • This is a type of juggling that uses a lot of bounces and catches.
• Carry
  • To carry a ball means you move it with one hand to a spot where your other hand would normally catch it. Then, you throw it from that spot using the first hand.
• Claw/Snatch/Overhand
  • This is a special way to throw or catch a ball. You turn your hand upside down so your palm faces the ground.
• Contact juggling
  • This is a type of juggling where the objects stay in contact with your body. You roll them around instead of throwing them.
• Cross
  • A cross is when you pass one arm over or under your other arm before you throw or catch an object.
• Feed
  • To feed a prop means you pass it directly from one hand to the other without throwing it high.
• Inside
  • This means you throw an object from one hand under another object that was just thrown or is about to be thrown.
• Orbit
  • An orbit is a type of carry where you move a held ball in a circle around another ball. It looks like one ball is orbiting the other.
• Outside
  • This means you throw an object from one hand over another object that was just thrown or is about to be thrown.
• Overhead
  • This is when you juggle with your arms up above your head, looking up at the pattern from underneath.
• Reverse
  • To reverse a pattern means you change the direction of your throws. For example, you might throw inside instead of outside, or vice versa. The cascade and the reverse cascade are good examples.
• Squeeze or squeeze catch
  • This is the opposite of a multiplex. It's when you catch more than one ball in the same hand at the same time.
• Two-in-One
  • This is a trick where you use one hand to juggle two balls. The balls travel straight up and down in their own separate paths.

Juggling Objects and Patterns

Jugglers use many different objects and create unique patterns with them.

• Prop
  • A prop is simply an object used for juggling. While many jugglers use balls or bean bags, props can also include juggling clubs, juggling rings, cigar boxes, knives, or even torches.
• Sticks/batons
  • These are wooden rods, like doweling, that were used for juggling even before modern clubs existed.
• Pattern
  • A pattern is a specific way you move your juggling objects. It's like the choreography of your juggling trick.
• Asymmetrical
  • These are juggling patterns that have an even number of throws before they repeat. This means they often repeat on the same hand. The shower pattern is an example.
• Symmetrical
  • These are juggling patterns that have an odd number of throws before they repeat. This means they usually repeat on the other hand.
• Shape distortion
  • This is when you change the way a juggling pattern looks, even if the timing of the throws (called siteswap) stays the same. For example, the half-shower and the Statue of Liberty trick have the same timing but look very different.

Advanced Juggling Concepts

Some juggling terms describe more complex ideas or goals.

• Flash
  • To flash means to throw and catch every juggling object you have, but only once. It's a quick display of how many objects you can handle.
• Half
  • A half version of a pattern is usually simpler and shorter than the full pattern. It can sometimes be used to practice for the full version. For example, the half-shower is a simpler version of the shower.
• Multiplex
  • This is when you throw more than one object at the same time from one hand.
• Notation
  • Notation is a written way to describe juggling ideas and patterns. Siteswap is a common type of notation.
• Numbers juggling
  • This type of juggling is all about trying to juggle as many objects as possible.
• Parity
  • Parity refers to whether a juggling pattern can only be done with an even or odd number of objects, or if it can be done with either. For example, the cascade can be done with any odd number of objects (3, 5, 7, etc.).
• Pass
  • To pass means to throw an object to another juggler.
• Qualify or qualifying
  • In numbers juggling, to qualify means you must throw and catch every object at least twice. This is different from a flash, where you only catch each object once.