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I am extremely intrigued by sphereplay and can't wait to start learning. I've heard that larger spheres are easier for beginners, but somebody else said that smaller spheres usually work better for smaller hands. What do you guys think?
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Jacksonville
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Re: What Size Sphere to Start With?
Sat, January 3, 2009 - 7:23 PMSize is less important than weight. Go for "medium" to start with.
Get a 3-4" stage ball and a 2.25-2.5" acrylic ball from any on-line juggling vendor. There are larger and smaller versions of each, but those sizes are best to start with. This will cost about $8 and $20 each, respectively. Each type is fine to begin with, but each type also leads you in a different direction.
Less expensive equivalents are a well-used softball and a billiards or snooker ball.
Get a basic instructional video/DVD (Sphereplay or Contact Juggling part 1*) or James Ernest's book "Contact Juggling." Any of these will save you from having to re-learn everying the "right" way, if you want to move on to advanced CJ work.
Find a juggling or CJ group in your area and attend at least once a week for a few months. This will correct your errors and misaprehensions, and expand possibilities for you. You also get to check out their toys and plan for future purchases. Learning CJ and getting good at it is pretty much a matter of allowing yourself to become obsessed (assuming that you do), and weekly encounters with other players will keep you sharp and keep your form clean.
Your home-page & pics show strong arms and a familiarity with movement and moving with another object. You should do well. Enjoy!
*I publish the "Contact Juggling" videos, just so's you know my bias. Of course I'd publish the Sphereplay video and print Ernest's book too if anyone asked, but no one has.
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Re: What Size Sphere to Start With?
Sat, January 3, 2009 - 8:51 PMWhat is the difference between a stage ball and an acrylic ball? -
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Re: What Size Sphere to Start With?
Sun, January 4, 2009 - 6:37 AMThe stage balls are hollow and pretty light. The one that I use is made of vinyl (I don't know if other manufacturers use other materials) and has very little bounce. Acrylic balls are made of acrylic resin. You can get them in much smaller sizes than the stage balls. Once you start getting into larger sized with acrylics, they can start to get heavy. From my experience, each one has its pros and cons.
Generally, I recommend that total beginners start with an acrylic in a size that fits comfortably in their hand when it's slightly cupped. Except for really big guys and younger kids, a 2.5" or 2.75" is a great beginner size. Because of the weight of the acrylic, you feel where the sphere is more than with the stage ball. That can be a real asset when you're trying to figure out where a roll is going wrong. Stage balls are awesome when you start working on arm/body rolls or bridges and things over your head. Doesn't hurt when you whack yourself in the face with a stage ball. Because they're lighter you have to slow your moves down or else it tends to go flying.
I learned off of the "Art of the Sphere" DVD...and I regularly give that DVD to people with a sphere as a gift.
Hope that helps!
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Re: What Size Sphere to Start With?
Sun, January 4, 2009 - 9:43 AMStage balls are hollow, opaque, and relatively light compared to acrylics. They come in a variety of strong colors.
There are two main types of stage ball: smooth/hard and grippy/soft.
The best smooth/hard versions are available from www.dube.com.
The best grippy/soft balls are made by Babache, and are available from www.magicgeek.com.
Acrylics, being transparent, are great for isolations (where the ball seems suspended though your hands/arms move about). Stage balls are much easier to care for, and can be used over concrete or given to a child to examine without worrying about them being scratched or dropped. I use(d) both, depending on where I was working and what effects I wanted to emphasize.
This is why I recommend getting one of each maor type and finding a group of CJers. There are dozens of possible styles and effects, depending on what kind of balls you use. You have to see them to appreciate them -- just naming and describing them isn't sufficient. (And I haven't even mentioned silicone or glow-balls!) There is lots of stuff to see on youtube and in the CJ sites. Look around!
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Re: What Size Sphere to Start With?
Sun, January 4, 2009 - 3:35 PMOne of the main things about stage balls is that they are primarily for juggling. Or that is the purpose for them that I was taught. (I learned about a couple of different types of balls from the magic store where I sometimes buy my juggling supplies) To me, weight is one of the big factors between a stage and acrylic. Acrylics are often transparent, though not all as they come in a variety of colors. I personally recommend if you are going for an acrylic to get a UV clear one. IN my experience they are more resilient to wear and tear then normal clear or colored UV. Stage balls are also excellent practice balls. To me and my company, it is much nicer once you get the weight behind an acrylic ball for it makes things a little easier after learning how to control a light stage ball. For once, it's better to go from light to heavy, instead of heavy to light. I just wouldn't recommend performing with a stage ball, because they don't look as magical as an acrylic, but they are great learning implements and you can learn how to isolate with any object, but the effects are truly felt and seen with the right object. It all comes down to you and what you think.
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Re: What Size Sphere to Start With?
Sat, January 3, 2009 - 7:23 PMIt all depends on what you want to do. I would reccomend starting with a 3"(76 mm) ball as it seems to be the closest standard size, but 4"(100 mm) is great when you want to work on body manipulations the likes of chest and arm rolls. Play around find what you like. But so far a 3" ball has never failed me even for multiple ball work.
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Re: What Size Sphere to Start With?
Sun, January 4, 2009 - 10:01 AMi personally see no reason for an adult to start with anything less than a 3" sphere besides price. If you can shell out for a 3" get one...or maybe even 4(that way you can go ahead and start 2 ball palm spinning in each hand). if you have rather large hands then go for a slightly larger sphere. My hands are in the 7" range from base of palm to tip of longest finger, and i can palmspin 2 4" spheres in each hand. Granted i wouldnt suggest starting with that.
