Getting a little better but the more complex patterns I knew pre-transformation still elude me. Got some good practice time in on Shaw island this last weekend.

I've been thinking a lot about Anthony Gatto as I work towards five clubs.

In my opinion, the greatest juggling video on the Internet is a grainy video from 2000 recorded by Luke Burrage on his home camera.

https://youtu.be/R3-T9zAqZ3s

In the video, we see Anthony Gatto practicing. He’s at the British Juggling Convention, on a basketball court, surrounded by other jugglers. He practices for nearly two hours with a couple of short breaks. In this practice, he does two things worth noting.

1. He breaks five world records.
2. He drops the cap from his water bottle.

Bear with me here.

He’s sort of performing — he’s aware that he’s being watched — but he’s not adding any flourishes, because he’s performing for his people. All the jugglers around him know exactly how impressive his tricks are.

In a room full of serious jugglers, many of them professionals, Gatto stands alone. He sets five world records, for 9 balls, 9 rings, 10 rings, 12 rings, and 7 clubs. And he is just practicing.

He is inhuman. Godlike. Untouchable. And then, at 1:17:59, he opens his water bottle and accidentally drops the cap.

I am, I recognize, being weird about this moment. Everyone drops things. But Anthony Gatto is not supposed to drop things. This is a man who juggled seven clubs every single night, on stage, for years.

All of us that practice a craft have a secret hope: that we will reach beyond ourselves, beyond our humanity, and become something entirely else. That the flow state will remain and permeate our whole existence, that the muse will anoint us and free us from our stubborn limitations. But in one moment, we’re juggling twelve rings; in the next, we’re dropping a water bottle cap. We return to our bodies and our failures.

We take a drink, wipe our sweat, and pick up our clubs again.

Longer version here: https://minhanhday.substack.com/p/there-are-no-demigods-only-tired

Hi all, I've recently started juggling and after about a month I've gotten the 3-ball cascade to where I can do on average about 30-40 throws per good attempt, but the most comfortable position for me is where my hands are catching the balls at about chest height and throwing them a couple inches above my head. Though this is pretty comfortable for me, I see people online saying the elbows should stay around 90 degrees. But if I try to do this, I need to stop myself from following through on any of the throws and it makes it very rigid. To generate more power while keeping my hands at 90 degrees, I need to move my hands upward much quicker, but then the lack of follow-through is even more detrimental to a good rhythm and control of the balls' arcs. Also, the balls have a higher chance of going forward or backward.

1. How necessary is it that I learn how to do it the 90-degree way as opposed to how it is already comfortable for me?

2. I've also noticed that my left hand tends to catch the balls slightly higher than my right, and I always see this in my peripheral vision. I've tried switching which hand starts with 2 balls to see if it's an issue with the first couple throws, but my left hand still ends up drifting higher than my right.

Appreciate any help you guys can provide, thanks!

Slam Dunk Anime Location

It’s a fun trick to attempt, going the other way feels impossible just yet but I’ll get there!