"Focus" is Paul Arneberg's favorite word. It's "the word I use more than any other," he said.
Arneberg is the founder, director, head coach and chief cheerleader for Jugheads, a juggling academy based in Edina. Six times a week, he weaves his way through a whirlwind of flying balls, airborne clubs, soaring rings and whatever else his students try to keep aloft while offering technical tips and reminding them to concentrate.
"Start with bouncing the balls" instead of throwing them in the air, he advised a student who was trying her hand at juggling five balls. "Bouncing the balls will slow them down," he explained to an onlooker before turning back to the student and adding: "And focus."
Juggling is not just the stuff of the Renaissance Festival anymore. It's become a year-round passion for many people, with juggling clubs -- the kind jugglers belong to, not the ones they toss -- for every age bracket. The University of Minnesota has a club, as does Normandale Community College. Minnesota Neverthriving (15th-century jargon for a company of jugglers) meets in south Minneapolis. There's also a club in Rochester.
Arneberg has been at the epicenter of that growth. He started with three students 19 years ago; now he has 146, ranging in age from second-graders to high school seniors.
A number of factors are behind juggling's popularity. Competitive juggling has caught on, adding an element of sport to its artistic side. It can be done just about anywhere, either alone or in groups. It has found adherents among athletes because of its emphasis on hand-eye coordination and among musicians because of its reliance on rhythm and timing. And in its basic form, it's relatively easy to learn -- or so jugglers claim -- but higher levels of difficulty can take a lifetime to master.
There even have been studies showing that the concentration required to juggle improves mental acuity. "A study at MIT found that it improves students' scores in math, spelling and reading," Arneberg said.
The instant gratification offset with the long-range challenges is what attracted Bobby Homan, a senior who is president of the University of Minnesota juggling club.