Tricks - Ring Juggling

If you can juggle with balls or clubs,
then you will find rings very simple
to learn. You begin with learning
the cascade trick.

Cascade

If you get stuck with the following explanation, have a look at the 3 ball cascade page I have written, as it explains the cascade in a lot more depth.

ONE RING: Practice throwing one ring gently from one hand to the other. You should be reaching up to make the catches/throws. The catch should not hurt, as it should land in the soft part of your palm, and not against the skin between your fingers! Give the ring a little spin as you release it, as this stabilises the ring. Probably best to practice indoors, as even the slightest breeze can ruin a good throw.

HOW TO HOLD TWO RINGS IN ONE HAND: One ring should be held firmly, and the other ring should be resting at your fingertips. Throw the ring you're holding at your fingertips first, and then you can use all your fingers to grip and throw the second ring properly.

TWO RINGS: Hold one ring in each hand. Throw the first ring, and when it peaks, throw the second ring underneath the first one. Both rings should have risen to roughly the same height. You can throw the rings a bit higher than you would do with balls or clubs, and this will give you ample time to practice your 3 ring cascade.

THREE RINGS: Holding two rings in one hand, and one ring in the other, start from the hand with two rings. Throw ring number 1. When it gets to the top throw from your other hand (#2), and when it gets to the top, throw the remaining ring (#3)… then just keep going!!

Once you've got the cascade under control, try some TRICKS!

REVERSE CASCADE	Instead of throwing the rings under each other in the cascade pattern, throw them over the top so that they should land in the middle of the pattern.
BUTTERFLY CATCH	I had to make up a name for this one, as I don't know what it is called! Catch a ring and turn it round, so that it is touching your arm (it should be hooked over your thumb). When you next catch in the hand, you will now have two rings in one hand that are overlapping each other. When you throw both rings at the same time, one goes high to the same hand, and the other ring stays low and returns to the same hand also.
STACK THE RINGS ON NECK	A good way to finish your ring routine is to place each ring around your neck as you catch them. This requires a lot of practice. If you can put all three rings around your neck, try immediately taking them off one by one without breaking your rhythm and continue to juggle! It looks impressive! When taking a ring off your neck, let it brush the back of your head. This should prevent the ring hitting your nose and ears on the way up!
COLOUR CHANGE	Buy rings which have a different colour on each side, or stick two rings together. To make a ring change colour, as you catch it underhand with your palm facing upwards, twist the ring inward and throw again.
BALL THROUGH RING (Saturn)	A difficult trick requiring two balls in one hand, while the ring is held dangling over the pattern. Hold the ring firmly, and you should be swaying it left-right as the balls approach the ring, in order that each ball goes through the ring.
FLASH AND PIROUETTE	Throw all 3 rings high in the air, then spin yourself round, and continue juggling. Although you should have time to do a number of moves while the rings are in the air (such as acrobatic trick or several 360 degree spins), a ring will hurt you if it lands on your head so be careful!

This trick was sent in by Pandelides from Australia. He calls it the 5 Special Throw Trick

"First you hold 2 rings in your stronger hand and one in your weaker hand, then throw the 2 in your stronger hand 3 times higher than the one that you last caught.

Then throw that ring and the other ring in you weaker hand so that there are 2 rings in the air then the one left in your stronger hand, throw it between the other 2 and its simple as that!"

Other ways to throw the rings

It is probably best when learning these tricks to go back to learning each stage of the cascade once again.

PANCAKE FLIPS	Flip the rings like you would toss pancake.
RINGS FACING AUDIENCE	If you are facing the audience, you could turn the rings so that they are flat in front of you and continue juggling. Once again, it may be best to go back to learning the cascade with these throws firstly before attempting any other tricks.

Spin/Grind Tricks

RING GRIND	The catch ring is held horizontally and the spinning ring spins on top of it on a vertical plane. Snap your wrist and release the ring to give it plenty of backspin on top of the horizontal ring. You can let it spin to a stop for a finish, or throw the ring back up in the air while it is still spinning and resume juggling.
RETURNING RING	Practice with one ring, snap your wrist towards you as you release the ring forward. The ring should roll along the ground, and if there is enough backspin on it, should come to a halt and slowly return to your hand. You can make the ring come back faster if the ring hits a wall or object shortly after it has left your hand. You can then work this "returning ring" into your juggling routine.

For more tricks, have a look at my Ball Juggling and Club Juggling pages.