Introduction
Metal weapons clashed violently together in combat. On the Great Wall of China, over two thousand years ago, ancient Chinese warriors were defending their country against brutal nomadic invaders. Warriors of the past greatly relied on their mind-body skills and not fancy technology. In fact, some ancient Chinese warriors were exceptional jugglers. Intense martial arts training as well as juggling cross-training went hand in hand for some of these ancient Chinese warriors since the expert ability to manipulate the world around them was a matter of life and death. Today’s martial artists can learn a lot from this old martial arts and juggling connection.
Juggling and martial arts have long been part of human activity. They are both depicted in ancient Egyptian tombs, which date back thousands of years. They are each a thinking person’s activity. If done properly, both juggling and martial arts can improve your health and wellness. Most important, this old martial arts and juggling connection can help with your fighting skills as well.
From a combative perspective, juggling regularly can supercharge your eye-hand coordination, which can improve your martial arts skills. The definition of eye-hand coordination according to Merriam-Webster dictionary: is “the way that one’s hands and sight work together to be able to do things that require speed and accuracy (such as catching or hitting a ball).” In a self-defense situation, when hands and feet are flying at you, having the edge of improved eye-hand coordination can be a deciding factor in your victory.
What is Juggling?
Juggling is a skill that involves the dramatic handling of objects for art, entertainment, recreation or sport. The objects that jugglers perform with are known as props. The most common props are balls, clubs, or rings. Some very advanced and daring jugglers use dangerous props such as sharp objects or fire torches, which is not recommended. For the beginner, juggling two or three balls is the best way to start. Detailed juggling instruction is beyond the scope of this article as there are many helpful instructional videos and books on the subject. However, some juggling resources will be recommended here in the conclusion. This article’s goal is to motivate you to try juggling as a supplemental training routine for your martial arts.
Juggling History and Benefits
Juggling has been recorded in many early cultures around the world. Juggling can be seen depicted in ancient Egyptian tombs (about 1994 B.C. to 1781 B.C.). It can also be seen in ancient Chinese tombstone artwork dating back to the Han Dynasty (202 B.C. to 220 A.D.). As mentioned in the introduction, some warriors in ancient China were known to be exceptional jugglers. One warrior in Chinese history is reported to have won a battle without actually fighting; he intimidated his enemy by juggling nine balls in front of them. This story and others in China’s past show that juggling was a well-respected and advanced form of ancient Chinese art.
In Europe, throughout the Middle Ages (approximately from the 5th to the late 15th century A.D.), juggling was usually regarded as a frowned upon sideshow. In the 19th century, juggling became more popular as a form of entertainment around the world. Since the 1980s, a global juggling culture has developed with a variety of competitions. Early on, juggling was thought of as a profession, but since the late 20th century juggling has evolved into a popular hobby for amateurs.
Juggling has many benefits for the martial artist. Juggling is really a travel-friendly solo workout. It enhances your concentration and focus. It is an excellent stress reliever since it is an exercise that doesn’t feel like one. Also, juggling can help increase the flexibility of your arms and shoulders. It is appropriate for all ages and body types. And finally, juggling is one of the best ways to improve your eye-hand coordination. In fact, some university sports programs require athletes to learn juggling, since it is a proven way to boost your eye-hand coordination. All of these benefits are definitely worth looking into, but the improvements to your eye-hand coordination will be the main focus for the connection between martial arts and juggling.
Martial Arts and Juggling Connection
Unfortunately, this old martial arts and juggling connection is seldom discussed today. Perhaps, many still incorrectly view juggling through the lens of the European Middle Ages as a frowned-upon sideshow. Make no mistake, learning to juggle is one of the best standard activities recommended for people trying to improve their hand-eye coordination. In the martial arts, eye-hand coordination is a vital skill to have. There’s a classic expression in the martial arts for success in combat: “Speed, more speed, and proper technique.” If your reflexes are much better than your opponent’s, this will give you an advantage over them. Juggling may be the missing link in your solo martial arts training routine.
The neuromuscular pathways between your eyes, your brain, and your reflexes are built up from juggling regularly. Gradually things can go directly from input to output by becoming second nature. Juggling also improves your ability to see in your peripheral field. Being able to see well outside the central area of focus, your peripheral field, is a good skill to have for a martial artist especially if you want to avoid surprise attacks, a common tactic of the bad guy.
Ultimately, to integrate the hand-eye coordination gained in juggling with your fighting skills you must still diligently train in the martial arts. Juggling alone won’t necessarily upgrade your martial arts skills as much as having both juggling and martial arts training in your weekly routine. Martial arts techniques are different and specialized compared to the motions of juggling, so some skill adjustment is needed by practicing both to hone the training process. Although, martial arts training alone can improve your eye-hand coordination as well, but juggling is an amazing, safe, and supplemental solo workout for any martial artist who wants to supercharge their eye-hand coordination.
Don’t expect to be a juggling expert overnight. Just like the martial arts, it is an acquired and perishable skill. As the Greek poet Archilochus once said: “We don’t rise to the level of our expectations, we fall to the level of our training.” You don’t have to be an exceptional juggler to improve your eye-hand coordination. Just being a basic juggler can be beneficial to your martial arts. Keep practicing and you will gradually start to see improvements with your overall eye-hand coordination. Soon enough, your newly improved skills from juggling will noticeably enhance your martial arts.
With a goal, like wanting to get good at juggling, start out small so you don’t fail quickly and get discouraged. Slowly integrate juggling into your weekly martial arts workouts. After you get good at juggling, add more difficultly by introducing some distractions. A simple distraction could be juggling while having the radio or TV on in the room to try to overload the stimulus coming at you. Juggling while on a balance board or being asked math questions are some examples of advanced distractions.
In addition to juggling, here’s a quick and easy way you could improve your eye-hand coordination. According to vision experts like optometrists, good vision is very crucial to your eye-hand coordination. The first thing you should do if you want to improve your eye-hand coordination is to get an eye examination to make sure your eyesight is at its best. Action sport athletes, which include martial artists, want to see better than the average individual as they want their reaction time reduced. If necessary getting new glasses or contacts could enhance your eye-hand coordination right away. Add some juggling on top of that and you are on your way to improving your skills.
Conclusion
As promised, here are some juggling resources. The International Jugglers’ Association is a great juggling resource. The Juggling Edge website manages a searchable database of most juggling clubs around the world. If you’re lucky, you can find juggling classes or clubs taught by people with professional juggling experience, like former circus performers. A more common and cost-effective approach is to consult online tutorials and videos to help get you started since juggling is often best learned from a visual perspective. Also, there are juggling kits that include both juggling balls and an instructional manual. Juggling for the Complete Klutz is a popular and easy-to-find juggling kit.
There is much information on topics such as weight lifting and yoga for the martial arts, but why not explore other training methods? Creative thinking or thinking “outside the box” may be the missing piece of the puzzle in your quest for advancement. Sometimes thinking “outside the box” by using innovative training methods, like juggling, you can take your martial arts skills to new heights. If you really want things to change, first you have to make a change. All that’s left now is for you to start incorporating some juggling into your weekly martial arts training routine.
Zerling’s first article in Black Belt Magazine, “The Neck: The Grappler’s Secret Weapon,” was fully featured in the book “The Ultimate Guide to Grappling” published by Black Belt Books. Additionally, Zerling is the author of the multi-award-winning book “Sumo for Mixed Martial Arts: Winning Clinches, Takedowns, and Tactics” (YMAA Publication Center), which is available on Amazon and Barnes & Noble. Zerling holds a B.S. in biology from Temple University in Philadelphia and has been a technical writer for the food and drug industry. He resides in New Jersey.
You’ll love Zerling's eBook available on the Amazon Kindle titled “Juggling for Peak Athletic Performance: Cross-Training Guide.” Elevate your game through the sport of juggling. Unlock your athletic potential with juggling cross-training. Have you been searching for an innovative cross-training activity that will give you an outstanding edge in competition? This 65-page eBook on juggling cross-training for peak athletic performance is very possibly what you’re seeking. Check out this website for more info: https://www.thejugglingathlete.com/
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Such an interesting read! I was training for a while with a movement movement, if it makes sense 🙂 – it was under Ido Portal -a very interesting figure, mover, and martial artist.
We had a huge ratio of martial artists in our classes, myself included. Ido and his instructors started incorporating a lot of juggling and tennis ball drill to improve brain function and hand-eye coordination.
I think it’s an interesting concept that should be researched more extensively.
Thank you so much for the interesting read!
As a juggler and a martial artist I loved this read. I often fall back on juggling when I find myself stuck or frustrated with training. The focus required to keep the balls moving forces you to be in the moment and let go of other distractions.
Great article
I am now very motivated to learn how to juggle. I never really thought about how it could help me with my martial arts or it’s origins. Great article.
What a great article. It teaches you things you never knew–martial artists are jugglers. At least, I didn’t know that. But then I’m just a beginner. Thank you for writing this.
This is so interesting. I started my martial-Arts journey at 12 but after I moved as a kid, stopped. I found juggling at 13 and became an advanced juggler (clubs, knives, fire, 5 balls etc.) but always had a strong passion for the martial arts. 5 years ago, I got back into martial arts and noticed many of the similarities between juggling and martial arts in terms of how we learn. In fact, being a juggler has helped me learn how to learn! I’m also a psychologist and provide my clients with Juggling balls to help them manage depression and anxiety as the research on this is very strong.
Thanks for the great article!