There are at least 8 reasons you should start throwing things.
1. Juggling boosts brain development. Research indicates that learning to juggle accelerates the growth of neural connections related to memory, focus, movement, and vision. The beneficial changes persist even after weeks without practice.
2. Juggling is egalitarian. It doesn’t discriminate by age, size, gender, or athletic ability. A ten-year-old is as likely to be a fantastic juggler as anyone else, something not true of marathon running, boxing, or drag racing.
3. Juggling builds hand-eye coordination in ways that improve reaction time, reflexes, spatial awareness, strategic thinking, and concentration. This helps improve confidence as well as athletic ability. It may, if juggling enthusiasts are to be believed, even promote reading skills.
4. Juggling gets you moving enough to increase your oxygen intake, not so much that you sweat profusely.
5. Juggling can be stimulating as well as calming. While learning more complicated juggling skills you rely on left-brain processes, carefully focusing and analyzing the steps. When practicing skills you’ve already mastered you rely on right-brained processes, relaxing into a more fluid, intuitive motion. To get the most out of juggling, make time for both.
6. Juggling puts you in charge, since you can make it as easy or difficult as you choose. Start with three balls and master toss juggling. To amp up the challenge increase the speed, add more balls, change patterns, or incorporate a bit of bounce juggling. You can also change props, learn trick juggling, try multi-person juggling, add comedic patter, heck, even hold a flaming torch in your mouth if you’re well insured.
7. Juggling teaches a growth mindset. You learn from mistakes, noticing how effort and increasing experience bring you ever greater mastery. As Dr. Dweck explains in the ground-breaking book Mindset: The New Psychology of Success
8. Juggling is ridiculously fun.
For more information, check out:
Juggling for the Complete Klutz
HOW TO JUGGLE & Other Cheap Tricks
9. You look stinking awesome doing it, even if it’s just basic 3-ball juggling. 😉
I need to get back into juggling. Our 3 year old is getting close to being able to work on it, too. I didn’t realize that it was associated with anything beneficial. Thanks for the neat post!
What. a. good. idea.
I clearly need to get me some juggling balls and start practising… and hopefully acquire better coordination. Or just a cool skill.
My husband was the clumsiest child. His parents got him into juggling to help solve the problem. He got really good at it, even juggling knifes like the pros! I guess it helped!