Esotropiart

I just received a comment from a curious visitor. Great! I love new comments. I was asked how long I have been juggling. That's an interesting question I haven't really thought much about... but I'll bore my readers with the long version of the answer.

It could be said that I have been juggling for over 10 years - though that is a bit deceptive and misleading. To clarify, I'll give a summary of my soccer background. I played soccer on a city league for 2 or 3 years when I was a youngster. It was a fun experience, and one of my best friends at the time was also on the team (his mom was the coach). Even way back then, I remember at least one lesson: Balance is key. I was shown that it is easier to maintain balance when focusing the eyes on a single point, rather than looking around. I might have attempted to juggle a soccer ball when I was a kid, but I'm sure I never got more than 8 or 10 hits.

In junior high and high school I played soccer on and off. I sprained my toe several times, so I was never able to take the sport very seriously. I also wasn't very good. I never made the varsity team at a very small school!

It was near the end of this season in life when I witnessed a "local soccer legend". Aaron Lewis was on the varsity team at our school and was nothing less than a soccer genius. He wasn't just good for our school, he was good good. He ended up doing some semi-pro and coaching later on. Anyway, one day I saw Aaron juggling. Several of the other players were gathered around him, cheering him on. He was going for his personal juggling record, I guess. To my recollection, he achieved something like 800 hits! I probably was getting about 20 or 30 hits at the time and this 800 seemed a physical impossibility. Nevertheless, I started practicing more regularly.

Looking back, I realize now that I started juggling because it is not competitive. It is simply a skill to hone, a focus enhancer. I am absolutely horrible at confrontation and competition, yet I am a perfectionist at most tasks involving my own abilities. This activity allowed me to avoid confrontation while developing a fun skill and hobby.

The next phase of my soccer life started at a church I attended for about my first 3 or 4 years after high school. It was my good friend's church. Each Wednesday there was a youth activity night in the church's game room. There were video games, pool, ping pong, foosball, volleyball, skaters, and more. It was intended as a ministry to the surrounding neighborhood, giving the kids a place to hang out without feeling the discomfort of a formal church environment. It was good. Oh man... such good memories. Anyway, occasionally I was able to round up a circle of people to juggle. My friend and I especially liked to juggle together. A couple times we even juggled in contained areas, like a cramped supply room. That really enhances the reflexes and balance, let me tell ya!

Near the second half of this time I moved out on my own, and juggling was one of the few exercises I enjoyed doing. I would regularly find a park nearby to juggle. This was really where my skill began to develop. Before I was just messing around. Now I made it a goal to start recording my numbers and improve my technique and control. I remember for the longest time a couple hundred hits was all I could ever do. Then, all-of-a-sudden, I gained more control, and I finally bested the unattainable 800.

I should also mention that there is a direct connection between my juggling skill and involvement with martial arts. In junior high and early high school I took karate. As I mentioned, balance is key to juggling. If you can't keep on your feet after throwing your legs up in the air continuously and while standing in contorted positions, you won't be able to juggle for long periods. I remember noticing that my ability to focus on one point (in this case, the soccer ball) also increased along with my martial arts practice. Even today I often equate my juggling with martial arts kicks and balance. Martial arts are unique in that they are more than just a physical activity. Purely practiced, they are more of a perspective, a way of living (Martial Arts in Everything). Flexibility and focus afforded by martial arts are amazingly beneficial for the sport of soccer. In fact, I think any athlete in any sport could greatly benefit by practicing something like martial arts or dance. It was certainly key in my development.

Another soccer landmark in my life was when my pastor asked the congregation, "Why not?". He was referring to a missions trip to Brazil he and former missionaries had arranged for the summer. "Why not go?". For some reason these words stuck with me, and I gravitated toward the idea of going even though I was fairly new to this church. As it turns out, I not only went on the missions trip and had a great time, but I met my then future wife, who is Brazilian. This was the most important phase of my life so far. I have been back to Brazil a couple times, and will never be far away from this soccer-fanatical culture!

After all that, it could said I have been juggling nearly all my life. But in reality, I have only given it specific attention in the last 6 years or so. Even during this last six years, there have been huge lapses (more than a year at a time) of no practice. I would say that someone could easily accelerate the ability to juggle if they set their mind to that end. An average person could probably gain the same skill that I have or better in a year if they focused on just that and practiced regularly. I didn't really set out to become a great soccer ball juggler. I don't consider myself an expert by any means. I just do it for fun, exercise, and coordination. In all these years, I have only found a few people who are interested in juggling. I would love to find more. It is always more fun to juggle together (Shoey So).