Saturday, December 06, 2008

Blog is in limbo

Only 9 posts since June 2008. Does this mean I'm retired from blogging about juggling? Time will tell.

The absence of adequate indoor juggling space renders late fall through early spring non-juggle-able due to cold temperatures. I've got to go very far out of my way to find indoor space to juggle 5 balls. Basically I need to juggle in a subway station.

You can't play baseball without an adequate field... you can't juggle without an adequate space. I guess that's life. Go with the flow.

Thursday, November 20, 2008

Jugglers I want to see perform

The jugglers I want to see perform are:

Wes Peden
Jay Gilligan
Anthony Gatto

Monday, October 13, 2008

Draitube 3 Ball Tricks (WIP Series)

Here are some videos with a lot of 3 ball variations. The video WIP 2 is not nearly as good as the others, so I've left it out of this post. Draitube's Youtube page is here. If you've ever wanted to study 3 ball tricks, these videos should help a lot.


WIP 1


WIP 3


WIP 4


WIP 5


WIP 6

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Sunday, October 12, 2008

Tossaball® Hybrid 'Super Soft' 3.2

My quest to find the perfect juggling ball continues... I remember my first balls which I received at a motivational speaking event. They were made of vinyl and never really lost their square shape. These days there are lots of balls to choose from and I think there is a real lack of reviews to help people sort them out and spend their money wisely. In this regard, this post is an attempt to help other jugglers make good buying decisions.

I have a new set of balls called Tossaball® Hybrid 'Super Soft' 3.2 which I've been practicing with recently. These balls are the new line of hybrid balls from The Flying Clipper based in Oregon. A few months ago I made the switch to juggling the original line of hybrids which are 2.8" 130 grams. You can read my review here. Below is a description of the Super Soft balls I pulled from the manufacturer's website.

Finally a 'Super Soft" completely washable juggle ball that will always keep its shape even after many washings. Hand made craft is taken to high a form in this new Hybrid juggle ball offering. Like our other Hybrid balls this one also isolates heavy crushed rock filler between two layers of material, keeping most of the balls weight on the outside rim. For a super soft ball, this ball also rolls like a firm ball allowing for a unique combination of rolls and stalls unlike any other ball before it. This is the larger cousin to our new "Crossover" Hybrid footbag/juggle ball. The larger diameter and super soft feel make this one a great performance ball.

Diameter: 3.2" Weight: 140 grams


So what do I think about these new balls? In a word, quality. I feel the same way about the originals as I do about the Super Soft balls. As soon as you see and touch these balls, you will understand the high level of craftsmanship in them. The fact that they are sturdy and will last a long time, and the fact that you can machine wash them means these balls are a good investment of your money.

Personally, after juggling the original 2.8" Hybrids, I find that I prefer them over the Super Soft version. Both balls have their advantages and disadvantages. The tighter packed originals are easier for me to multiplex with and I have fewer collisions. The bigger, underfilled Super Softs are more visual because of their size, and easier to do stalls with. I prefer the smaller version because I love doing multiplexes and I think I have small hands which makes catching the smaller balls easier for me.

Regardless of my personal preference for the smaller, tightly packed originals, I can definitely confirm the quality of craftsmanship in both of these products. Basically, if you are looking for a high quality, washable juggling bean bag that will last you a long time, the new Super Soft balls are a good choice. Whether you like small tightly packed balls or larger loosely filled balls, I can honestly recommend Tossaball® Hybrid Series.

Wednesday, August 27, 2008

MOM blogged me

The Ministry of Manipulation blogged about my blog recently. Here is the link. Pretty cool! The guys over at MOM are hoping to get me back into posting here. The gap in my postings is growing day by day, but it's not because I don't have anything to say about juggling. It's because I'm spending so much of my free time and energy on learning to speak Korean. Also, I've been swimming laps at the pool for exercise to get rid of the spare tire around my waist (something juggling has not been able to do for me). Both of my goals are manifesting themselves, however my juggling related activities have had to take the back seat. No worries though, life goes in cycles. Soon enough, I'll return to the juggling blogospehere.

In the meantime, I'm testing out some new balls. A while back, I got my hands on some Flying Clipper Hybrid Toss-a-balls. You can read about my review of them here. Flying Clipper has released an newer version that is bigger and underfilled to meet the needs of people who like an underfilled ball. The ones I have are called Hybrid Super Soft 3.0. I'll give a review of the new balls in a couple months after I've had some time to play with them and form an opinion.

Tuesday, July 29, 2008

2 month gap in postings

Seems like I've fallen off the face of the earth, huh? No posts in 2 months. In fact, I haven't even read rec.juggling for the same period of time. Truth be told, I haven't juggled much either. Then what have I been doing?

I've been working hard at learning to speak Korean and getting back into good physical condition. In order to do that, I've had to put many things on the back burner, so to speak. Not only juggling related activities, but also other interests of mine.

Friday, June 06, 2008

Technitivity



Act performed by Marco Paoletti in 2006-2007. www.maggler.com

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