Juggling 101

Juggler

It's a skill that combines incredible balance, creativity and strength. Kidzworld looks at the world of juggling.

Juggling - History and Styles

The history of juggling can be traced back thousands of years, when people in Ancient Egypt, Greece, China and other parts of Asia juggled rocks, plates, balls and other objects. There is also evidence of juggling thousands of years ago in parts of South America and the Middle East.
During medieval times, jugglers in parts of Europe would travel from village to village performing various juggling tricks for money. During this period, England's top juggler was given the title, King of Jugglers and would perform juggling tricks to entertain royalty.
In the late 1800s, circuses and traveling shows became popular in the United States and juggling flourished. Rubber was also invented around this time, so rubber balls became a popular item for juggler's tricks.
In the 20th century, different juggling styles developed and jugglers would perform juggling tricks with items like clubs, guns, chairs and even cannon balls!.

You don't have to be incredibly skilled to learn how to juggle. All it takes is practice. It's usually best to start somewhere outside or in a large room that doesn't have a lot of breakable objects. Parents aren't usually too understanding when you tell them you broke their valuable china collection because you were trying to juggle.
For a list of basic juggling instructions, click here.
You can also learn to juggle by joining a juggling club in your area or taking lessons at a community center or juggling camp. For more info on learning juggling and other circus tricks, click here.

Albert Lucas holds the record for juggling rings. He juggled 13 rings at the same time at a juggling contest in 2002.
Nikolai Kutsenko juggled a regulation soccer ball for 24 and a half hours nonstop with feet, legs and head, without the ball ever touching the ground.
In 2002, Tom Comet set a world record by juggling three chain saws for 44 throws at a festival in Scotland!