It's great to see you still having fun, Taylor. I bought Juggling for the Complete Clutz many years ago. I'm 72 now and juggle just to keep my hands limber. You know, for medicinal purposes;) Wishing you the best and always, Keep it fun, folks!
A year ago i bought my first "real" juggling balls, at least that's what i thought. For some reason i bought the MMX and thought that these are like the ones most jugglers used. Now after this video i tried russian balls for the first time ever and HOLY COW these feel so much better and are so much easier to catch. Thanks for this video and the inspiration to try something new!
I love your comment: "I do not know which kind of gravity they use" - it is exactly what I feel when watching juggling videos on TH-cam... I love the Russions. They are great to catch for crazy multiplex stuff!
I wanted to get a little more serious about juggling, so I bought your balls and they've been working great. Your videos make me so excited to continue to practice and get better so I can do cooler tricks. I'd forgotten how much fun I have juggling, so thank you for all of the insight into the juggling community.
I love the way you identify in real time which ball is being shown onscreen on the bottom left! It kept distracting me from the sleeve! 😁 That felt like a pretty thorough comparison with loads of useful information. I learned from this that as my skill improves I definitely plan to try the Russians. I think you sold me on the Play SRX. That definitely feels like fun to me. Saving this one to my Juggling playlist to refer back to later for sure. Thank you! 😀
The Play SRX is one of my faves! I also really love the Play TTS (which I didn't specifically talk about in this video), which is the sister ball to the SRX. It's basically the same thing but it's filled with micro plastic beads rather than sand. This makes them a little lighter (and more similar to other russians) and there's also something interesting about the plastic beads that make them so smooth to juggle. It's hard for me to describe, but since I got the TTS I find myself gravitating towards them more over my SRX balls. I'll talk about the differences more in an upcoming video. I do have the TTS in 75mm (which is quite large, but fairly common for russians), and I would be curious to try them in a smaller size since I wonder if they might feel too light at that point. So it's possible the SRX might be more ideal at smaller sizes, and the TTS would be ideal at larger sizes for most people. Either way I don't think you can go wrong with either :D They are both my faves of the Play line.
Hey, I'm really enjoying your videos. I use mainly radfactor Russian premium but filled with 80 grams instead of 100. When I used the 100 gram, they were cracking in the same way you showed in your video. The 80 gram so far didn't crack, and for me, they have better experience to juggle with them.
Great video. For the 2 years I've been juggling, I've used physiotherapy spiky balls, since I hadn't researched the subject before, didn't even know about bean bags for quite some time. The spikes don't bother me, weigh about 40 grams, cost $0.60, it's fun to have different colors flying around, make no noise because they're not filled with anything. But they can bounce and roll away, so I gotta be careful when joggling.
i got babache bubble balls they are russian balls made from rubber so more grippy and flexible than normal ones, also have a plug to change the filling amount, i love them
I agree on the MMX point. They are great as a first/first purchase ball, but are not great past that, and they get super skany super quickly. For general juggling, I like a heavier ball for 1-5 objects, and a lighter ball for 5+. Considering I do most of my juggling in the 1-5 range I tend to like a bean bag style ball. However, with the customizable aspect of Jugglequip, I find that I have a good set of both, plus the machine washable aspect (as I like to keep my equipment clean) makes them the right choice. For walkabout and stage work, I often go for white play stage balls (80/100mm) as they are super visual and when performing I am always juggling below my level, which allows me to work with something more visual and still allows me to execute all of my material.
I've had a 100mm Sil-X ball for over a decade that currently weighs 293g, just 7g below the advertised 300g. It lost a bit of silicone when the plug fell one time, but I think the weight hasn't changed since that incident.
Hey Taylor Vinnie coincidentally I just ordered new BBB style oriented juggling balls this week I owned a pair for nearing 6 years can't wait for the results
Hi Taylor! Great to see a new video from you! I just wanted to take the opportunity to thank you for all the time and effort you invest in your tutorial videos. If I ever get around to learn all the tricks you show in even their basic versions, I will most likely be a 100 years old or so. ;-) The way you describe juggling (as being a journey and that every trick is a puzzle to be solved) is drop-dead acurate. I started to learn juggling like 30 years too late ;-), but ever since I started, it has been a tremendously positve force in my life. It also helps me a lot to deal with all the insanity, that is going on all around the world right now. My favourite balls are Play - Sil X in the small version (110g), but I also have the heavier versions up to the 300g superheavy version. I am trying to include some contact juggling, so the Sil X are good for that. I don´t like the sound sand filled balls make so much, as it´s a little distracting to me, but other jugglers may find this useful. If you want to check out, how this modest student of yours is doing (and maybe listen to some great music), check out my channel or playlists. Cheers, J (edited: removed links and added comments about balls)
@@THEMETALJUGGLER1973 I’m glad you found juggling and it’s been positive in your life! I think it is a tremendously therapeutic skill, especially in chaotic and stressful times. Check out the video I made for the IJA about juggling in Afghanistan, they talk about how powerful juggling is for uncertain times, and I think about that almost every day. Juggling is a beautiful thing.
@@TaylorTries Oh, absolutely! And even the most expensive juggling equipment is a lot cheaper than psychotherapy sessions ;-) I had times when I was in a really bad mood (because stuff was not working out or the world being the way it just is) like at 11pm and I just started to juggle while playing music really loud. And 2 hours later, my arms hurt, but I was happy (and needed another shower). Juggling and Heavy Metal (or other music that you like)-> great combination. Your "Radioactive" video is amazing btw! I try to improve, too, but currently I still juggle with the grace of a terminator - model 101. I also never expected juggling to be so physical, but it really is a sport or can be. When improving my mood it comes right after running on Heavy Metal ;-) It can be quite intense on a number of levels. I recently did fire juggling (with balls) for the first time (with proper safety procedures).
Many years ago (decades in fact) I was a serious juggler. The group I hung out with (Several San Diegans Who Juggle) even ended up partying on the beach with the Flying Karamazov Brothers after they did a show at UCSD with Michael Moshen. I just picked up a set of Taylor Tries bean bags to see if I could remember anything. Wow, I've lost a lot of skill. But I love those bean bags.
Great overview! It'll be nice to be able to link to this video in the next juggling ball guide. I'm with you on the "Why on Earth do MMXs still exist?" train. One more con: at lower temperatures, the shell becomes SUPER rigid. Which gave rise to the droppiest performance I've ever done. Yes, Gatto used MMXs. But unless you're Gatto, they're probably not the best ball for you.
I always love reading your juggling ball guides on reddit! And I feel validated knowing you don’t like MMX either. I always wonder, do we know gatto still uses them? I haven’t seen his juggling in a long while. I know he used to juggle them at one time, but no idea if he still does. Also Gatto juggled pinkies for a while, so as great as he is, he doesn’t have the best taste in props 🤣
For me, the biggest thing is the color bleed and the stickyness. I had a whole bunch of MMX balls, as well as the big 100mm Sil-x for contact and I had to stop using them because they just get gross and there's no way to restore them. I don't even use them to teach anymore because they just feel nasty. If someone actually likely how they juggle, I wouldn't recommend them because they age so poorly. The only Play balls I recommend anymore are the hard shell plug-&-play fill-yourself Russians, but those are also a bit too hard and big for most people. They're mostly good if you want to experiment with different weights.
@@TaylorTries From what I remember, Anthony Gatto retired from juggling several years ago after recurring injuries, and has been really reclusive since then.
I am one of those people who never 'evolved' beyond the mmx after using beanbags. My juggling remains somewhere between Neanderthal and Cro-Magnon. (Think Kubrick's 2001 bone to satellite). The stickiness they develop over time seems to help me with catching as newer ones feel too slick. A deep dive on the Russians would be my request for the batter's box as your review has reinforced my expectations of those being the next step on the path toward diversification and improvement. One last request, don't stay gone so long and become MIA, your fans miss you.
I feel like it's easier to throw a ball accurately if it's a bit heavier. When I started working on 5 balls, I switched to slightly smaller beanbags (something like 105g instead of 130g), but after a while I switched back because they felt too light. Now I'm experimenting with Russian balls, but I made them a bit heavier than normal for their size, like 1/2 full of sand instead of 1/3, and I think I like it.
I've only been juggling for about a year but I personally think Speevers are best for beginners. The toughness and cleanability are insane, I dropped them hundreds of times and honestly they have like 1% wear. Sometimes accidentally in mud, water, soda, even a litterbox. Ew. But they wash off perfectly, plus they don't roll. So dropping a non issue which is a major confidence boost which helped my learning a ton, especially being a low confidence person.
I should have wait for that, I just got some more mmx balls. It's what I've been juggling for years, as my parents get me some of them when I first started to juggle. Well. I'm obviously used to them, so I had no idea about the biggest cons, but I definitely have a better clue about why my hand was hurting... I'm gonna reach for russians next time, as I like this shell sensation 😅 And thanks, as always, for your amazing videos 🤗 (And i'm gonna subscribe, this is always quality content, and your tutorial helped me a lot getting back to juggling, sooo thank you again!!)
Really good video! I like how you give specific pros and cons, and point out which balls you're using in the bottom of the screen! A few thoughts of my own: -The Sil-X stick takes a sec getting used too, but works really well for three ball juggling. If you need to grab and let go of a ball really quick it grabs to the hand, but it's easy to let go in any direction which gives a lot of control. -However, they stick to each other too much, making them really bad for multiplexing or starting 5 or more balls, and I find high number stuff with them in general really hard. - Hard shells (like Radfactors) we're really good for learning both 3b and 5b, but if I had to go back again I'd choose to use a softer shell like Cathedrals (my current choice) because they seem to last longer (got to a point where my Radfactors we're breaking within a month of rigorous practice) - Hard shell Russians can be bad on the finger if you're learning specific tricks, like dots - Different types of balls might work better for different types of people. For example, I find the dead drop of Russians really nice for dots, but have trouble juggling beanbag dots the same way to the extent someone like Mike Moore juggles them.
Haha yeah I’m fairly sure I mention most of those points in the video ☺️ I don’t have the same sticking experience with numbers juggling when using the Sil-X lights though. For some reason those shells seem less sticky and I love doing 5+ of them with multiplexes galore. But as I mention in the video the thicker shell tends to feel extra sticky in my opinion.
I started juggling like 9 months ago with some balls I bought from amazon which have been working well for me and was waiting for you to bring them up, and apparently my speevers are fraudulent
Great overview. I was a little surprised to not see any mention on the Wiffle shell in the Russian portion, only because it was such a prevalent shell for a while. Those suckers are indestructible if the hole is made well, but the shell is a bit too hard for me and the sizes are very limited. I also switched to Radfactors, love the 72mm size.
It’s my only regret in the video honestly. I don’t have any whiffle shell balls sadly. I did mention them in the first cut of this video but since I don’t see them super often and didn’t have an example I cut it out for time. But yeah, I also find them too hard! They hurt my hands when I tried them and they were so hard to collect 🤣
@@TaylorTries probably more common on the east coast since the Wiffle ball company is located in Connecticut. I've heard they're harder to buy online now, I haven't checked myself. I still have a whole box of them that I picked up from the factory directly in case I ever need more.
Infinities look like possibly very good beanbags! They mix very heavy and light filling so you can have different weight/fill ratios, thats cool. Pretty expensive tho. This is interesting topic cos I'm just wondering what balls to get next. I've had MMXs and pretty nice heavyish beanbags. Playjuggling have quite many options these days. Many MMX like balls that have different fillings.
I just randomly decided I wanted to learn to juggle a few days ago, and only now learned that tennis ball are really bad for it. Everytime my tennis ball drops I have to chase it around my garage haha. Definitely looking to buying proper juggling balls now
My 3 quick thoughts (sorry none are useful). 1) Insane editing job including the name of the ball you're holding up. Every YT video needs that feature. I know you do editing, but that must still have been a ball(ha) ache. It's an appreciated one. 2) I hope your left hand feels better soon. 3) Maybe you're keeping it more offline, maybe things are better, but you _seem_ in a better place than some videos from a few years ago, to which I say I'm glad. We all deserve breaks from our demons.
Great video for orientation! Funny I also started with the 1$ store thingies which were so hard to control :-D How many different ball types do you own?
Pretty much all of the ones I can get my hands on that arent obvious generic copies of each other. 😅 It seems like all the juggling companies have a version of the basic beanbag, so I don’t collect all of those (I’m honestly convinced they probably get them from the same supplier anyway) But I try to get any ball or beanbag that seems unique in some way! I have far too many juggling props. 😳
I feel that rambling issue. I was trying to make a few-minute video on something with a text editor, and it ended up 30 minutes of rambling, so I reshot it, trying to be quicker, and it was 45 minutes long 😆We just have too much info to share!
I am best with jugglequps infinty balls. I love them. I am really rough at juggling and all my bean bags broke after 6 months. The shape are relly good for mills mess pattern. i think russians or norweagans are better for that patterns but thats ok. its ok that the balls are so expensive , you get quality for the price. i live in germany, the shpping and the headquater is in czech. so no taxes or shipping cost at the end.
They are definitely the most durable beanbags out there! I really enjoy mine (especially once I got under filled ones). The shipping and customs fees are still a lot for the US sadly, but I know Vacek (the owner) is working on finding distributors out here so hopefully that will improve soon!
@TaylorTries hi. I'm about to purchase for my turning 17 year old son. What's the difference in your pro color balls and your pro grip balls? We have white walls so not sure we should get him white but want the best we can afford. Thanks for some much needed advice. 😊
Thats nice of you to get some for your son! They are technically the same fabric for both balls, but the color ones have been dyed. So as a result, the grip feeling of the fabric isn’t as prevalent. The white ones feel grippy, it’s a bit hard to describe, sort of sticky but not in a bad way! They have a soft but grippy texture that I personally love. The color ones have a similar texture, and have a lot more grip than many color beanbags from other companies, but not *quite* as grippy as our white beanbags. In every other sense they are identical beanbags. Same sewing, filling, size, weight, and fabric. Just a slightly different texture. I honestly love both the color and white propworthy bags, and I’d recommend getting whichever aesthetic you think he’d like best. And I personally mix and match the white and colors all the time and it doesn’t bother me (it might bother some but I dont notice it much), so that’s always an option too.
Dang. The one reason being Australian sucks :( I tried to buy some SportCo bags last year but my request was denied: apparently customs doesn't allow them to get shipped? At least I know the reason now.
For your first balls I think beanbags are always a great safe bet, but as I say in the video you will be fine regardless of what you get. ☺️ If you get Russians I don’t think you’d regret it. And the TT pro series is good, but honestly I’d recommend my Propworthy ones over them if you do go that route. The Propworthy beanbags are sort of like my TT Pro beanbags version 2.0. I had more control over their creation so they’re better beanbags IMO.
There are more than two sizes of Russians throughout, so you’ll have to let me know which two specifically you’re asking about (the names are on the bottom left) ☺️
This is so weird. I just picked up my clubs about a week ago, after not juggling at all for probably 4-5 years, and this video shows up on my stream. I haven't posted on social media, or anything. The algorithms are watching us.......
Haha did you google anything related to juggling at all? Props or how to videos? That would certainly do it. Or if you ever watched my videos when you juggled in the past, it makes sense TH-cam would think you might like this video since it’s brand new and I just posted it. They have certainly been doing a better job recommending videos lately that aren’t only the huge TH-camrs which I appreciate.
Haha yeah, I almost mentioned contact poi in that section, but since that involves making changes to the ball (making a hole and adding the string), I didn’t feel it was relevant to this video. Stage balls are sold a lot, but not for toss juggling on their own.
My two cents: - what I don't like about russians is that to me they feel like "cheating", you rely on their properties to make some tricks easier, and you might not be able to perform the same grabbing causal oranges at your family party... - it's curious to say that MMX are not common for professional high-end juggliers: reportedly, they were what Anthony Gatto used lately - I hoped to see silicone balls, they are typically interesting only for bounce jugglers, they are crazy heavy and expensive, but their look is unmatched Anyway, thanks for the comprehensive review!
Thanks for the comment! Here are my added two cents to your two cents (yay four cents!) - Ha, I find that take on “cheating” very strange, but I respect that everyone has their own ways to approach juggling. To me, saying that a quality ball that adds efficiency to your juggling is cheating is like saying it’s cheating to use different golf clubs for different holes. Or it’s cheating to use light aerodynamic bikes in a bicycle race. Having a specially designed tool for your skill isn’t cheating, it’s smart. And they might make one thing easier but another thing harder. It still requires the same amount of skill, you’re just shifting what micro-areas that skill is emphasizing. As any skill gets more advanced, the fine details in its efficiency become more relevant. By using props that make your style of juggling more efficient, it allows you to push yourself further and explore its limits in a way you couldn’t before. And honestly, I think most jugglers couldn’t pick up oranges at a party and do the same level of tricks they can do with any beanbag or juggling ball. All juggling props make juggling tricks easier… because they’re designed for juggling 🤣 I’m curious if you see juggling clubs as also cheating? Since you certainly can’t easily pick up sticks at a party and do the same tricks. But hey, if you want to feel like you’re doing a more difficult and pure style of juggling by not using Russian balls, I say power to you. Whatever makes juggling the most enjoyable to you! I just hope you don’t tend to judge the skill of others based off the idea they’re ‘cheating’, since it’s just a different way to do it (it’s also not a competition) ☺️ - Yup, Gatto is the ONE high end juggler I know of who used MMX balls. That’s what we heard like 15 years ago at least. And sure, thats saying something because, well, its Gatto 😅 But he also juggled Pinkies (hollow pink racquet type balls) for many years also, so I’m not sure his habits or preferences apply to us mortals. Nevertheless, this is why I said it’s not “common” for high end jugglers to use MMX. One juggler does not “common” make. Especially when no one has seen him actually practice juggling in many years. - Dang! I had a section on bounce balls that I cut out of this video. It just felt a bit too different from what the theme of this video was, and the video is already too long. Since bounce balls aren’t something you’d compare against any of these other non-bounce style balls, it didn’t feel appropriate. And instead I plan to make a separate video discussing bounce props in the future. ☺️
@@TaylorTries Thank you so much for your thorough response! Allow me to clarify that I didn't want to use "cheating" with such a bad meaning 😅 Let me explain better: I totally agree that each sport, or activity in a broader sense, has its dedicated tools, and it's definitely fine/smart to get the best out of them; but one thing I really appreciate of juggling is that it is a "cheap", "poor" activity, that anyone, anywhere can enjoy (as opposed to, say, motor sports, which only few people can really afford). That is why I love to focus my limited energies (and even more limited talent) learning something that is as portable as possible. Of course I won't find clubs at a wedding party, nor rings, but I'll find bottles and dishes. You're certainly right, I won't be able to perform with them the same I can do with dedicated props, so you've got a point😄Still, russian balls to me feel somewhat "over-engineered". I wouldn't be able to draw a clear boundary, but they look much like a dedicated tool, with no other occurrence in life, not just the optimization of "common" objects. And about Gatto... probably HE could pick up oranges and break a world record...
I hope my awkwardly turned up sleeve drives you nuts the whole time you watch this video. Because it drove me nuts the whole time I edited this video.
I honestly didn't notice it until I read your comment. Now it's driving me nuts.
It's the first thing I noticed! I find it very difficult to not go up to strangers to fix their upturned sleeves.
I was too busy looking at Lemon to notice.
Now I know my aren't.
Lemon was so cute the whole time! Thanks Taylor for giving us great videos to watch when your actually supposed to be doing homework, love you!
It's great to see you still having fun, Taylor.
I bought Juggling for the Complete Clutz many years ago.
I'm 72 now and juggle just to keep my hands limber.
You know, for medicinal purposes;)
Wishing you the best and always,
Keep it fun, folks!
51 here, started with 49.95. I also hope to keep going a long time from now.
Yay! Taylor's back to posting semi-consistently 😂. Keep going
A year ago i bought my first "real" juggling balls, at least that's what i thought. For some reason i bought the MMX and thought that these are like the ones most jugglers used. Now after this video i tried russian balls for the first time ever and HOLY COW these feel so much better and are so much easier to catch. Thanks for this video and the inspiration to try something new!
This comment makes me so happy! I’m glad you found some new ones that work better for you!
I love your comment: "I do not know which kind of gravity they use" - it is exactly what I feel when watching juggling videos on TH-cam... I love the Russions. They are great to catch for crazy multiplex stuff!
Thank you for this i appreciate every thing you do. I just started a little under over 3 months ago, I will never stop my juggling journey.
I like this kind of videos. Just like the other one that you made about juggling terms. I learn a little bit more.
I wanted to get a little more serious about juggling, so I bought your balls and they've been working great. Your videos make me so excited to continue to practice and get better so I can do cooler tricks. I'd forgotten how much fun I have juggling, so thank you for all of the insight into the juggling community.
Welcome back, looking forward to seeing more juggling tutorials.
Thank you for this video
I love the way you identify in real time which ball is being shown onscreen on the bottom left! It kept distracting me from the sleeve! 😁 That felt like a pretty thorough comparison with loads of useful information. I learned from this that as my skill improves I definitely plan to try the Russians. I think you sold me on the Play SRX. That definitely feels like fun to me. Saving this one to my Juggling playlist to refer back to later for sure. Thank you! 😀
The Play SRX is one of my faves! I also really love the Play TTS (which I didn't specifically talk about in this video), which is the sister ball to the SRX. It's basically the same thing but it's filled with micro plastic beads rather than sand. This makes them a little lighter (and more similar to other russians) and there's also something interesting about the plastic beads that make them so smooth to juggle. It's hard for me to describe, but since I got the TTS I find myself gravitating towards them more over my SRX balls. I'll talk about the differences more in an upcoming video.
I do have the TTS in 75mm (which is quite large, but fairly common for russians), and I would be curious to try them in a smaller size since I wonder if they might feel too light at that point. So it's possible the SRX might be more ideal at smaller sizes, and the TTS would be ideal at larger sizes for most people. Either way I don't think you can go wrong with either :D They are both my faves of the Play line.
it would be very nice if you post a tutorial on boston mess, om having trouble juggling it
😀
Taylor is one of my favourite humans:)
Thanks for this video! I've always wondered about the different kinds of balls. I've only used the beanbag variety myself.
So glad you made this! Great resource.
thanks taylor!!! appreciate the work it took to make this video - next, deep dives into beanbags? would love that
Amazing video I was just juggling with your pro style juggling balls I love them
Hey,
I'm really enjoying your videos. I use mainly radfactor Russian premium but filled with 80 grams instead of 100. When I used the 100 gram, they were cracking in the same way you showed in your video. The 80 gram so far didn't crack, and for me, they have better experience to juggle with them.
Great video. For the 2 years I've been juggling, I've used physiotherapy spiky balls, since I hadn't researched the subject before, didn't even know about bean bags for quite some time. The spikes don't bother me, weigh about 40 grams, cost $0.60, it's fun to have different colors flying around, make no noise because they're not filled with anything. But they can bounce and roll away, so I gotta be careful when joggling.
i got babache bubble balls they are russian balls made from rubber so more grippy and flexible than normal ones, also have a plug to change the filling amount, i love them
I agree on the MMX point. They are great as a first/first purchase ball, but are not great past that, and they get super skany super quickly.
For general juggling, I like a heavier ball for 1-5 objects, and a lighter ball for 5+. Considering I do most of my juggling in the 1-5 range I tend to like a bean bag style ball. However, with the customizable aspect of Jugglequip, I find that I have a good set of both, plus the machine washable aspect (as I like to keep my equipment clean) makes them the right choice. For walkabout and stage work, I often go for white play stage balls (80/100mm) as they are super visual and when performing I am always juggling below my level, which allows me to work with something more visual and still allows me to execute all of my material.
I've had a 100mm Sil-X ball for over a decade that currently weighs 293g, just 7g below the advertised 300g. It lost a bit of silicone when the plug fell one time, but I think the weight hasn't changed since that incident.
Hey Taylor Vinnie coincidentally I just ordered new BBB style oriented juggling balls this week I owned a pair for nearing 6 years can't wait for the results
Hi Taylor!
Great to see a new video from you! I just wanted to take the opportunity to thank you for all the time and effort you invest in your tutorial videos. If I ever get around to learn all the tricks you show in even their basic versions, I will most likely be a 100 years old or so. ;-)
The way you describe juggling (as being a journey and that every trick is a puzzle to be solved) is drop-dead acurate.
I started to learn juggling like 30 years too late ;-), but ever since I started, it has been a tremendously positve force in my life. It also helps me a lot to deal with all the insanity, that is going on all around the world right now.
My favourite balls are Play - Sil X in the small version (110g), but I also have the heavier versions up to the 300g superheavy version. I am trying to include some contact juggling, so the Sil X are good for that.
I don´t like the sound sand filled balls make so much, as it´s a little distracting to me, but other jugglers may find this useful.
If you want to check out, how this modest student of yours is doing (and maybe listen to some great music), check out my channel or playlists.
Cheers,
J
(edited: removed links and added comments about balls)
@@THEMETALJUGGLER1973 I’m glad you found juggling and it’s been positive in your life! I think it is a tremendously therapeutic skill, especially in chaotic and stressful times. Check out the video I made for the IJA about juggling in Afghanistan, they talk about how powerful juggling is for uncertain times, and I think about that almost every day. Juggling is a beautiful thing.
@@TaylorTries Oh, absolutely! And even the most expensive juggling equipment is a lot cheaper than psychotherapy sessions ;-) I had times when I was in a really bad mood (because stuff was not working out or the world being the way it just is) like at 11pm and I just started to juggle while playing music really loud. And 2 hours later, my arms hurt, but I was happy (and needed another shower). Juggling and Heavy Metal (or other music that you like)-> great combination. Your "Radioactive" video is amazing btw! I try to improve, too, but currently I still juggle with the grace of a terminator - model 101.
I also never expected juggling to be so physical, but it really is a sport or can be. When improving my mood it comes right after running on Heavy Metal ;-)
It can be quite intense on a number of levels. I recently did fire juggling (with balls) for the first time (with proper safety procedures).
Many years ago (decades in fact) I was a serious juggler. The group I hung out with (Several San Diegans Who Juggle) even ended up partying on the beach with the Flying Karamazov Brothers after they did a show at UCSD with Michael Moshen.
I just picked up a set of Taylor Tries bean bags to see if I could remember anything. Wow, I've lost a lot of skill. But I love those bean bags.
I love your videos! I was just wondering if you could maybe post more cool 3 ball tricks because I enjoy your tutorials a lot!
Brilliant, this is exactly what i needed on a sick day 🔥💙🔥💙🔥
much needed. thanks
Great overview! It'll be nice to be able to link to this video in the next juggling ball guide.
I'm with you on the "Why on Earth do MMXs still exist?" train. One more con: at lower temperatures, the shell becomes SUPER rigid. Which gave rise to the droppiest performance I've ever done.
Yes, Gatto used MMXs. But unless you're Gatto, they're probably not the best ball for you.
I always love reading your juggling ball guides on reddit! And I feel validated knowing you don’t like MMX either.
I always wonder, do we know gatto still uses them? I haven’t seen his juggling in a long while. I know he used to juggle them at one time, but no idea if he still does.
Also Gatto juggled pinkies for a while, so as great as he is, he doesn’t have the best taste in props 🤣
For me, the biggest thing is the color bleed and the stickyness. I had a whole bunch of MMX balls, as well as the big 100mm Sil-x for contact and I had to stop using them because they just get gross and there's no way to restore them. I don't even use them to teach anymore because they just feel nasty. If someone actually likely how they juggle, I wouldn't recommend them because they age so poorly. The only Play balls I recommend anymore are the hard shell plug-&-play fill-yourself Russians, but those are also a bit too hard and big for most people. They're mostly good if you want to experiment with different weights.
@@TaylorTries From what I remember, Anthony Gatto retired from juggling several years ago after recurring injuries, and has been really reclusive since then.
I am one of those people who never 'evolved' beyond the mmx after using beanbags. My juggling remains somewhere between Neanderthal and Cro-Magnon. (Think Kubrick's 2001 bone to satellite). The stickiness they develop over time seems to help me with catching as newer ones feel too slick. A deep dive on the Russians would be my request for the batter's box as your review has reinforced my expectations of those being the next step on the path toward diversification and improvement. One last request, don't stay gone so long and become MIA, your fans miss you.
I feel like it's easier to throw a ball accurately if it's a bit heavier. When I started working on 5 balls, I switched to slightly smaller beanbags (something like 105g instead of 130g), but after a while I switched back because they felt too light. Now I'm experimenting with Russian balls, but I made them a bit heavier than normal for their size, like 1/2 full of sand instead of 1/3, and I think I like it.
You knew what you were doing! :O Welcome back btw!
I've only been juggling for about a year but I personally think Speevers are best for beginners. The toughness and cleanability are insane, I dropped them hundreds of times and honestly they have like 1% wear. Sometimes accidentally in mud, water, soda, even a litterbox. Ew. But they wash off perfectly, plus they don't roll. So dropping a non issue which is a major confidence boost which helped my learning a ton, especially being a low confidence person.
I should have wait for that, I just got some more mmx balls. It's what I've been juggling for years, as my parents get me some of them when I first started to juggle. Well. I'm obviously used to them, so I had no idea about the biggest cons, but I definitely have a better clue about why my hand was hurting... I'm gonna reach for russians next time, as I like this shell sensation 😅
And thanks, as always, for your amazing videos 🤗
(And i'm gonna subscribe, this is always quality content, and your tutorial helped me a lot getting back to juggling, sooo thank you again!!)
Juggling MMX is totally fine if you have them so don’t sweat too much 😅 but yeah I hope you enjoy your next set of different balls someday! ☺️
Ok now I feel knowledgeable ...thankss 💯✨
nice video! Thanks!!!
My favorite balls are Infinity. It is the most durable and are not afraid of water.
Really good video! I like how you give specific pros and cons, and point out which balls you're using in the bottom of the screen!
A few thoughts of my own:
-The Sil-X stick takes a sec getting used too, but works really well for three ball juggling. If you need to grab and let go of a ball really quick it grabs to the hand, but it's easy to let go in any direction which gives a lot of control.
-However, they stick to each other too much, making them really bad for multiplexing or starting 5 or more balls, and I find high number stuff with them in general really hard.
- Hard shells (like Radfactors) we're really good for learning both 3b and 5b, but if I had to go back again I'd choose to use a softer shell like Cathedrals (my current choice) because they seem to last longer (got to a point where my Radfactors we're breaking within a month of rigorous practice)
- Hard shell Russians can be bad on the finger if you're learning specific tricks, like dots
- Different types of balls might work better for different types of people. For example, I find the dead drop of Russians really nice for dots, but have trouble juggling beanbag dots the same way to the extent someone like Mike Moore juggles them.
Haha yeah I’m fairly sure I mention most of those points in the video ☺️
I don’t have the same sticking experience with numbers juggling when using the Sil-X lights though. For some reason those shells seem less sticky and I love doing 5+ of them with multiplexes galore. But as I mention in the video the thicker shell tends to feel extra sticky in my opinion.
i'd love to see more videos on claymotion juggling!
If you do get millet beanbags, make sure to store them where critters can't get to them. A friend of mine had a set completely destroyed by mice.
I started juggling like 9 months ago with some balls I bought from amazon which have been working well for me and was waiting for you to bring them up, and apparently my speevers are fraudulent
The millet seed affecting travel is also true here in New Zealand. We have very strict biosecurity
Great overview. I was a little surprised to not see any mention on the Wiffle shell in the Russian portion, only because it was such a prevalent shell for a while. Those suckers are indestructible if the hole is made well, but the shell is a bit too hard for me and the sizes are very limited. I also switched to Radfactors, love the 72mm size.
It’s my only regret in the video honestly. I don’t have any whiffle shell balls sadly. I did mention them in the first cut of this video but since I don’t see them super often and didn’t have an example I cut it out for time. But yeah, I also find them too hard! They hurt my hands when I tried them and they were so hard to collect 🤣
@@TaylorTries probably more common on the east coast since the Wiffle ball company is located in Connecticut. I've heard they're harder to buy online now, I haven't checked myself. I still have a whole box of them that I picked up from the factory directly in case I ever need more.
Great video!!
Do you experiment with these BBB tricks I also currently learned switched zip hour glass and am working on club chest balance variations
Infinities look like possibly very good beanbags! They mix very heavy and light filling so you can have different weight/fill ratios, thats cool. Pretty expensive tho. This is interesting topic cos I'm just wondering what balls to get next. I've had MMXs and pretty nice heavyish beanbags. Playjuggling have quite many options these days. Many MMX like balls that have different fillings.
hahahahahahahahahhaa that intro was so funnny!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Really cool :)
I just randomly decided I wanted to learn to juggle a few days ago, and only now learned that tennis ball are really bad for it. Everytime my tennis ball drops I have to chase it around my garage haha. Definitely looking to buying proper juggling balls now
May the sleeve be with you 😊😊😊!
Best bean ball: Infinity Balls from Juggle Equip
Best round balls: Play balls (I love my MMX's)
My 3 quick thoughts (sorry none are useful). 1) Insane editing job including the name of the ball you're holding up. Every YT video needs that feature. I know you do editing, but that must still have been a ball(ha) ache. It's an appreciated one. 2) I hope your left hand feels better soon. 3) Maybe you're keeping it more offline, maybe things are better, but you _seem_ in a better place than some videos from a few years ago, to which I say I'm glad. We all deserve breaks from our demons.
Great video for orientation! Funny I also started with the 1$ store thingies which were so hard to control :-D How many different ball types do you own?
Pretty much all of the ones I can get my hands on that arent obvious generic copies of each other. 😅 It seems like all the juggling companies have a version of the basic beanbag, so I don’t collect all of those (I’m honestly convinced they probably get them from the same supplier anyway)
But I try to get any ball or beanbag that seems unique in some way! I have far too many juggling props. 😳
I feel that rambling issue. I was trying to make a few-minute video on something with a text editor, and it ended up 30 minutes of rambling, so I reshot it, trying to be quicker, and it was 45 minutes long 😆We just have too much info to share!
I am best with jugglequps infinty balls. I love them. I am really rough at juggling and all my bean bags broke after 6 months. The shape are relly good for mills mess pattern. i think russians or norweagans are better for that patterns but thats ok. its ok that the balls are so expensive , you get quality for the price. i live in germany, the shpping and the headquater is in czech. so no taxes or shipping cost at the end.
They are definitely the most durable beanbags out there! I really enjoy mine (especially once I got under filled ones). The shipping and customs fees are still a lot for the US sadly, but I know Vacek (the owner) is working on finding distributors out here so hopefully that will improve soon!
@TaylorTries hi. I'm about to purchase for my turning 17 year old son. What's the difference in your pro color balls and your pro grip balls? We have white walls so not sure we should get him white but want the best we can afford. Thanks for some much needed advice. 😊
Thats nice of you to get some for your son! They are technically the same fabric for both balls, but the color ones have been dyed. So as a result, the grip feeling of the fabric isn’t as prevalent. The white ones feel grippy, it’s a bit hard to describe, sort of sticky but not in a bad way! They have a soft but grippy texture that I personally love. The color ones have a similar texture, and have a lot more grip than many color beanbags from other companies, but not *quite* as grippy as our white beanbags. In every other sense they are identical beanbags. Same sewing, filling, size, weight, and fabric. Just a slightly different texture. I honestly love both the color and white propworthy bags, and I’d recommend getting whichever aesthetic you think he’d like best. And I personally mix and match the white and colors all the time and it doesn’t bother me (it might bother some but I dont notice it much), so that’s always an option too.
@@TaylorTries thank you! I got so excited and already placed the order! You shipped it out same day which is amazing! He’s going to love it!
@@happyturbomama My business partner (who’s also my best friend of 30 years!) is amazing and gets out orders out so fast! I’d be lost without her 🤣
Dang. The one reason being Australian sucks :(
I tried to buy some SportCo bags last year but my request was denied: apparently customs doesn't allow them to get shipped?
At least I know the reason now.
Yeah it’s a bummer. But luckily there are tons of great alternatives!
Just found your (new?) web page. Did´nt know that existed. Supporters +1 ;-)
"or an mmx ball, if you want" got me 😂
WHERE DID YOU GET THE SQAURE ONES??!
Should i get suede juggling balls?
now idk what to get i was going to get her pro series bean bags as my first balls but now im heavily considering russian balls
For your first balls I think beanbags are always a great safe bet, but as I say in the video you will be fine regardless of what you get. ☺️ If you get Russians I don’t think you’d regret it.
And the TT pro series is good, but honestly I’d recommend my Propworthy ones over them if you do go that route. The Propworthy beanbags are sort of like my TT Pro beanbags version 2.0. I had more control over their creation so they’re better beanbags IMO.
@@TaylorTries okay thank you so much for the info i will definitely be looking at those.
What are the 2 different Russian sizes that you showed us in the video?
There are more than two sizes of Russians throughout, so you’ll have to let me know which two specifically you’re asking about (the names are on the bottom left) ☺️
Burke's Bender tutorial, pleaseeee
It’s so hard 😭 haha I need to re-learn it.
@@TaylorTries please, you say that everytime, I'm still waiting
Russian balls: stay in place when you drop them
Also Russian balls: roll across the entire continent when you drop them
And they roll in the opposite direction you think they will!
Haha I appreciate their chaotic independence 🤣
What is the white semi-hard russian ball? I'd like to buy 😍
All of the ball names are listed in the bottom left corner for each ball I show ☺️
This is so weird. I just picked up my clubs about a week ago, after not juggling at all for probably 4-5 years, and this video shows up on my stream. I haven't posted on social media, or anything. The algorithms are watching us.......
Haha did you google anything related to juggling at all? Props or how to videos? That would certainly do it.
Or if you ever watched my videos when you juggled in the past, it makes sense TH-cam would think you might like this video since it’s brand new and I just posted it. They have certainly been doing a better job recommending videos lately that aren’t only the huge TH-camrs which I appreciate.
Stage balls are actually some of the most sold balls lately because of the poi community 🙂 pretty much all contact poi are made with stage balls.
Haha yeah, I almost mentioned contact poi in that section, but since that involves making changes to the ball (making a hole and adding the string), I didn’t feel it was relevant to this video. Stage balls are sold a lot, but not for toss juggling on their own.
A beanbag is a good option for amateurs. It doesn't roll, doesn't bounce. It's light if you juggle 3-4 balls.
Yup, I discuss all those things in the first section of the video 👍🏻
My two cents:
- what I don't like about russians is that to me they feel like "cheating", you rely on their properties to make some tricks easier, and you might not be able to perform the same grabbing causal oranges at your family party...
- it's curious to say that MMX are not common for professional high-end juggliers: reportedly, they were what Anthony Gatto used lately
- I hoped to see silicone balls, they are typically interesting only for bounce jugglers, they are crazy heavy and expensive, but their look is unmatched
Anyway, thanks for the comprehensive review!
Thanks for the comment! Here are my added two cents to your two cents (yay four cents!)
- Ha, I find that take on “cheating” very strange, but I respect that everyone has their own ways to approach juggling. To me, saying that a quality ball that adds efficiency to your juggling is cheating is like saying it’s cheating to use different golf clubs for different holes. Or it’s cheating to use light aerodynamic bikes in a bicycle race. Having a specially designed tool for your skill isn’t cheating, it’s smart. And they might make one thing easier but another thing harder. It still requires the same amount of skill, you’re just shifting what micro-areas that skill is emphasizing. As any skill gets more advanced, the fine details in its efficiency become more relevant. By using props that make your style of juggling more efficient, it allows you to push yourself further and explore its limits in a way you couldn’t before. And honestly, I think most jugglers couldn’t pick up oranges at a party and do the same level of tricks they can do with any beanbag or juggling ball. All juggling props make juggling tricks easier… because they’re designed for juggling 🤣 I’m curious if you see juggling clubs as also cheating? Since you certainly can’t easily pick up sticks at a party and do the same tricks. But hey, if you want to feel like you’re doing a more difficult and pure style of juggling by not using Russian balls, I say power to you. Whatever makes juggling the most enjoyable to you! I just hope you don’t tend to judge the skill of others based off the idea they’re ‘cheating’, since it’s just a different way to do it (it’s also not a competition) ☺️
- Yup, Gatto is the ONE high end juggler I know of who used MMX balls. That’s what we heard like 15 years ago at least. And sure, thats saying something because, well, its Gatto 😅 But he also juggled Pinkies (hollow pink racquet type balls) for many years also, so I’m not sure his habits or preferences apply to us mortals. Nevertheless, this is why I said it’s not “common” for high end jugglers to use MMX. One juggler does not “common” make. Especially when no one has seen him actually practice juggling in many years.
- Dang! I had a section on bounce balls that I cut out of this video. It just felt a bit too different from what the theme of this video was, and the video is already too long. Since bounce balls aren’t something you’d compare against any of these other non-bounce style balls, it didn’t feel appropriate. And instead I plan to make a separate video discussing bounce props in the future. ☺️
@@TaylorTries Thank you so much for your thorough response! Allow me to clarify that I didn't want to use "cheating" with such a bad meaning 😅 Let me explain better: I totally agree that each sport, or activity in a broader sense, has its dedicated tools, and it's definitely fine/smart to get the best out of them; but one thing I really appreciate of juggling is that it is a "cheap", "poor" activity, that anyone, anywhere can enjoy (as opposed to, say, motor sports, which only few people can really afford). That is why I love to focus my limited energies (and even more limited talent) learning something that is as portable as possible. Of course I won't find clubs at a wedding party, nor rings, but I'll find bottles and dishes. You're certainly right, I won't be able to perform with them the same I can do with dedicated props, so you've got a point😄Still, russian balls to me feel somewhat "over-engineered". I wouldn't be able to draw a clear boundary, but they look much like a dedicated tool, with no other occurrence in life, not just the optimization of "common" objects.
And about Gatto... probably HE could pick up oranges and break a world record...
I started with hard shell Russians and I still swear by them 15 years later. Mine have salt in them.
😍
"we're talking about juggling, btw" 😂
I love my custom Jugglequip Infinities. I need to add some Russians to the family.
__
If I had good healthy millet in my beanbags I could take them on long-distance hikes and eat them.
CONS: You will go to prison for looking up russian juggling balls online. LMAO, girl, you're paranoid.
russian balls are the king!
Sil x 67. Russians that spin.
How did you have play balls for 20 years XD You're 24 years old hahaha
Haha I’m definitely not 24 but thanks!