A Comparison of Two Methods for Teaching Three-Ball Juggling

Abstract

This study compared two methods for teaching 3-ball juggling to college students. Subjects (Ss) were students enrolled in introductory Physical Education courses at the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse (N = 46), and were divided into 2 experimental groups. Both groups participated in 2 l5-minute juggling lessons. The "wall practice" group juggled while facing a blank wall at a distance of 2 ft. The "nonwall" group juggled while facing a blank wall at a distance of 12 ft. Subjects were tested on 3 occasions: prior to the treatment (pretest), after the treatment (posttest), and following a 1-week interval during which no juggling practice was permitted (retention). A 2-way test of independent samples revealed no significant difference between groups in the pretest (p > .05). A 2-way ANOVA with repeated measures revealed that Ss improved significantly from posttest to retention (p < .05), although improvement was regardless of treatment group. A 2-way ANCOVA determined that the groups' posttest scores were not significantly different (p> .05). It was concluded that wall practice was neither a help nor a hindrance to juggling skill acquisition. Several Ss in the wall group remarked that they felt dependent upon the wall for optimal performance, but the results did not reveal any differences between treatments.