Circus Skills Workshops - Learn how to juggle, spin plates, do the Diablo and ride the unicycle

This week at school has been circus skills week and all the children have been practising their balancing and co-ordination skills. They practise everything from balancing a peacock feather on the ends of their fingers, or chins, or noses or toes, or go from one to the other, right though to riding on unicycles that are over 6 feet tall and they have to get into the saddle by climbing up a ladder. It is quite a spectacle to see a hall full of eleven year olds riding around the room in the rafters.

The children always look forward to circus skills week. It is incredible how expert they become in just one week at a range of skills that require quite a lot of effort, concentration and co-ordination. They learn juggling skills, walking the tightrope, stilt-walking, the Diablo and other feats that require careful balancing skills. The leaders have a system of points that mean all the children are awarded a certificate at the end of the week for the level they have achieved. It makes them so proud. The finale comes at the end of the week when they set up a makeshift big top and every child in the school wows the audience with their newly acquired skills. There is a chance to buy the accessories at the end of the week or you can join in more circus fun by going to the holiday workshops or even arranging a circus skills party.

This is a chance for those children who cannot excel on the sports-field to demonstrate a range of skills that improve their general hand-eye co-ordination. Children learn to perfect their motor skills in a fun and supportive way. Even the spinning plate can be mastered quite quickly, and looks very impressive when the children all spin many plates together, carefully passing the plates amongst themselves without letting the spinning stop.

These are a great range of activities that both girls and boys can join in with.

Some of the skills that they learn include:

Juggling

To learn to juggle, you need a set of juggling balls that are soft and reasonably heavy. I have made them from getting a balloon and filling it through a funnel with semolina rice. Wrap another balloon over it t make it more sturdy. You can buy juggling balls that come in a range of prices. To start to juggle, practise throwing and catching with one ball first. Then you can practise throwing two balls against a wall (make sure there is nothing nearby that might get broken). Throw one ball against the wall at a height level with your eye and as the ball rebounds towards you, release the second ball so you can catch the first. It is important to get a good rhythm going. Once you have mastered this, you can introduce the third ball.

To practise juggling with three balls, you need to put two balls into either hand and one ball in your other hand. Then imagine a triangle in the air where both hands are the bottom two points of the triangle and the top of the triangle is level with your eyes. Start by releasing one of the balls in the hand where you are holding two. Keep your eyes focussed on the imaginary top angle of the triangle. As the first ball reaches that point, release the single ball from your other hand and aim that for the same top-point, as the first ball starts to fall towards your now empty hand. Catch the first ball at the same time that you start to throw the third ball from your other hand towards the top angle and catch the second ball in your hand that is now empty. Practise getting the rhythm right and develop a nice relaxed stance with your feet slightly apart. Try not to move your legs or feet as this will affect your balance. Try to remember to keep a ball in each hand and one at the top-point level with your eyes at all times, and keep your eyes on the top point.

Spinning the Diablo

Put the Diablo on the floor over the string. Take a tick in each hand and gently raise the Diablo from the ground. With your dominant hand quickly jerk the stick upwards in repeated quick movements, release the slack with the same quick upwards movement with your other hand. To throw the Diablo, keep the string taut and slacken it again to catch. With practise, there are many tricks that you can perform with the Diablo once you have mastered the basic spinning action.

Spinning Plates

To learn how to spin plates, you do need to buy a proper spinning plate and wand. The spinning plate has a central cone and a rim and the wand has a point at one end that fits into the conical part. To start spinning, hold the wand upright at an angle o around seventy degrees. Rest the point of the wand under the rim of the plate. Start to rotate the plate using a whisking kind of motion. As the plate starts to spin with the wand inside the rim, hold the wand still and the plate will automatically position itself with the inside point of the cone resting on the tip of the wand. Gentle wrist action will keep the plate spinning.

Learning to ride a unicycle

This takes many hours of practise. Begin by choosing the right size unicycle. Tall people will need a wheel size of around 24” whereas children will need a 16” or 18” wheel. Make sure that you have the pedals the right way round, they should be marked “L” and “R”. Find a flat place to practise and make sure you have a long run so that as you pedal away you can keep the momentum going. Unicycles are easier to ride if you pedal quickly. To begin, find a fence wall or tennis net that is at a height between your waist and chest, to hold onto. Practise mounting the unicycle, this is the hardest part for the beginner. Have the widest part of the saddle at the back and the pedals in the right direction for each foot. Push the pedal of your dominant foot to its lowest point and put the ball of your dominant foot on this pedal. Stand on this pedal and hold the saddle between your legs. Hold onto the wall with your other hand and put your other foot on the raised pedal, pushing the pedal forward and down. Move the weight from the foot of your lower pedal onto the saddle. When you have perfected this, you will be able to mount the unicycle unaided and once you have mastered how to balance you will be able to pedal and ride. Remember to wear protective headwear and ideally, elbow and knee pads.