Joggling: Jogging and Juggling - Does It Work?

Joggling combines the culture of juggling with the urban culture of running. Thus, two very different worlds are united in one.

The name comes from English and is composed of "juggling" and jogging (running). At least three objects are used for juggling. The important thing is the odd number. But if you want, you can use more. Whether there are then five or seven does not matter.

For jogging, you need your running shoes first and foremost. It is important that the shoes support your running style. Depending on whether you tend to pronate or not, they should have an integrated support. In addition, you need comfortable and functional clothing that is suitable for the season.

Tight-fitting clothing is best. Especially the cuffs at the wrists should be tight, so that it does not flutter around while juggling.

And then, of course, you need objects that you can juggle. The most popular are juggling balls. But some jugglers also use clubs or rings for variety.

Juggling balls don't cost much. A set of three can usually be bought for between five and ten euros. Rings are available in a similar price segment. Juggling clubs are somewhat more expensive. Here, the set of three costs from about 30 euros.

Jogging trains very different aspects. Running mainly trains endurance and strengthens the muscles in the legs. It also burns calories efficiently. (Long-distance) runners are also familiar with the famous release of endorphins, the body's own hormone of happiness.

Juggling, on the other hand, focuses primarily on coordination, concentration, balance and mastering your own body. Frustration tolerance can also improve if you have to start over again and again.

Especially in the beginning you have to be patient. But contrary to what many believe, juggling can be learned quickly. Even someone who practices a few minutes a day can quickly juggle three balls skillfully.

People who juggle regularly report real feelings of happiness when the balls fly through the air. According to research, juggling releases the reward hormone dopamine, which makes us happy.

For jugglers, juggling is a kind of meditation. It directs the concentration on the moment and lets forget the everyday life.

Researchers are constantly focusing on juggling and investigating what happens in the brain during this process. It is now known that juggling stimulates both hemispheres of the brain.

By regularly crossing the hands and the gaze, new connections are formed between the two hemispheres of the brain. Due to the better interaction of the brain areas, problems in everyday life can then be solved better. This is because logical and emotional thinking suddenly work much better together. Researchers even go one step further. They say that juggling not only makes you more alert and focused, but also smarter.

Anyone who already runs regularly and has some experience in juggling is the ideal candidate for Joggling. Because then it is "only" a matter of combining the two sports.

It is important that you can juggle three balls safely in the air. Only then does it make sense to start juggling. But the best thing to do is to start juggling first. If that works, you can increase your speed.

In Germany, joggling is not really well organized. Although there are a considerable number of joggers who have dedicated themselves to jogging. But mostly they are individual athletes. Therefore, the best way to learn how to jog is by watching a video. On Youtube, Facebook or Instagram, there are now many instructions for juggling, but also for joggling.

A good place to start is also the website of the International Jugglers' Association. There you will find many video tutorials for beginners and advanced. This association organizes juggling in Germany, at least sporadically in clubs. However, the trend sport now has followers all over the world.

The International Jugglers' Association has clubs in many countries, including America, Canada, Australia. The club is also represented in Europe. There are juggling clubs in Sweden, Ireland, Denmark, Switzerland and Germany. In Germany these are the following registered clubs:

• Berlin Juggling and Unicycling Club - Circulum e.V.
• Fools Unlimited e.V. Paderborn
• Hamburg House 3
• University Sport Juggling Ulm
• Jonglaria Tübingen
• Juggling group at the E-Werk, Erlangen
• Juggling group Kaiserslautern
• Juggling group Darmstadt
• Nuremberg juggling and acrobatics group
• TU Darmstadt - University sports - Juggling
• Circus meeting place Fährstrasse Hamburg-Wilhelmsburg

They are good places to go for juggling and joggling.

Joggling is an international competitive sport. There are competitions all over the world. The world record in 100 m jogging with three objects was set in 1989 by Owen Morse. He jogged the distance in an amazing 11:68 seconds.

But joggling is not only practiced on sprint distances. There are even jogging marathons. The fastest jogging marathon was run by Michal Capral in Toronto in September 2007. He needed only 2:50:12 hours.

For joggers, the following two main rules apply during competitions:

- During the run, the jogging rhythm must be maintained

- If an object has fallen down, the jogger must return to the point. Only when he has picked up the object there again, he may continue.

The "World Joggling Championships" take place once a year. They are held as part of the festival of the International Jugglers' Association.