Learning To Juggle -- Buying Equipment

Juggling has a many benefits, everything from being an enjoyable, challenging hobby to improving your physical fitness. A more detailed exploration of these benefits can be found here.
One a beginner has decided to try their hand at juggling, though, what's the next step?

Beanbags & Thuds
Great for learning with and easy to handle, beanbag and thud juggling balls are ideal for beginner jugglers. Their softness prevents damage when inevitably dropped and they feel comfortable in your hands. These types of juggling balls are cheap and easily available from a large number of retailers. For those first few beginner steps, I would highly recommend balls like these.

MMX
After your juggling skills have increased a bit, you may find yourself wishing to replace the beanbags or thuds. MMX balls make the perfect replacement. Soft, durable and with a removable plug that allows the weight to be changed depending on personal preference, many jugglers prefer these to other types of ball. As you may expect, the price is a bit steeper than that of beanbags or thuds, but if you plan on getting a lot of use out of them, they are well worth it. You should be able to find them sold in packs of three, five or seven quite easily.

DX
Slightly harder than MMX balls, DX are described by many people as having better grip. There aren't a great deal of differences between MMX and DX, and so a lot of the time, the choice of ball will simply come down to personal preference. Some jugglers will swear by MMX, while others might stick exclusively to DX. Interestingly enough, you can even buy DX Weight Lifting power balls; a lot heavier than normal balls and designed to give your arms a good workout.

Sil-X
Sil-X balls are often described as soft stage balls and are filled with a type of liquid silicone that aids stability during high throws. They generally have good grip and don't lose their shape when caught. The liquid silicone is injected into the ball when manufactured and held in by means of a small plug. Taking the plug out isn't recommended as it can be very different to get back in. The liquid silicone filling also helps when attempting more acrobatic tricks - head catching, for example. As you may imagine, these types of ball tend to be priced a bit higher than others.

Juggling clubs vary in size and shape depending on where you go to buy them. Indeed, different manufacturers may have different names for the styles. Again, the choice ultimately comes down to you. Do you want long handled clubs? Narrow bodied? Fat bodied? There are many choices out there. Beginners or children may find "soft" clubs useful; as per the name, the handles are soft and generally easier to catch.

Rings are generally easy to catch and can look very impressive once you've mastered them. The standard size is considered to be 32cm (outside diameter) and smaller rings often measure 24cm - particularly suitable for children of if you're attempting to juggle a large number. Why not buy some luminous rings for nighttime juggling?

Other than balls, clubs and rings, there are, of course, a huge number of other objects that can be successfully juggled; the only limit is your imagination. In an idle moment outside, I've sometimes found myself casting around for a few small stones and begun juggling those. Not as handy as balls, true, but every little bit of practice helps.

Here are a few more suggestions for the aspiring juggler:

Scarves
Perhaps the easiest objects to learn with, scarves are often used as a means of teaching groups of children. Due to their size and weight they do, of course, float a lot, therefore making it very easy to snag them out of the air.

Cigar Boxes
A slightly obscure thing to be juggling with, you may be thinking, but have a look at the following video.The size and shape of the cigar boxes allows for some extremely inventive tricks. Less commonly juggled than balls, rings and clubs, but equally as challenging and suitably impressive.

Knives & Torches
Perhaps not a suggestion for a beginner! Juggling knives can be bought fairly easily and certainly make for an impressive act. My suggestion would be to build your confidence with clubs before moving onto knives or torches.

Please note that this is not an exhaustive list of juggling equipment, merely a taste of what's available.

Happy juggling!