This is an FAQ for contact juggling. I have copied it from the CONTACT Starring Tyas Frantz section because I believe only those who have purchased the DVD can enter it and the post applies here too. Also originally posted by me.

Everyone has been asking the same questions over and over so here I will just answer all the questions asked and add some extra tips and help too, so everybody can use this as a reference. Hope this helps.

1. What is contact juggling?

Contact Juggling, AKA Dynamic Manipulation, Sphereplay, Orb Rolling, is a form ofjuggling in which the ball(s) are rolled over the juggler's hands and body as opposed to tossing them in the air. Generally, contact jugglers use acryllic juggling balls.

2. What ball should I get?

First off, if you're just starting to learn contact juggling, I suggest you go get a lacrosse ball to practice with. Lacrosse balls are standard size, 3 inches, they are about the same weight as acryllic balls, they are cheap, and you can get them at a local Sports Authority. Do not immediately buy an acryllic ball, as you may discover that contact juggling is not for you, which means you wasted a lot of money. Do not use any type of bean-bag ball, or hacky-sac ball because they will not work. The ball you practice with must be solid.

3. What size acryllic ball should I get?

Hold on. Before buying an acryllic ball, make sure you have practiced with a lacrosse ball or something similar first. Once again, this is because you may not like contact juggling, and acryllics are expensive. If you end up not wanting to do contact juggling, then why waste your money on an acryllic? You wont use it. If you have already decided you want to do contact juggling, keep reading. As for the size you should buy, the standard size is 3 inches. I suggest you start with that, no matter what size your hands are. You can buy bigger sizes too if you want (but i do not recommend that). I highly recommend getting a 3 inch. Bigger sized balls are easier to use for some moves and harder for others, and can be used in many different ways. As for smaller sized balls, the smaller the ball, the harder it is to use. Also, you should consider buying an extra ball for performance because the ball you practice with WILL get scratched up.

4. What kind of acryllic ball should I get?

Several websites will have a variety of contact juggling balls. You may find different colors, even glow-in-the-dark balls. Usually these 'special' balls cost more. Personally, I think 'special' balls are a waste of money, but you can get what you want. All the balls work just as well despite their color, ability to glow in the dark, clearness, etc.

5. Where should I get my contact juggling balls?

There are hundreds of sites that ship contact juggling balls. My favorite web site is
www.yoyoguy.com. They sell equipment for contact juggling, juggling, yo-yoing etc. Just a forewarning, acryllic balls are more expensive then you think.

6. Where can I learn more?

There are many sites, however my absolute favorite is www.contactjuggling.org. Also, PenguinMagic and other websites offer contact juggling DVDs. PenguinMagic's DVD is called 'CONTACT' and is avaliable at http://www.penguinmagic.com/product.php?ID=1318.

7. Performing with more than one ball?

Yes, you can perform contact juggling with more than one ball. Contact Juggling moves can be divided up into categories by the amount of balls required. 1-ball moves obviously use only one ball, 2-ball moves use two, and so on. Truly there is no limit to the number of balls you can use in a single trick, but the most I have ever seen is 12. There are more 1-ball moves than anything else, and as you add more balls, the number of tricks tends to decrease. For example, 6,7, and 8-ball moves are mostly limited to stacking tricks and multiple ball rotating tricks. Beginners should start with 1-ball moves and if feeling adventurous, 2-balls. 3-ball and 4-ball moves are more difficult and required at least some experience in ball handling, and for this reason I don't recommend trying it until you can smoothly perform 1-ball and 2-ball moves.

8. I can't understand this contact juggling jargon! What does "_________" mean?

There are 4 types of contact juggling moves.
* Butterfly Transfers - tricks involving the rolling of balls on the hands.
* Bodyrolls - tricks involving the rolling on balls on the body.
* Isolations - tricks involving the illusion of a floating ball.
* Palmspinning - tricks involving the manipulation of multiple balls in the hands.

Butterfly Transfers have two main components; the butterfly, and the transfer (hence the name 'butterfly transfer'). The butterfly involves rolling the ball over one of your hands from either palm to back or back to palm. The transfer involves passing the ball from one hand to another either from palm to palm, back to palm / palm to back, or back to back. Irregular transfers include foot transfers, inverted palm to palm transfers, and bridge transfers. These two parts complete a butterfly transfer.

Bodyrolls are the movement of a ball from one stallpoint on your body to another, in whichever path you choose. The common stallpoints on the body are the palms, backhands, inner elbow, outer elbow, shoulder, back of the neck, forehead and foot. Some less common stallpoints include between the eyes, the chin, and the temple. These are the different types of body rolls:
Headrolls: the ball rolls and stalls at the forehead, eyes, chin or temple.
Bridgerolls: Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lRgCXoNC7I8
Chestrolls: the ball rolls from the hands around the first arm, across the chest, and around the second arm ending at the hands.
Reverse Chestrolls: the ball rolls from the hands around the first arm and across the chest, but then around the back of the neck and back down the first arm to the hands.
Matrixrolls: Very difficult. Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mFsSafs5YeY
Armrolls: the ball moves across the inner or outer arm in any direction.
Legrolls: the ball rolls across the leg, usually stopping at the foot.
Neckrolls: the ball rolls from one side of the neck to the other.

There are several variations of these rolls.

There are four types of isolations:
- Enigma - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wFFvG7HDko0&feature=related
- Grip - 45 seconds into video - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xm-382OlVgs
- Palm Circle - Involves movement of the palms to keep ball in the same place as the hand moves.
- Held rotation - holding the ball and moving your hand around it so the ball retains its position.
Very good isolation video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bu2yoba72Vc&feature=related

Palmspinning involves at least two balls and involves manipulating the balls in your hands. With four balls stacks are possible.

Stack: a trick in which a ball is positioned via a lift on top of three or more other balls. Stacks are one of the tricks in which a ball is not touching your body. Once a stack is completed, the balls can be rotated on the palm.

Lifts: the action required to begin moves such as stacks. Usually referred to as thumblifts, pinkylifts, etc.

That's it for now. If you have any other questions about anything at all, feel free to ask, and I will update this post. Thanks.

Fantastic Post! I am thinking about getting into contact juggling and was wondering two things:

1. I know next to nothing about contact juggling do you recommend the Encyclopedia Of Contact Juggling Vol.1 over CONTACT Starring Tyas Frantz?

2. The balls here on penguin are half the cost of anywhere else are the well made?

Thanks!

CONTACT Starring Tyas Frantz is extremely good for someone considering contact juggling because it goes through both fundamentals and advanced moves, allowing you to get a basic grasp of contact juggling. The Encyclopedia Of Contact Juggling Volumes cover just as much, but is VERY in-depth, which is why it has been separated into several volumes. I would recommend CONTACT for you.

As for the balls at Penguin, I have never ordered balls from penguin so I wouldn't know which are better.

Can I do contact juggling with a revolver? I was thinking about doing some juggling with it before I do a bullet catch in my show....

The reason conventional contact juggling wouldn't be possible with a revolver would be because a revolver isn't anything near spherical. However, you could use certain concepts of contact juggling with a revolver. You could possibly do a stall. A stall is a move in which the ball is held and (hopefully) balanced in what looks like an awkward position. For example, in a prayer stall the juggler rolls the ball up one arm and past the hand, where it comes to a complete stop, balancing on the middle and index finger tips of both hands which are together in a praying position. Stalls can also be done by balancing something on the forehead, temple, chin, neck, foot, etc. I have no idea where the center of gravity is for a pistol, so you will have to work that out yourself.

P.S.: Just because I say contact juggling with a revolver is technically impossible doesn't mean it isn't impossible. You're limited by your imagination, so play around a bit, find something interesting and expand on it. But please, for your sake, if you're going to try contact juggling with a revolver, make sure it isn't loaded first.