iron ball juggling.

[uki]

currently i have been juggling 3 nine pound iron balls for several months... so far the tricks i got down are shower, cascade, mills mess, cross-armed, and every other off the head. juggling in itself improves brain function, reflex, hand-eye co-ordination, mental clairity, peace of mind... it is a form of mediation, a cardio-vascular exercise, and relieves stress. juggling was once an olympic sport, yet in the 1936 berlin games, hitler hacked it because the prominent contenders for the gold were jewish... it's been out ever since.
now taking a perfect exercise of 3 ball juggling(3 is that magical little number) and adding the 27 extra pounds(3 nine pounders) and wa-la, an instant classic. now you can juggle them in stances, while circle walking, in zazen... iron ball juggling truly will enhance any style of martial arts... not to mention the effects on your hands, grip, forearms, shoulders, upper back, lower back, perinium, chest, blah, blah... and then, to rival the likes of classics like the tendon exchange, iron ball juggling can be refined to any of the 7 breaths to create a most wonderous breathing exercises... priceless.

please share the comments. and here's a pic of me juggling them sitting on one leg... although when this pick was taken i was still higher in the stance then i am now... like my babyred fro yo? peace.http://i538.photobucket.com/albums/ff350/mossjuice/juggling.jpg

[Xiao3 Meng4]

KICK A$$.

I've always encouraged juggling as a way to enhance proprioception and reflexes. Adding the weight is a wonderful idea! As well as the benefits you mentioned, sensitivity, structure, and power are trainable too!

If you know someone who can juggle those, you can do 6-ball partner juggling! Start close, and increase the distance proportional to comfort. Imagine having to deal not only with gravity, but with a strongly vectored force on the incoming. Also, launching the balls across the gap might even allow for fa jin training.

Well, I know what's next on my list of training equipment.

Thanks a bundle. :D

CSP

P.S. throwing weights at another person is dangerous. Make sure everyone's competent and trusts one another. Also, be prepared to deal with any accidents that may arise (loss of consciousness, broken nose, loss of teeth, bruising, broken fingers, kneecaps, feet, toes.)
Have fun!

[uki]

Well, I know what's next on my list of training equipment.glad you like the idea. you can do a variety of exercises just holding two balls also... examples of some stuff.

hold ball in each hand, now do push ups, rotate wrist on way up and down for added arm twist.

you can hold them while doing form routines

you can use them like tradtional hand balls for increased hand, wrist, finger, and forearm strength... do your best not to make them touch while you circle them in your hands with fingers.

lay on back, shoulders and heels only on ground. hold the balls parallel to the ground at your hips... lift alternating legs.


Thanks a bundle. no prob. just spreading the light.




P.S. throwing weights at another person is dangerous. Make sure everyone's competent and trusts one another. Also, be prepared to deal with any accidents that may arise (loss of consciousness, broken nose, loss of teeth, bruising, broken fingers, kneecaps, feet, toes.)
Have fun!yeah really... i was crossarm juggling and while coming out of it i undercompensated my catch and another ball smashed into the tip of my ring finger as i was still holding a ball. ouch... i nearly puked from the pain. happened two weeks before i went to maui... i had a great time save for my smashed, swollen, and throbbing finger. took nearly 5 weeks to heal to the point where i could touch it with out getting watery eyes.

imagine if you could catch them on your forehead and do the headroll!!! talk about a neck
workout. i juggled 3, three pound iron bars for two years before i got the balls... a good way to strengthen the wrists is to do push ups on the back of your hand.

[Lucas]

can you juggle blades and the like as well?

Those are some huge freaking balls! (thats what she said)

[uki]

can you juggle blades and the like as well?sure.


Those are some huge freaking balls! (thats what she said)jugglers have all kinds of ball jokes... my favorite is... would you like to play with my balls?

[GeneChing]

nice shirt (http://www.martialartsmart.net/95-036w.html), uki. we totally approve!

[uki]

nice shirt (http://www.martialartsmart.net/95-036w.html), uki. thanks, i thought it would be appropriate.:)


we totally approve!thank you. it was time to share...

think about the added benefit of the hands always doing the equivalents of palm strikes for iron palm conditioning each time you catch the ball when juggling... i have yet to master the juggling with the crab-claw hand position... and then as the contact jugglers at the tai chi fest, you can also juggle only catching the balls on the back of your hands and throwing them the as such during the juggle; yet that's on the goals list, the possibilities are endless.

[uki]

here's a photo of placement of fingers in 3-finger juggling; the ring and pinky remain inactive, folded over to the palm-catchs and throws are made with the thumb, index, and middle fingers... excellent for mantis and eagle stylists(amongst all others)... and fittingly appropriate to strengthen the sword mudras. i actually used to call it frozen finger juggling because they were the only fingers that worked when i was homeless in berlin during the winter where i juggled on the streets for money. average day temp was -12, night-time -24, celsius of course... i juggled alot to stay warm that year.

http://i538.photobucket.com/albums/ff350/mossjuice/Picture-various094.jpg

[pdf108]

http://www.daoistkungfu.com

[uki]

here's is a picture from today... juggling in this position is excellent...

http://i538.photobucket.com/albums/ff350/mossjuice/IMG_0730.jpg

[uki]

these two pictures detail a waist turn while juggling, rotating from one side to the next... for added fun you can rotate from side to side as slowly as possible all the while you are juggling. you can also walk in circles holding this juggling position.

http://i538.photobucket.com/albums/ff350/mossjuice/IMG_0787.jpg

http://i538.photobucket.com/albums/ff350/mossjuice/IMG_0784.jpg

this is cross-armed juggling. i have yet to perfect the opposite cross, although i can do mills mess proficiently. http://i538.photobucket.com/albums/ff350/mossjuice/IMG_0790.jpg

[Lucas]

these two pictures detail a waist turn while juggling, rotating from one side to the next... for added fun you can rotate from side to side as slowly as possible all the while you are juggling. you can also walk in circles holding this juggling position.

http://i538.photobucket.com/albums/ff350/mossjuice/IMG_0787.jpg

http://i538.photobucket.com/albums/ff350/mossjuice/IMG_0784.jpg

this is cross-armed juggling. i have yet to perfect the opposite cross, although i can do mills mess proficiently. http://i538.photobucket.com/albums/ff350/mossjuice/IMG_0790.jpg

That looks difficult.

your intent in the first pic is kind of frightening. lol

[uki]

here is another two pictures of iron ball juggling positions. in the first one, my lower-mid chest is pressing on my thighs while juggling... can't quite explain the feeling, but it feels wonderful... http://i538.photobucket.com/albums/ff350/mossjuice/IMG_0793.jpg and this one is just another snap of basic juggling... http://i538.photobucket.com/albums/ff350/mossjuice/IMG_0794.jpg

more to come... my girlfriend sometimes doesn't like to play photographer... :D

[uki]

just put down 10 yards of concrete and then erected 12 brick columns to practice on... http://i538.photobucket.com/albums/ff350/mossjuice/Picture-various181.jpg

this position is quite nice for the back... http://i538.photobucket.com/albums/ff350/mossjuice/Picture-various178.jpg

[Mr Punch]

You might be inspiring me to take up juggling again.

There's no way I'm going to be able to get hold of 5 kg iron balls though I don't reckon.

Have chucked 5 kg bags of rice in the air and caught them in a variety of ways all the way home from the rice store though... great for grip strength into the bargain, so may have to make some 5 kg soft sandbags.

You ever juggle with bags, Uki? What are the advantages with the balls?

[uki]

You might be inspiring me to take up juggling again.i am glad i could help.


There's no way I'm going to be able to get hold of 5 kg iron balls though I don't reckon.there's a place 5 minutes from my house to get them... they are 18 bucks, he sells them to me for 20... if you would like i can pick you up a set.


Have chucked 5 kg bags of rice in the air and caught them in a variety of ways all the way home from the rice store though... great for grip strength into the bargain, so may have to make some 5 kg soft sandbags.never really did the grab catch methods...


You ever juggle with bags, Uki?not really... i am assuming you mean rice bags or something similar... i juggle bricks, rocks, soup cans, clubs, bars, rebar, concrete stakes, trowels, block hammers...


What are the advantages with the balls?i'd say that balls have the most versitality in the amount of tricks you can do... patterns you can follow. the sphere being the most perfect shape in nature and three being the most powerful number... yet juggling akward things such as bricks for example, help you maintain more concentration because the bricks usually spin at odd axis rotations and usually have to be caught and thrown from a different angle of trajectory than the perfectness of balls... your eye and hand co-ordination improves drastically the more odd the object you can juggle... for a really mind twister... juggle some juggling scarves... they float rather than fall... it's pretty weird.:)

[Mr Punch]

Thanks very much for the offer sir, but the extra 6500 miles may cause a problem! I'm happy trying rice bags, or sand as that should be less volume.

Done knives (juggling and irregular household type numbers), clubs and regular sticks before. Even tried billhooks for a few minutes once, but they're pretty dangerous for amateurs like me!

I know the grabbing techs aren't as quick in juggling, but should be a great forearm builder anyway. Doing everything in an overhand grip should be directly transferable to fu skills (rising elbows and palms, and forearm and grip strength galore!).

Now can I remember any tricks is the question!

[uki]

another way to juggle is called claw juggling, where you do not catch the balls with palms facing upwards, but with tiger clawing motions... grabbing the ball from above... it looks like you are scaling a wall without moving. i'll get some pics of it to better explain the concept...

[uki]

*bump*

the new folks might not see this thread if it's all buried. :p

[Lucas]

hey uki do you ever juggle blades?

[Chazmek]

Those pictures are simply awesome!

Looks much more interesting than regular weight training.

When/why did you start juggling for conditioning?
Did you start juggling as just a party trick, or has it always been for training?

[uki]

Looks much more interesting than regular weight training.they cannot replace weight training altogether, but they do offer an alternate and more profound form of practice... combine the iron juggling and my masonry work, i have a well rounded weight training program.


When/why did you start juggling for conditioning?i started juggling 4lb iron bars bars back in 2002, i juggled those until 2007, which is when i found a metal shop in town that had iron balls for sale... the upside of the balls is that there are far more tricks that can be done and they are over twice as heavy... much of my training exercises stem from simple creativity, in this instance i took my past time of juggling and simply incorporated heavier objects.


Did you start juggling as just a party trick, or has it always been for training?i started juggling back in '97 when i was in garmisch-partenkirchn, germany... i got fired from my job with the AFRC and i had 4 months to kill until my return flight to the states... i hitch-hiked to berlin and i was dropped off in the city and lo and behold there was a street juggler on the sidewalk, i struck up a conversation and he told me that night was the local jonglere meet that was every tuesday, so i went... then he took me out everyday and we juggled for money to eat with... i have been juggling ever since... it paid my way for three trips to europe and two years worth of travelling from country to country... simply living on the streets and soaking up the experiences of life. i started martial arts training in '98, my teacher taught me the basics of bagua circle walking and told me that juggling while walking the circle would be an excellent way to train... and that is how it all began.

[uki]

hey uki do you ever juggle blades?i somehow forgot to respond to this... yes i juggle blades - haven't in awhile though... when i worked as a dishwasher i would juggle the kitchen knives, including the cleavers. i was juggling a cleaver once and tossing it over my shoulder, catching it behind the back... LOL... i caught it too far up on the handle and hacked into my hand - blood everywhere... they told me not to juggle the meat cleavers in the kitchen anymore. :D

[mickey]

Greetings,

Uki,

Thank you for sharing your training method with us. I hope you will come out with the dvd before someone else takes your idea and runs to the bank with it with it. What you are doing is definitely worth including in Kungfu Magazine. I would love to see it there.

mickey

[Tombo]

Wow, that is quite an interesting hobby, well done with all you've done so far!

[uki]

Thank you for sharing your training method with us.that'll be 100 bucks a month for the next 24 months...

I hope you will come out with the dvd before someone else takes your idea and runs to the bank with it with it.my life doesn't revolve around making a DVD.


What you are doing is definitely worth including in Kungfu Magazine. I would love to see it there.maybe someone should write an article for it then...



Wow, that is quite an interesting hobby, well done with all you've done so far!thanks... juggling is a multi-faceted practice. :D

[dimethylsea]

i started martial arts training in '98, my teacher taught me the basics of bagua circle walking and told me that juggling while walking the circle would be an excellent way to train... and that is how it all began.

Just out of idle curiosity, what sort/style of bagua did your teacher do?

I've seen people do teacups with shotput balls, and a friend I introduced to the art does contact juggling, but the iron ball juggling is a very neat innovation!

UR DOING IT RITE!!

[uki]

Just out of idle curiosity, what sort/style of bagua did your teacher do?she was a student of peter kwok and his senior student gary torres... so whatever they do(did). :p

from what i heard about kwok, he was one badass dude...

[uki]

some simple iron ball juggling. :D

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2BmruNFxJ7o

[Lucas]

thats impressive uki. i'd like to go backpacking with you somewhere, you're like a walking meal ticket!

[uki]

so i was clowning around making a you tube video... i wanted something real. :D

first... LOL (http://www.youtube.com/user/45x99#p/a/u/1/LRerDYwSi2M)

second... ouch (http://www.youtube.com/user/45x99#p/a/u/0/4xQ3ss3aXJk)

it was the scream that caused me to lose control and smash my finger - ****er hurts... 1.5 inches long, 1/8th of an inch deep - pressure cut, smashed my knuckle too. :(

[David Jamieson]

so i was clowning around making a you tube video... i wanted something real. :D

first... LOL (http://www.youtube.com/user/45x99#p/a/u/1/LRerDYwSi2M)

second... ouch (http://www.youtube.com/user/45x99#p/a/u/0/4xQ3ss3aXJk)

it was the scream that caused me to lose control and smash my finger - ****er hurts... 1.5 inches long, 1/8th of an inch deep - pressure cut, smashed my knuckle too. :(

The first one is perfect. Especially the maniacal laughter at the end.

Another scar is another conversation piece. :p

[uki]

Another scar is another conversation piece.seems to be no shortage of those. :)

[uki]

does anyone have any comparisonal training?? anyone?? :p

[sanjuro_ronin]

does anyone have any comparisonal training?? anyone?? :p

If you go to a juggling website, I am sure you will have many responses.

[KC Elbows]

does anyone have any comparisonal training?? anyone?? :p

A quick google search should reveal that your ball handling is the only ball handling vids suitable for work on the entire internet, even if barely suitable.:D

[uki]

A quick google search should reveal that your ball handling is the only ball handling vids suitable for work on the entire internet, even if barely suitable.i did notice that i rule the "iron ball juggling" in google search. :cool:

i have recently mastered the 9lb iron ball box... hehehehe... video coming soon.

[uki]

on bricks... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bw3IuwAObHc

doing the box... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KRz3y6WZ5wo