Winners! – 6th Annual Video Tutorial Contest – 2016

Hey everyone!

It’s time to wrap up the 2016 Video Tutorial Contest.  This was the sixth edition of the event, which started in the Fall of 2009.  To date, the contest has brought 291 tutorials to the web – free for anyone to learn from.  Tutorial Contest entries have been viewed well over one million times, and form over 50 hours instructional content.  With this program, the IJA strives to make juggling more accessible to anyone with an internet connection.

2016 was most global year for the Video Tutorial Contest yet, with 15 different countries submitting videos.  (USA, Canada, Mexico, Argentina, Brasil, Peru, South Africa, Finland, England, Lithuania, France, Belgium, Germany, Russia, and Australia.)

Of course, the entrants are all vying for a shot a spot in the top ten!  The best videos, as judged by an expert panel of juggling performers, hobbyists, and instructors, are awarded big prize packages.  This year was one of the largest for the contest, with prizes coming in from Play Juggling, K8 Malabares, Duncan, FlowToys, Neon Husky, Western Stage Props, YoYo Expert, the American Circus Educators, Circus Culture, Brontosaurus Balls, Flying Clipper, David Cain, Niels Duinker, Juggling TV, and (of course!) the International Jugglers’ Association.  (In fact, this year’s prizes were valued at over $3,000 MSRP – that’s crazy!)

We had two special prizes this year, as well.  Flying Clipper offered up a special bonus for the best “Hands and Feet” or “X-Tremity Juggling” tutorial.  Juggling.TV offered a special prize for the best video uploaded to their juggling website – www.juggling.tv.

As a whole, the 2016 entries were absolutely stellar – everyone who entered should be proud of their work.  Our judging panel certainly had their work cut out for them this year!

To see all of the entries to 2016’s IJA Video Tutorial Contest, check out the YouTube playlist here.

For more information about the history of the contest, visit the program page here.

Winners from this year’s contest will be contacted directly for shipping information.

Thanks for a wonderful contest, and see you all next year!

–Thom

Director, IJA Video Tutorial Contest

 

The Judges

Paula “La Pao” Aviles – La Pao is a juggler from Mexico City, and has served as the general director of Circonvencion Mexicana for the past 8 years. Performing numbers that combine juggling with clown, lindy hopping, and shadow puppetry, La Pao has performed all across Europe and North America. She’s excited to see tutorials that cover new and exciting ground.

Luke Davies – Luke is a 19 year old, self-trained juggler from Scotland. He’s an accomplished numbers juggler, currently training to break the 13 ball world record, which currently stands at 15 catches. “What I look for in a good video is clear instructions, well framed tricks and a happy confident individual who can put a unique twist on their own style of juggling.”

Dmitry Chernov – Dmitry is the son of the famous Soviet juggler Valentin Chernov, who specialized in large balls. Dmitry decided to follow the path of his father and also became a juggler with large balls. Dmitry began performing as a solo juggler 11 years ago. At age 16, Dmitry established his first juggling record: juggling 7 soccer balls (22 throws), and at the age of 22 years, Dmitry set his second juggling record: flashing 9 gymnastic balls. Dmitry’s juggling act won prizes at International circus festivals in Paris, Budapest, Moscow and Monte-Carlo. “I expect to see interesting videos and really want to be surprised by something new!”

Warren Hammond – Warren began juggling 22 years ago in his hometown, Roanoke, VA. He’s toured professionally as a solo juggler, as part of Lazer Vaudeville, and is best known for his two-man show SMIRK. While he enjoys juggling almost everything, his favorite props and styles are vertax diabolo, devil sticks, and club passing. Warren has taught hundreds of workshops all over the United States, was awarded the IJA’s Excellence in Education Award with his wife, Bekah Hammond, and just recently started a youth circus program in his hometown called Up Down Circus.

Noel Yee – One of the most important figures of the modern flow arts scene, Noel has had a strong hand in the evolution of flow arts culture and brings a unique understanding of object manipulation to the table. In addition to his performing career and quality instruction, Noel is part owner and founder of many notable events, performance troops and flow arts companies including Flow Arts Institute, FireDrums, Kinetic Fire, Vulcan Crew, Foreways Project, Vulcan DVDs, Give Props Documentary, is the director of the Flow Show Project and is a board member of the International Juggling Association.

Thom Wall – Founder and director of the Video Tutorial Contest. Thom is a professional juggler from the United States. He’s performed on five continents, and is currently on tour in Japan with Cirque du Soleil’s “Totem.” Thom is interested in tutorials that show clear breakdowns for juggling techniques without sacrificing the video’s entertainment value.  In the 2016 contest, Thom serves as the tiebreaking vote should one be needed.

10. “Boss Hat Technique” – Bri Crabtree (USA)

Warren – I love the focus on something as simple as how to catch a hat being extrapolated to larger ideas. The explanations were clear and concise and the ways to utilize this new knowledge within the context of what you may already know is fantastic.

Noel – Really great tutorial on the theory of basic hat juggling. I think many jugglers will learn from this. Oh and adorbs.

Dmitry – For me most interesting was the way she was explaining! She has big talent for video tutorials, I really like it! She has big potential, just need to find some good video editor for her 😉

La Pao – Easy to understand.  She is very comfortable in front of the camera, and it’s nice to watch. It’s clear that she has experience doing this kind of video… I have the feeling she did this one in a hurry, but it doesn’t suffer much for it!

JTV – Fun to watch. Good angles, everything was clear. I particularly liked the title pane at 3:33. 🙂 The voiceovers matched the images very well. I’m already a hat juggler, but I think this video would definitely help improve a novice hat-juggler’s technique. Overall, very good.

9. “Jakos” Diabolo Trick – Luis “Wicho” Resendiz (Mexico)

Luke – The way Luis puts this video together makes for a very nice video all around. I loved the trick, the editing and the location! Very nicely done!

Dmitry – Great tricks with diabolo and well explained, I’m sure diabolo jugglers would love that video! I wonder if he would get more subscribers if he presented in the English language?

JTV – I don’t speak Spanish, but I speak diabolo, so I understood what was going on. About half way through I started thinking “this is going too quickly” – and then step-by-steps came in, with slomos and freeze-frames, which was very helpful. The framing was slightly off, so Wicho could have been standing a bit closer to the camera, if it had been angled up a little. But I think I could learn it from this video. Overall, “good and a half.”

8 – “4 Ball Juggling: Preparing to Juggle 5 Balls” – Robin Chestnut (Canada)

Luke – Robin teaches us how to prepare for 5 Balls using 4 ball patterns. I implemented the same sort of tricks into my practice when moving from 4 to 5 and I think it is a great way to progress!

Dmitry – That was interesting, very useful and perfectly explained! I’d recommend to watch this video to people who want to study 5 balls juggling. Only, Robin needs to find own personal style and edit video much contemporarily (for example like Lucas Abduch) and he will be TOP-juggling teacher! 🙂

7 – “Movement Throws and Catches” – Maurizio Orlando (Italy)

Warren – This systematic and very detailed way of approaching creativity through movement, body positioning and unique locations for throws and catches is what makes this video special. Its especially gratifying to watch how one simple movement or catch, when added later on in the video to a sequence, makes something ordinary into something unusual and new.

Luke – This tutorial made for a very creative and well executed video on how to use the space around you to create a great sequence of juggling tricks. I loved learning this perspective on juggling and it will definitely be something I look into a little more.

6 – “Buzzsaw” – Lucas Aguirre (USA)

Warren – This video is another example of a fantastic breakdown of a trick that on the outset looks very difficult, but is made simple in its breakdown. The simplicity of this video from a filming perspective is also good. There’s nothing distracting or obtrusive in the video and its very succinct.

Noel – I mean come on…. who’s not trying to learn this trick? It’s so good. Very simple in concept, but execution is another story.

La Pao – Great breakdown, very understandable, and lots of important demonstrations. The quality of the video was really nice, and the framing was super clean, too.

5 – “Poi Juggling – the Synch No-Beat Cascade” – Willow Solow (USA)

Warren – Simple explanations. Great choice of what to focus on. Clear props on the background. Music was unobtrusive and calming. So succinct as well!

Noel – It’s poi and it breaks down a really hard and uncommon trick. I mean this is poi as juggling.

La Pao – Super chill and easy to follow.  Lots of info too. Nice camera shots and nicely edited. I like that he is open to receive feedback and to answer questions… that’s a quality of a great teacher!

4 – “Mastering the Flash – A Resource for Numbers Jugglers” – Brian Koenig (USA)

Warren – An amazing overview of the numbers juggling field! The outline at the beginning was fantastic, and I loved the addition of extra resources. I think its the perfect video for someone to watch if they’re interested in starting numbers juggling. You have a skill for making it seem very approachable and not some insurmountable obstacle.

Luke – Brian discusses numbers juggling in this video, as a numbers juggler myself, this video obviously stood out to me. It is a very nicely edited video and it is easy to see that a lot of time went into creating it! Lovely work, Brian.

La Pao – Great information! No secrets at all, and a very high level of difficulty and practice to attain this information. Well said, and even without subtitles, I have the feeling that anyone who’s interested in numbers juggling would get a lot out of this! I really liked this entry!

3 – “Unnamed Pattern – Hands and Feet” – Łukasz Uczkiewicz (Poland)

Noel – Between the music and the explanations, this one is a keeper. Clear explanation from 1 ball to 5. Then you watch the end… OMG!

Luke – Foot juggling of any kind is always hard, obviously not for Łukasz though. The 5 ball trick that he teaches in this video is incredible! His style of juggling is fascinating to watch and even better to learn!

Dmitry – For me, that trick was most interesting from all tutorials in contest. Lukasz has explained very well, and i also liked variations of that trick! I just would recommend to him make videos more «stylish» with cool editing and keep posting other videos with interesting tricks like this.. and I will subscribe to his channel.

Flying Clipper – Lukasz Uczkiewicz’ fluidity of motion and seamless hands and feet juggling is quite amazing to watch. I love his juggling style. Lukasz already has caught my eye in the past and I am happy to see his contribution to what I call “X-tremity Juggling” or juggling with both hands and feet. Watch out Peter Irish and Jorden Moir, there is a new kid on the block.

2 – “Inline 3” – Quinn Lewis (USA)

Warren – Making a tutorial for this trick is quite ambitious, but Quinn delivers! Not only does Quinn break down this trick expertly, but the way he does it is especially commendable. Using clapping exercises when learning tricks is something I’ve never used outside of teaching a 3 ball cascade, but seeing that utilized here makes me think I should consider using it more!

Noel – I like this tutorial. It goes slow and really breaks down the concept and how to approach it.

Luke – Fantastic tutorial on a very difficult Trick, the way Quinn guides you through learning this trick definitely makes it a lot easier to understand. Great job, Quinn!

JTV – An autofocus issue, but a joke made it forgivable!  Very good step-by-step instructions. Attention to detail (Hand positions, grips, etc). Coloured balls were very useful. Not only do I think I could learn the trick from this video, but I think I *want* to learn the trick. Overall very good.

1 – “Matrix Tutorial – Contact Staff” – Lucas Abduch (Brasil)

Warren – Fantastically filmed, both the video and audio is top notch. All the explanations are clear and concise! I love the focus on body positioning for this trick before even getting to the prop.

Noel – A clear demonstration of a matrix that we can all tell was done with love and care…. And it’s really hard!

Dmitry – Actually for me that trick wasn’t interesting.. but Lucas has edited this video so perfectly, i’ve watched few times and every time until the end! Great job! Perfect editing! Juggling tutorials must be like this.

La Pao – This video uses many elements to explain, and the translation he uses is very efficient and easy to read. He is not afraid to talk to the viewers, and it looks that he really knows how to edit this kind of video. Really, really well done!

Helicopter Hit Combo – Pieter-Jan Hoornaert (Belgium)

Warren – I like this one a lot because its a very cool looking trick, and the way its broken down it seems simple and easy to approach. You choice of background and prop color was excellent. Very succinct as well.

Multiplex Plano – Martin Ayala (France)

Warren – This video really shines towards the end when the “next steps” are shown. If this video gains popularity and traction, I think we might see a lot more people doing this multiplex/squeeze catch combo. One of the best examples I’ve seen of taking a principle and extrapolating it AND its easy to understand.

Noel – A very accessible trick for beginners that focuses on multiplex patterns. An good gateway to exploring multiplexes more.

Frantic Cascade – Tony Steinbach (USA)

Warren – Very good breakdown of the trick. I like that this focuses on the trick with balls and clubs and focuses on really solidifying the easy stuff first.

Luke – The Frantic cascade is one of my favourite tricks to do, I feel like Tony explained this trick incredibly well and it would be easy to learn from watching this tutorial.

Dmitry – Very nice trick and well explained! At some moment i was bored, I’d recommend to make videos shorter. I know it’s hard, but tutorials also should be interesting and easy to watch.

JTV – “Throw the clubs so high they go out of the camera frame” made me laugh. I’ve previously messed around with this pattern a little bit, but never nailed it fully. Now I think I could learn it from this video.

Chest Rolls – Louis Cason (South Africa)

Noel – This is a great tutorial for a trick I like to call “tips.” Very clear instruction and groovy music.

La Pao – Even though it’s a little hard to follow, what I liked about this video is that he’s so relaxed…even for such a difficult trick, he gives me the feeling that he’s just trying to say “get up, take your toys and start trying!”

Hanna’s Halo – Maximillian Kuschmierz (Germany)

Noel – Adding this to my artistic juggling trick checklist! Even though the production is not great, its a great video with very clear instruction.

Facerolls – Zak McAllister (USA)

Luke – Zak McAllister’s Video on facerolls is definitely one to keep note of, steps given for learning this trick were very easy to follow. I also loved the location where this video was shot.

Dmitry – That guy has talent to talk on camera, sure some ring juggler want to know how to do facerolls. Zak should develop his talent and I’m sure he’ll find his own style and way to do juggling tutorials or maybe something else… we never know! 🙂

La Pao – I like the way he talks to the viewers – saying the truth simply and plainly (well his truth, which is fair enough!) The video is well done, and he shares a lot of great information.

Club on Club Balances – Felix Surbe (England)

Luke – Felix often posts tricks online that show his consistency with club on club balances. His love for this style of trick really comes across in the tutorial and makes for a great watch, keep up the great work.

Behind the Head Juggling – Bernardo Molina (Guatemala)

Dmitry – I was very surprised to watch video tutorial from GUATEMALA!!! He’s done this tutorial very well! Keep doing tutorials Bernardo!

How to Balance an Object on your Face – Scott Sorensen

Luke – Scott’s balancing is some of the best I’ve ever seen so it is great to see him explain how to keep a balance nice and strong. Very helpful and clear advice!

Juggling Legs – Amal Basalama (Russia)

Dmitry – I’ve never heard about this girl, but was surprised about her Russian video tutorial. Trick is very interesting and very well explained how to do it! But firstly, she has to to buy a good camera and find a nice location for future videos.

Divergent Juggling – Dan Menendez (USA)

La Pao – Very, very valuable information! Super important stuff, too… The editing and filming was very nice and clean.  I’ve got to say – this was one of my favorites.