So what are the benefits to juggling? So many people are learning to juggle daily there must be advantages that make them all want to learn. So the big question is what are the benefits to you?
It’s excellent gentle exercise
The movement used when juggling is gentle, continuous and flowing, which makes it very good aerobic and physical exercise. Working with the top half of your body also builds tone and muscle. The more you progress, the better it gets. But it is also a good lower body workout it provides great core balance.
Improves hand to eye coordination
Many people claim they couldn’t learn to juggle because they don’t have the coordination. But thinking this way is not really helpful. Not one person has ever been born able to juggle like everything this is a skill we can learn. Hand eye coordination is part of this skill set. It can be learned. Circus skills has helped many to learn about hand eye coordination and with the instructors at Amazing Circus Workshops help we can show you the easiest way to learn.
Increase your reflex speed
Juggling involves making continual reflex ‘decisions’ in order to catch objects. The more you do it, the better/faster you become. As a juggling ball is thrown it never quite falls in the same place your body has to learn how to compensate for this.
Improves your sense of rhythm
Normal juggling is done to a steady rhythm, but there are lots of different ways of timing throws and catches. At it’s simplest, it’s steady and regular. Because you’re working with gravity (which is generally pretty consistent) you’ll find you can’t help but fall into that steady rhythm. After some time you will find a natural rhythm of your own and once you have you will be ready to learn alterations to the pattern.
Great sense of achievement from learning new things
Children love learning new things when given the proper encouragement, and adults are no different. All you need to learn to juggle is the willing to try. Once we get over the fear of trying new things, it’s great to realise again that learning is a pleasure. Especially when you have a skill that you can take and show to others.
Stress relief and a sense of well being
You can’t learn to juggle and think about all the woes of the world at the same time. It simply doesn’t work. By making yourself concentrate on juggling, it focuses you mind away from everything else, giving you a chance to relax. It’s great stress relief. Like other forms of exercise it gives you something else to keep your attention only it’s more fun.
Learning how to break down problems into manageable chunks
It’s quite a complicated problem which we can make simple by breaking it down. Once you’ve gone through this process with an obvious example like juggling, it’s easier to see how to apply similar techniques to everyday life.
Improves the ability to concentrate
Juggling is a little like magic in that when people first see it, they are amazed. It’s that awe which generally gives people the desire to focus for any length of time when learning, and once they get used to applying themselves to learn something in one field, that ability to apply themselves can transfer itself to others. But improvements in concentration just get better as your mind becomes more focused.
Builds self confidence
Solid inner confidence is born of the fact that you know you’re capable. Every time you learn something new, you’re proving you’re capable of something else. Once people realise they can do amazing things such as circus skills, they realise they’re capable of so much more. Performance of those skills advances the confidence even further.
Provokes an Interest in Life Long Learning
Learning new things is fun, but we sometimes get stuck in a rut, either through previous failures, or simply lack of encouragement. Learning to juggle and other circus skills is a simple step to remind yourself that learning new things is enjoyable, and you are capable of it. And because juggling has so many variations there is always something more to learn.
As competitive as you want it to be
You can be competitive when juggling or other circus skills, as with anything, but the focus of our workshops is based around cooperation. By helping each other learn, we all achieve more.
And it’s fun
Kids love it, but more surprisingly, so do adults. The kids simply get down and learn like it’s the most natural thing in the world. Adults tend to have to break a few more barriers when trying these things, and it’s amazing how much they laugh while they’re doing that.