How to Do the Half-Suicide Trick in Diabolo Juggling

Usually in diabolo juggling, you manipulate the diabolo itself to complete a trick. For tricks referred to as suicides, however, you toss one of the hand sticks instead of the diabolo. The half-suicide trick starts with a cat's cradle and is easier than other suicide tricks. Learn the half-suicide trick before moving on to other suicides.

Difficulty: Challenging

Instructions

1. Begin with a rolling start. Juggle the diabolo at moderate speed.

2. Swing the diabolo outside your dominant hand with a high, arching swing.

3. Catch the diabolo in the middle of the string. So far, you have performed the opening steps to the cat's cradle trick. You can control the diabolo better if you rotate the stick in your weak hand 90 degrees so that it points to the diabolo.

4. Let go of the stick in your weak hand to start the half-suicide. Watch the stick swing underneath the diabolo and back up high in the air.

5. Spot the diabolo. Reach across your body to catch the stick when it is over your dominant hand.

6. Return to the starting position. You have completed the half-suicide. Add speed to the diabolo, and then you can begin your next trick.

Tips & Warnings

• While you might think you should learn the full suicide next, consider learning the double half-suicide for your next trick.
• Diabolo refers to an ancient art in juggling. Today you can find many different types and sizes of diabolos. A diabolo consists of a string that joins a spool with two sticks. You can perform many impressive tricks with a diabolo.

Resources

• View these Expert Village videos to learn diabolo juggling tricks.