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More on FiveFingers Joggling with Joe Salter

As a follow-up to Joe’s recent Philly marathon-in-Five-Fingers-joggling finish, Joe sent me a nice v

As a follow-up to Joe’s recent Philly marathon-in-Five-Fingers-joggling finish, Joe sent me a nice video showcasing some unedited footage of 40 joggling tricks:

Anyone else suddenly getting the itch to learn how to juggle — and maybe even eventually joggle? Or is it just me?

Joe also had this to say:

Juggling and running go together like a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. Juggling and running in VFF’s go together like a peanut butter and jelly sandwich made by your mom.

Joggling in VFF’s increases the full body experience and sensations you get from joggling. I really enjoy the lightness of my steps in VFF’s, which complements the soft tosses and catches of the juggling beanbags. It’s a smooth combination; one that puts you in a synchronized balancing act. One step and toss at a time.

People often wonder why we wear VFF’s. If you’re interested in learning why people joggle, check out my article on the “Psychology of Joggling.”

Regards,
Joe Salter
Florida

I asked Joe if it was hard to acquire the meditative state often claimed by runners — with so much going on, it seemed almost like you’ve have to be too aware. Apparently, that’s not the case at all though. With such a full-body activity, it seems joggling may be even more effective at “silencing” the mind. Here’s Joe:

Joggling becomes second nature, so it can be very absorbing, yet I am able to focus on a lot of other things if I want to because it’s automatic. When you’re first starting out, I think it’s more absorbing because it demands your full concentration. But, once you get experienced with it, it’s up to you how meditative and absorbed you want to get. I allow myself to to be absorbed and get into a wonderful rhythm and flow.

So, to answer your question I do think that joggling is more meditative than running, or at least it can be. I think it adds more repetition and full body synchronized movement, which brings about calmness.

Check out the book called “Flow” if you have not. Or read about it, by Dr. C (he has a very long last name, he’s hungarian I think).

On a different note, most people think that jogglers would be less aware than runners. But, for me, joggling heightens my senses and makes more more sensitive to my environment because I have to. Kind of like VFF’s, barefoot running, or riding a motorcycle. For example, I hear a lot better because I listen closer to my environment when a car is coming behind me because it’s a little harder to turn around while joggling than running, even though I can do it easily but it just wastes time (you just turn at the waist and look behind you).

I am also more aware of my environment because it releases an adrenaline rush because you’re doing something that people think is really neat and it’s unique especially in a urban area. So, in that sense, I am more aware because I am scanning my environment and always looking around for potential cars, curbs, holes, or people to interact with while joggling (smile at them, show a trick, say hello to them).

It really is a great mind body exercise. Juggling in itself is very meditative, or flow-like, because it’s challenging, absorbing, and repetitive. Same with running. Put them together, and you get more opportunities for flow experiences.

The book Joe mentions is Flow: The Psychology of Optimal Experience by Dr. Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi. Reading through a few of the reviews, it reminds me a bit of another psych-book that I read earlier this year by Dr. William Glasser called Positive Addiction, which discusses running (and other physical activities) that can induce a meditative state.

Thought-provoking stuff. Now I just need to go find some bean bags …

By Justin

Justin Owings is a deadlifting dad of three, working from Atlanta. When he's not chasing his three kids around, you'll find him trying to understand systems, risk, and human behavior.

One reply on “More on FiveFingers Joggling with Joe Salter”

Good luck, Justin with your juggling. Let me know if you give it a try sometime.

If anyone else is interested in joggling, keep in mind that even though I was looking directly at the balls in the video for most of the patterns, you do not do that for joggling normally with the basic 3 ball pattern. You look straight ahead of you and focus on the balls in your soft focus periphery vision. This serves two purposes: it allows you to see what’s in front of you and around you, and prevents you from getting “motion sickness.”

So, I just wanted to clear that up in case anybody wants to learn to joggle but who might think it’s “dangerous” because you can’t see where you’re going :).

In order to joggle efficiently and safely, you have to become proficient enough to joggle while looking ahead of you, not directly at the balls. With harder patterns, looking directly at them is okay, given that you only do the tricks briefly.

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