I want to precede this by saying I'm pretty terrible at contact juggling so take my advice with a grain of salt - but I started practicing by buying a lacrosse ball. It was small, pretty dense (but not as hard and dense as an acrylic) and cheap. I think i paid 99 cents for mine.
-Ryan
On 12/4/06, Brian Campbell <lambda@xxxxxxx> wrote:
The 2.5-3 inch range is the normal range of sizes. 4 inches is huge,
so probably wouldn't be very good. For a 13 year old, 2.5 might be
good, as they'll have smaller hands. 2.5 is also good if you want to
do the multi-ball manipulations (where you have 3 balls in one hand
and spin them around in circles or over each other). I prefer the 3
inch size for the single ball rolling techniques, since a bigger ball
moves a little slower, and I like the extra weight.
Also, for a beginner, I would recommend getting them a stage ball for
practice. A stage ball is hollow, lighter, and slightly flexible.
It's not nearly as nice for contact juggling, and doesn't look as
good, but when you drop it, it won't smash stuff. This is important
for a beginner; contact juggling balls can go flying when you screw
up, and anything breakable in the room will be in danger, not to
mention putting dents in walls, and scratching your pretty acrylic
ball. I have lost a hard drive due to my laptop being in range of a
stray contact juggling ball.
--
Ora, lege, lege, lege, relege, labora et invenies.