subject: Perfecting The Prayer Pass Using The Fushigi Ball [print this page] There are lots of contact juggling tricks while using the Fushigi Ball that you can find out about and get good at to really dazzle and also astonish people, but in this article we are going to examine the Prayer Cross which is one of the most commonly encountered and most favorite out of all the contact juggling techniques and one of the best ones to learn for beginners, to enable you to form an excellent base for moving forward on to some more advanced tricks.
The Prayer Cross is in fact separated into two independent techniques, the Prayer Pass and the Prayer Hold. Normally you see just the Prayer Pass being performed, but it is the well-timed integration of the Prayer Hold into your performance that should increase intrigue and change the whole pace of the demo.
The Prayer Cross in general has become the most famous of them all, even for those that aren't jugglers themselves, but have simply witnessed juggling practiced.
The idea of the Prayer Pass is to maintain your hands along with your palms facing each other and your arms extended vertically. Trying to keep your arms relatively rigid but your hand supple, you swing them from left to right. The ball is balanced on the upper most regions of your fingertips and alternates from sitting on your right hand fingers to your left hand fingers.
Effectively the ball itself simply flips from the back of one hand to the other and rolls very slightly. The goal is to catch the ball as you flip it then allow it to move gradually into the cradle which you make by arching your receiving fingers. After this method is mastered, it provides the illusion that the ball is not actually moving and your hands are only passing by below the ball without actually touching it.
The key in refining this trick is to pass the juggling ball seamlessly on your 1st and 2nd fingers rather than the typical 3 fingers. It's best to get used to the sensation of transferring the juggling ball between these sets of 2 fingers while maintaining your hands with fingers in contact. After you get used to the sensation, you can then progress to flicking the juggling ball at a less extended position from the rear of one hand to the other then lastly attempting the prayer position in the full vertical extended position.
The Prayer Hold is where you briefly slow down and stabilize the juggling ball on the tips of your fingers with your arms in the totally stretched vertical position. The very best use of this really is to let the tempo of your routine to change and keep the viewers unsure of what to anticipate next.
The easiest method to practice the Prayer Hold is putting the ball between your fingers with your hands in the part prayer position and squeeze a little to make the juggling ball rise up. You may either spread your fingers apart or simply keep them close together, depending on what you feel most comfortable with.
Both the combos described for the complete Prayer Cross technique using the Fushigi Juggling Ball are very easy to learn and master in a short period of time. This is a excellent trick to master for those completely new to contact juggling and will give you a good feel for controlling the ball and maneuvering it effectively. Smoothness as well as patience are the virtues here and you will get the best success by letting the juggling balls natural movements and momentum do most of the work.
Particularly for beginners, make sure you practice this and other stunts with a cushioned surface under you, as the first few occasions you may well drop your Fushigi Juggling Ball, particularly from the fully extended vertical prayer position which could lead to pointless scratches and chips.
