Contact juggling is a style of juggling where the ball stays in contact with your body the entire time. Instead of throwing and catching objects to demonstrate dexterity, contact jugglers make the ball roll over their bodies. Although skilled contact jugglers can work with any ball, and even some irregular objects, some balls are better than others.
Contact Juggling Basics
Contact juggling at its simplest is just rolling a ball over the surface of your body. By making minute adjustments to your position, you control how the ball rolls -- ultimately reaching a skill level where you can make the ball appear to move of its own volition, or to defy gravity. It's likely that the most famous demonstration of contact juggling occurred in the movie "Labyrinth," where David Bowie demonstrated it with a light, transparent ball.
Contact Juggling Balls
Although skilled contact jugglers can use almost any ball, a standard contact ball conforms to a set range of specifications. They tend to be smooth, with as little seam as possible. Sizes range from 70 to 100 mm in diameter. Stage performance balls weigh around 150 g, while practice balls are up to twice as heavy to help you feel the motion of the ball more clearly. Good balls for contact juggling are also sticky, allowing better skin adherence and control.
Lacrosse Balls
A regulation lacrosse ball is smooth and made from solid rubber. They have smooth surfaces, often etched with a manufacturer or team logo. Typical diameters is 64 mm, with weight between 140 and 150 g. Their surfaces are not sticky.
Can You?
Best success with contact juggling will come with objects that most closely conform to the specifications of balls made for the task. In this way, it's not like improvising any other tool. Lacrosse balls are slightly smaller than contact juggling balls, and have surfaces that are not sticky. Because they're quite similar, a skilled contact juggler could easily use one. Beginners might find they get frustrated working with the less sticky surface.
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