Circus Workshop Network - Professional
Circus Skills Workshop Providers
The Benefits of Circus Workshops
Juggling has been shown in scientific studies to aid
development of the brain. It's also been linked to
improved academic skills, and it's fantastic for team building.
The benifits of learning to juggle have been in the news again
recently suggesting juggling
increases brain power.
As a juggler I find this very interesting, but we need to keep
this in perspective. Learning to juggle won't suddenly make you
capable of solving quadratic equations, nor will it instantly improve
your chess. What it's been shown to do recently is improve the parts
of the brain that deal with reaching and grasping, as well as peripheral
vision. In schools teachers have also linked it to improviements
in behaviour, as well as improvements in concentration and reading.
It also helps personal development in many other ways
It's excellent gentle exercise
The movement used in juggling is gentle, continuous and flowing,
which makes it very good gentle aerobic and physical exercise. And
the more you progress, the better it gets.
Improves hand to eye coordination
Many people claim they couldn't learn to juggle because they don't
have the coordination. This is the wrong way to think about it.
You learn coordination by learning to juggle. Nobody was born being
able to do this, we all had to learn.
Increase your reflex speed
Juggling involves making continual reflex 'decisions' in order
to catch objects. The more you do it, the better/faster you get.
Improves your sense of rhythm
Normal juggling is done to a steady rhythm, but there are lots
of different ways of timing throws and catches. At it's simplest,
it's steady and regular. Because you're working with gravity (which
is generally pretty consistent) you'll find you can't help but fall
into that steady rhythm. When you've been at it a while longer you'll
find ways of breaking into different rhythms and you can get seriously
syncopated.
Great sense of achievement from learning
new things
Children love learning new things when given the proper encouragement,
and adults are no different. Once we get over the fear of trying
new things, it's great to realise again that learning is a pleasure.
Especially when you get such a great party trick at the end of it.
Stress relief and a heightened sense of well
being
You can't learn to juggle and think about all the woes of the world
at the same time. It simply doesn't work. By making yourself concentrate
on juggling, it focuses you mind away from everything else, giving
you a chance to relax. It's great stress relief.
Learning how to break down problems into
manageable chunks
It's a complicated problem which we can make simple by breaking
it down. Once you've gone through this process with a an obvious
example like juggling, it's easier to see how to apply similar techniques
to everyday life.
Improves the ability to concentrate
Juggling is a little like magic in that when people first see it,
they are amazed. It's that awe which generally gives people the
desire to focus for any length of time when learning, and once they
get used to applying themselves to learn something in one field,
that ability to apply themselves can transfer itself to others.
Builds self confidence
We're not talking about the brash kind of confidence where people
constantly need to compete to prove they're better than everyone
else, but solid inner confidence born of the fact that you know
you're capable. Yes you can do things you never thought you could.
Provokes an Interest in Life Long Learning
Learning new things is fun, but we sometimes get stuck in a rut,
either through previous failures, or simply lack of encouragement.
Learning to juggle and other circus tricks is a simple step to remind
yourself that learning new things is enjoyable, and you are capable
of it.
As competitive as you
want it to be
You can be competitive when juggling, as with anything, but the
focus of our workshops is based around cooperation. By helping each
other to learn, we all achieve more.
and most of all, it's fun
Kids love it, but more surprisingly, so do adults. The kids simply
get down and learn like it's the most natural thing in the world.
Adults tend to have to break a few more barriers when trying these
things, and it's amazing how much they laugh while they're doing
that.
this
page is copied with permision from 'The Benefits of Circus Workshops'
at alightfingers.com
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