Juggle Your Way
To Improved Performance




By Ross Enamait - Published in 2007






In a past article,
I discussed how an inexpensive jump rope could be used to enhance
athletic qualities such as coordination, agility, quickness, and
endurance. Contrary to what many Internet Gurus may suggest, these
skills can be enhanced with nothing more than a $5 rope. Within this
article, I will discuss another low-tech, inexpensive drill that will
enhance qualities such as hand-eye coordination, ambidexterity,
peripheral vision, depth perception, visual reaction time, and
neuromuscular balance.

It may sound too good to be true, but you can perform this drill
anywhere, with nothing more than a few tennis balls. You can practice
this drill as long as you want without risk of overtraining or
soreness.

So, what’s the secret drill that has been hidden to the masses?


Juggling!



That’s right… juggling three or four tennis balls is an ideal addition
to any athlete’s weekly plan. At first glance, you may think I am
joking. Teaching a group of athletes to juggle may seem ridiculous, but
it is actually something that I highly recommend. So many athletes
search high and low for training advice, but often overlook the
obvious. Everyone wants to become stronger, faster, and more powerful,
but what good are these qualities if you lack the coordination to use
them?

Take a moment to review your weekly training plan. How much time do you
spend working to improve qualities such as hand-eye coordination,
peripheral vision, and visual reaction time?

Many athletes will answer this question with a big goose egg…


They don’t spend any time working to improve these attributes. They are
either working to become stronger or working to improve endurance.
Clearly, strength and endurance are important, but nothing can replace
the need for coordination.

And in addition to the athletic benefits, juggling will also improve
your brain. In a recent experiment (2004), University of Regensburg
neurologist Arne May and colleagues found that juggling can increase
grey matter within the brain.

As quoted within the report:


"The juggler group demonstrated a significant
transient bilateral expansion in grey matter in the mid-temporal area
and in the left posterior intraparietal sulcus…"


Researches went on to conclude the following:


"This discovery of a stimulus-dependent
alteration in the brain’s macroscopic structure contradicts the
traditionally held view that cortical plasticity is associated with
functional rather than anatomical changes."


<hr color="#ff0000" width="50%">

In laymen’s terms, plasticity is simply the brain’s ability to remodel
itself (ie. to reorganize neural pathways based on new experiences).

It was not long ago that scientists were convinced that the brain was
hardwired early in life. Deterioration of the brain was seen as
inevitable over time. The ability to rebuild and/or improve the brain
was considered impossible. Fortunately, modern research suggests
otherwise.

As quoted within a past edition of The Journal of Active Aging:


"Scientists now know that the brain remains
plastic (or malleable) throughout life. At any age, the brain has the
ability to revise its processing machinery - for better or for worse -
in response to stimuli and activities. Just as the brain can
deteriorate, it can also grow. Gray matter can thicken, trunks can
remyelinate, and neural connections can be forged and refined,
reinvigorating cognitive abilities."


Juggling is one of many ways to revitalize the brain. One reason for
this phenomenon is that juggling takes you out of your comfort zone.
Most of us are not juggling experts. The average person cannot juggle
their daily workload, never mind three of four balls.

When you are challenged with a new task, you must concentrate and
remain relaxed to successfully develop the skill. The concentration and
effort required to develop the new skill is clearly beneficial for the
brain.


Remain Consistent



There is nothing magical about juggling, but this simple activity
will lead to considerable improvements if you remain consistent with
your efforts. There are countless juggling variations, ranging from
easy to extremely advanced. You don’t need to be a circus performer to
benefit from juggling.

Start with the basics, and gradually strive to improve, as you
challenge yourself with more advanced patterns and tricks. When first
starting, limit your juggling practice to just a few minutes. It is
important to be fresh and alert when mastering a new skill. With just 5
minutes of juggling per day, you’ll notch up over 30 hours of juggling
in one year. A five or ten minute investment each day is not too much
to ask.

Additional Benefits



Aside from the scientific data presented thus far, there are many commonsense benefits to juggling. Think about it…


To successfully juggle, you must remain relaxed, as you visually track
objects in space, and then physically react to the constant (mobile)
stimulus. If you are tense, you will never succeed at juggling. The
ability to remain relaxed is vital to any athlete, particularly a
combat athlete.

Think of yourself sparring for example. If you are tense, you will
always struggle with defense. A tense fighter will be as elusive as a
snail. Consider all-time defensive masters such as the great Willie
Pep, or more recently Pernell Whitaker. These men could stand directly
in front of their opponents and avoid incoming punches like a magician.
One reason for their success was their ability to function in a relaxed
state. These individuals also had tremendous reactions, hand-eye
coordination, peripheral vision, etc. (attributes that can all be
enhanced with juggling).


While juggling will not turn you into the next Willie Pep, it
will improve many of the physical and mental qualities that are
required to become an elusive fighter. You must remain relaxed as you
react to objects that move up and down, and on each side of you.

Now, think of an opponent who is throwing kicks and punches in your
direction. You must see these incoming blows, and then react
accordingly. Any drill that enhances this ability is worthy of your
time.


Summary and Further Reading



In summary, juggling offers both physical and mental benefits. Juggling is:

• Inexpensive (any balls will work)
  
• Convenient (you can juggle anywhere)
  
• Relaxing
  
• Effective (physical and mental benefits)
  
• Not physically stressful (juggle as often as you wish)
  

If juggling is new to you, a quick search
will offer more information than you can digest in one sitting. There
are countless tutorials floating around the web. I recommend starting
with a basic three-ball cascade
(the most common form of juggling). Don't limit yourself to this
variation however. As with any type of training, you must progress to
more difficult variations.


One of the better tutorials (that I could find) is linked to
below. The site includes video demonstrations of several juggling
techniques. You will never run out of ideas or challenges with the
information contained within this link:


Wildcat Jugglers Tutorial


Happy juggling!





Works Cited


1.) Draganski, B., Gaser, C., Busch, V., Schuierer, G., Bogdahn,
U. and May A. (2004). Neuroplasticity: changes in grey matter induced
by training. Nature, 427:311-312.


2.) Merzenich, Michael. (2005). Change Minds For The Better. The Journal of Active Aging.





<hr color="#ff0000" width="50%">






About the Author - Ross Enamait is an innovative athlete and
trainer, whose training style is among the most intense that you will
find. Ross is committed to excellence and advancements in high
performance conditioning and functional strength development. He has a
sincere interest in helping today's athlete in their quest for
greatness.

Ross has authored several training manuals, and is available for private training in the New England area. You may contact him directly at





ross@rosstraining.com
http://www.rosstraining.com/articles/juggleyourway.html