Tuesday 3 January 2017

Juggling, balance, practice, encouragement

Over the past few months I have gone back to practising juggling. Why? because my balance and hand eye co-ordination is not what it used to be. If I feel physically frail then I have no confidence. I don’t want to give into frailty. Juggling in performance tends to be boring - it is just a display of tricks. Yawn Yawn. But the practise of juggling is fantastic training for hand eye co-ordination, balance, so I have incorporated juggling first into my physiotherapy at Harrow Road and since that has finished, into my morning routine at the park, but I used to practice tricks now I just do boring the 3ball straight juggling trying to get it even and symmetrical. I am rubbish  compared to how I used to be, but have more fun with it, and I am getting better.
 Is knowledge gained through practising and improving juggling transferable? Experience? Skills? If acumen is transferable, the time spent acquiring acumen in say juggling will have beneficial effects in other fields. Specific physical tasks are not transferable- eg. practicing scales on the piano will not improve your swimming, but principles of learning are transferable-
the process of working at the edge of your abilities, 
the pushing through of barriers
the principle of giving full attention whatever you practice
the principle of repetition
the principle of everyday incremental practice
the principle of getting back on the horse.

Encouragement may give you confidence but it is not enough, parental encouragement is great for giving a child confidence, giving the energy and motivation to take on new  things  and carry on when the going gets hard but without practice it can get delusional and develop arrogance-  maybe a cycle of encouragement and practice is the best way. Practice, total focus and work. I digress- thats parenting!

Throwing the balls higher (now my hands are a bit surer) gives more time and is more relaxed. I still veer towards the left. Sometimes I wish I had become an expert at something; I have skills/knowledge in several areas- music, mental arithmetic, old books, performance but as soon as I have acquired a degree of success/sense of accomplishment in one area I switch.I have always been able to escape. Now I am feeling deflated and my daughter is disappointed in me. she doesn't know what I am, but doesn't really care and just wants to swim, none of this arty stuff that her parents are involved in.
Others have given up hope in me


11th Oct 16. Instead of trying to do my best ever, I tried to improve of the average from last throw e.g. if I have 244 for 4- the average is 61, so >61 is my goal for next throw, then the focus is to improve the average rather than putting all focus on the total, all pressure on the next throw being the best ever- its a  more relaxed picture but more realistic and geared to improvement and learning- improvement by increment rather than a hoped for massive leap
the process finding edge of your abilities of setting yourself realistic goals, brings head and body together. The massive leap may happen but its always a bonus when it does. Slow incremental improvement through practice is a real goal and will not disappoint.

24th Oct 16 WORKING TOWARDS A REALISTIC GOAL , ALIGNING ESTIMATIONS WITH ACTUAL PHYSICAL ABILITY AND IMPROVEMENTS, SETTING ACHIEVABLE GOALS
Over the last 3 days I have made estimates of how much I would juggle without dropping the catches. Each day I have juggled two set of ten juggles and set my self targets so that each day I improve, e.g. 1st day 400 and 800; 2nd day 500 and 800; 3rd day 600 and 900 the targets have always been higher than before, achievable, not delusional; so I am finding the ground that is possible,; each day I have exceeded the estimates I set myself. Staying optimistic staying at extending myself. Apply this process to a different activity now, like clearing all the papers from my table and do the undone things they suggest( file papers, pay bills,  that is my goal for the day; realistic achievable bringing head body and feeling into alignment.

3rd Jan 2017:  Am I getting clumsy? a couple of times I've dropped keys or found it hard to undo shoelaces, and certainly with my feet, they are not fully under conscious control- I often kick things on the floor accidentally even if I've made mental note to avoid them; before that would have sent an automstic signal to my feet to avoid, but I DON'T HAVE THAT AWARENESSof where my feet are any more, and when  a body is younger it does so many things automatically, IT IS SO IMPORTANT NOW THAT I exercise stretch and walk, feel the ground and be proactive. I juggled 3 balls today although I am very off center- I still veer to my left - it does my sense of balance, coordination and confidence good- it keeps me at the edge. It would be so easy to just give in.

I had my diagnosis on 30th March. So that why I'm clumsy

17/5/17

Juggling has become a way of gauging my moods- yesterday was an upsetting day and my balance, co-ordination while juggling was rubbish at first but I found that as always with practice and attention it gets better. I can juggle 3 balls smoothly so it can be a way to calm myself, centre myself, hypnotise myself

June 17
When varying pattern or doing tricks, it is important to.become really decisive- to intend, decide and then do. 
But maybe its detrimentalt o always break each action methodically down into its constituent pieces.
Learn it forget it do it. You cannot unlearn something learnt,its hard to choose to forget ,
but you can put your attention on the action.
So LEARN FORGET DO

15.6

With juggling, at a certain point, ego kicks in and whether one wants to or not, it becomes a show of technique..Attention goes from concentration on the act to 'LOOK AT ME!' M
aybe one can control that.
So LEARN FORGET DO

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