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Frequently Asked Questions
Ask a QuestionPlease make sure to read the ones below first.
What is Contact Juggling?
Where can I find information on Contact Juggling?
What if I just want to watch Contact Juggling?
I want to learn Contact Juggling what do I do?
I have the desire to learn but I need "the" ball, which one is the best to get?
What is all this controversy I hear about Contact Juggling?
Are there different types of Contact Juggling?
My new acrylic is scratched. What do I do?
I have one acrylic that is scratched. Can I still use it to spin?
How resilient is an acrylic ball over Crystal?
What ball should I use for what trick?
I lent my ball to a friend and he dropped it, what do I do?
Question: What is Contact Juggling?
Answer: Contact Juggling is the skill and art of moving a ball or balls from one place to another while keeping them in contact with your body.
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Question: Where can I find information on Contact Juggling?
Answer: James Ernest's book "Contact Juggling" is an excellent resource. There are also videos that you can get. On the web there is this site, ContactJuggling.com. Also try ContactJuggling.org. There are several other websites listed in our links section as well. Lastly try and go out and find some other Contact Jugglers. Try our Clubs CJers goto for a list of people that might attend a club near you.
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Question: What if I just want to watch Contact Juggling?
Answer: Cool. First try our Performances and Playing section of the web site. Next you can see if a performer is doing an act near you. Last if you have a special event you can hire a Contact Juggler for it.
There are also several "real" videos related to contact juggling. The Jim Henson movie "Labyrinth" and the making of the movie, called "Into the Labyrinth", are interesting places to start. If you purchase the Labyrinth DVD it includes "Into the Labyrinth". The PBS documentary "In Motion with Moschen" showcases Michael Moschen's work, the artist that did all of the crystal manipulation in the movie "Labyrinth". There are also instructional videos out that are fun to watch.
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Question: I want to learn Contact Juggling what do I do?
Answer: To learn Contact Juggling all you need is a desire to learn and a ball. From there you can use the online resources here including Rich Shumaker's "First Lesson" and the resources of other web sites. There are also Contact Juggling instructional videos. Last and certainly not least you can seek out a Contact Juggler to teach you. Most but not all Contact Jugglers are willing and able to teach you. But please don't expect someone to teach you. Please be courtesy and ask them if they wouldn't mind helping you out.
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Question: I have the desire to learn but I need "the" ball, which one is the best to get?
Answer: There is no one best ball to start with. Rich Shumaker recommends starting with a Lacrosse ball. There are two reasons he gives. The first is that a lacrosse ball is always a consistent size and weight which is good for most beginners with varying sized hands. The second reason is that it is made of rubber and does not hurt the hand as much as a metal, marble, or acrylic ball does when caught. Most would agree that a lacrosse ball is not that flashy and won't attract a crowd like a metal or acrylic ball will. If you buy an acrylic and plan on performing with it make sure to practice with it. You should always practice with your performance ball so that you are comfortable with it.
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Question: What is all this controversy I hear about Contact Juggling?
Answer: James Ernest wrote a book called "Contact Juggling" to teach the skill and art of Contact Juggling. In this book he credits Michael Moschen with inspiring him to learn this art that James Ernest calls Contact Juggling. Mr. Moschen never expected or specifically asked anyone to learn to Contact Juggle. He never named it and was just creating a routine for the world to see. The book was released in 1991 and in 1992 Mr. Moschen made quite a stir by almost boycotting the IJA Montreal festival where he was to be the Honored Guest because of a recent review in the IJA magazine "Juggle". Needless to say this made Contact Juggling a hot topic among the Juggling community. Jugglers were asked about Contact Juggling so much that it became the #1 most annoying question. There have been several threads on the rec.juggling news group about Contact Juggling. Some have gotten quite heated about the ethics of performing Contact Juggling at all.
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Question: Are there different types of Contact Juggling?
Answer: Contact Juggling is broken into 2 main categories. Spinning and Rolling. Often called Palm Spinning and Body Rolling. By calling it Ball Rolling and Ball Spinning you allow people to spin on the back of the hand and Roll the ball on props and things such as that. Ball Rolling is where you move the body from one part of your body to another by rolling it. Ball spinning is where you spin balls in your hands.
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Questions: My new acrylic is scratched. What do I do?
Answer: Polish it with Novus or any other acrylic polish. Plastic polish usually comes in 3 grades according to the size of the problem, so you can usually buff out most scratches fairly easily. If you have more than 3 acrylics and you want to keep them looking good then your best bet is a polishing wheel. Shifty uses a polishing wheel to keep all of his collection looking good. This is by far the best way to make an old ball look new again. Alternatively, you could scuff the rest of the ball's surface to give it a "frosted" look, and avoid any further problems with scratches, although it doesn't look or feel as nice.
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Question: I have one acrylic that is scratched. Can I still use it to spin?
Answer: Sure you can, but it will start to scratch the other balls. When you replace one ball it is recommended that you replace them all. Many people keep a set to practice with and a set for performance.
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Question: How resilient is an acrylic ball over Crystal?
Answer: Acrylic balls look like crystal but they are nearly indestructible. People have told tales of acrylic balls being dropped from several stories up and not breaking. Just be careful with what you hit with your acrylic - it probably won't survive the experience, and that includes tiles, washbasins, bones, etc., and the ball will probably get scratched. Crystal balls will get flaws when dropped - a crystal ball flaw looks like a crater on the moon.
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Question: What ball should I use for what trick?
Answer: If you are aiming to perform, it's best to practice with the type of ball you will perform with. For learning, in general small balls are easier for ball spinning tricks and large balls are easier for ball rolling tricks. I usually try to learn a ball rolling trick with a #1 soccer ball or 3 1/2" stage ball, and then practice with a smaller ball as I get better at the trick. With ball spinning I start with small balls and work my hands up to larger ones. For more on Ball Theory check out the Article on it.
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Question: I lent my ball to a friend and he dropped it, what do I do?
Answer: If you lend your balls to beginners, expect them to get dropped, so don't lend out your expensive and valuable new balls. If you are teaching someone try to give them a softer ball or an older practice ball. I try to carry two extra lacrosse balls for teaching up to two people at a time. They are not very expensive, so you can give them out or sell them off if someone is interested enough to want to explore further.
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