TuJuggling: Comparing Two Juggling Learning Methods in College Students

Condition(s) studied

Investigational drug(s) / intervention(s)

Intervention A Throwing-Based Juggling Training: The program comprises two 4-week intervention periods (period 1 and period 2) separated by a 1-week separation interval. Training will be primarily self-directed and supported by standardized official video tutorials that progress from lower to higher motor complexity in structured blocks, and by a per-session log. A session will be considered valid when the student practices juggling for 20 minutes. Three frontennis balls (standard course equipment) will be used. Training may be conducted wherever the student prefers (e.g., home or university facilities). Students will advance to the next pattern when they achieve 20 consecutive successful catches in the current pattern (applicable to one-hand and two-hand patterns). Intervention A consists of throwing-based juggling tasks performed according to the block-structured progression defined in the official course video tutorials

Intervention B Bouncing-Based Juggling Training: The program comprises two 4-week intervention periods (period 1 and period 2) separated by a 1-week separation interval. Training will be primarily self-directed and supported by standardized official video tutorials that progress from lower to higher motor complexity in structured blocks, and by a per-session log. A session will be considered valid when the student practices juggling for 20 minutes. Three frontennis balls (standard course equipment) will be used. Training may be conducted wherever the student prefers (e.g., home or university facilities). Students will advance to the next pattern when they achieve 20 consecutive successful catches in the current pattern (applicable to one-hand and two-hand patterns). Intervention B consists of bouncing-based juggling tasks (ball rebounding off the floor) performed according to the block-structured progression defined in the official course video tutorials.

Study summary

This study will compare two ways of learning juggling in university students during a regular practical course: (A) juggling based on throwing the balls in the air and (B) juggling based on bouncing the balls off the floor. The study will also examine whether the order in which students learn these methods (A then B vs. B then A) influences how their performance improves over time.

Students will follow two 4-week practice periods separated by a 1-week break, and juggling performance will be assessed at three time points (baseline, after period 1, and after period 2). Performance will be scored from video recordings using anonymized study identifiers. Questionnaires about mood and flow experience will be collected at each assessment, and handgrip strength and brief computerized cognitive tasks will be assessed at baseline and the final evaluation in an exploratory manner.

The main comparison of training methods will focus on results after the first period to reduce the influence of prior practice, while results after the second period will be used to describe learning trajectories, order effects, and transfer to different execution conditions.

Eligibility

Primary outcome measure(s)

• Juggling Performance — Baseline and 4 weeks.
  Juggling performance will be assessed using a study-specific standardized battery of juggling tasks. The raw outcome is the number of successful catches in a single continuous attempt, two attempts per participant. Tasks have different raw caps depending on execution type (unimanual vs bimanual). Higher scores indicate better performance. Unimanual tasks: 0-30 catches. Bimanual tasks: 0-60 catches → normalized score = raw score ÷ 2 (0-30). \*Air-throw and Bounce tasks\* One ball, right \& left Two balls in simultaneous columns (one per hand) Two balls with alternating throws, switching hands Two-ball cycle, right \& left Three-ball task using both hands \*Training-specific progression patterns\* RA - Active Bounce RB - Passive Bounce RC - Imperative Bounce A - Standard Cascade C - Cascade with Cycle CH - Successive Columns

Trial sites (1)

More Universidad de Granada trials in Spain