This is something I’m very passionate about.
I believe that alongside the more traditional sports like football, rugby, netball and rounders that juggling should also be delivered to school children.
Why?
That’s a good question.
In short juggling is good for you, both mentally and physically.
It helps the whole of your body from top to toe… Literally.
It’s also a non-competitive sport in that you can do it without having to beat anyone else.
With other sports, like football for example, you can only play if you are playing against someone else. Most sports are like this. But juggling isn’t like that. When you juggle you compete with yourself. Jugglers constantly strive to better their last run. Every time they practice they want to make one more catch or throw up just one more object. There’s always more to learn no matter how far you go.
It’s possible for an 11-ball juggler working on 12 balls to be stood in the same hall as a complete beginner learning 3 balls and both get the same sense of achievement from being able to juggle their new patterns for the first time. No other sport offers this.
What’s more, jugglers love to share. They love to teach each other new tricks as much as they love to learn them. When you get 700 juggling enthusiasts in the same place you don’t need extra police or other security to prevent violence or disruptive behaviour. It’s a shame that the same can’t be said if 700 football fans got together.
As a result of this, juggling is very sociable. When you get two or more jugglers together its not long before they start passing objects between them.
For those who want to compete, juggling can also provide this too. There are juggling competitions run by the IJA and the WJF. There are also smaller games run at conventions and some of the larger juggling clubs.
Finally, juggling can be used as a universal language. It’s not uncommon for jugglers from different countries who can’t speak the same language verbally to communicate through their juggling. Working together, playing together and teaching each other.
With all these benefits, why is juggling a minority sport? Seems a crime to keep it this way.
The Magic of Education 