How to Do a Top-To-Top Butterfly Pass in Contact Juggling

Contact juggling is a visually interesting type of juggling where a ball is moved around on the surface of the hands so that it appears to remain stationary. While contact juggling is impressive to watch, it's much more difficult than it appears, so once you master basic moves, capitalize on your skills by picking up as many variations as possible.

Difficulty: Moderate

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• An acrylic ball or stage ball designed for contact juggling

1. Learn to do the butterfly move on each of your hands individually first. You need to be equally strong on both hands in order to complete an effective pass.

2. Begin the butterfly on one hand, your passing hand. Bring your other hand, the receiving hand, up to meet the passing hand as the ball transitions from the palm to the back of the hand.

3. Keep the receiving hand in front of the passing hand as you transfer the ball. Instead of allowing the ball to go from the palm of one hand to the back of the same hand, switch hands when the ball is on your fingertips.

4. Keep the motion steady and shift the position of your hands rather than shifting the ball's position in space.

5. Continue the butterfly on the receiving hand. If desired, pass the ball back to the original hand and continue to switch back and forth whenever you like.

Tips & Warnings

• Add a second ball into the mix if you feel good about your passing skills and want to pass the ball and then add a second ball on the original hand. Side-by-side butterflies are very impressive and can be varied for some cool effects.
• Always keep your palms parallel to the ground so that your audience can clearly see the ball and their view isn't obstructed by your hands.