Devil sticks
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Devil stick (also Devil Stick, devilstick, devil-stick etc., or plural forms) manipulation is a form of gyroscopic juggling, or equilibristics and is generally considered to be one of the 'circus arts'. The name, "Devil Stick" most likely comes from a confusion of 'diabolo' (to toss across) with 'diablo', or devil. Sometimes called "devil-sticking" other terms often used are: "twirling", "sticking" and "stick juggling".
A set of devil sticks is made up of three pieces - the baton and two control sticks - but it will often be called a "pair of sticks".
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Description
A set of devil sticks consists of one baton—usually about 60-120 cm (2-4 feet) long—and two control sticks—generally about 1 cm (0.5 inch) thick and 30-50vcm (12-20 inches) long—which are used to manipulate the baton. The baton (often called "the center stick" or simply "the stick") is tapered in the center, normally about 3 cm (1 inch) in diameter at the ends and 1.5 cm (0.5 inch) in the middle. Designs and measurements vary quite widely, in the extreme case the center stick may be as short as 1 foot or so, ranging to the extreme length of slightly more than twice that of the juggler's height. Most commonly, though, control sticks will be about as long as the juggler's forearm plus hand measurements, the baton being slightly longer than the width of the juggler's upper body.
Basic Manipulation
A devil stick baton is lifted/struck/stroked alternately by the two control sticks ('handsticks', or 'sidesticks'). The handsticks, and sometimes the baton as well, are often covered with a material to provide good 'grip' or friction when in contact with the devil stick, though some sets are made of slippery polished, bare hardwood. In one basic stick pattern, the Pendulum, the devil stick is lifted alternately with the left and right handsticks touching the baton at a point about halfway between the center and its upper end and swings out of the vertical to either side while remaining in a plane parallel to the shoulders.
The pendulum is an important move to learn, because to a great extent, all of the more difficult maneuvers rely on this skill.
The 'helicopter' spin is a variation in which a horizontal rotational force is applied as the baton 'pendulums' in the vertical plane, causing a continuous rotation in a nearly horizontal plane. Advanced twirlers can twirl the stick with one stick only, with an arm, knee or other limb and are able to manipulate the baton in any plane above below or in front or back of the performer's body... while walking, unicycling or tightrope balancing. Some can even twirl two batons simultaneously.
History
Juggling Sticks have continuously evolved as they were passed down through the centuries. Apparently originating in Africa earlier than 3000 B.C.E., there are pictures of juggling sticks on friezes found in Egyptian tombs. Juggling historians have asserted that the 'devil sticks' followed the Silk Road, (not a road at all, but a series of caravan- and shipping- routes through Southern Asia) from Cairo to China. Whether they were reinvented in, or travelled to, China, there is no doubt that by 2000 B.C.E. the Chinese were using juggling sticks. It is commonly believed that Marco Polo then brought juggling sticks to Europe from the Orient. Juggling sticks have been used in Europe since the Renaissance.
Modern sticks
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Some modern devil sticks have soft ends for safety - it is actually quite possible to knock oneself unconscious with some of the faster, harder, heavier 'unpadded' batons.
These are often colorfully decorated and are known variously as Flower Sticks, Quick Stix, Crystal Stix, Hippie Sticks, Equilibristicks (a play on the word 'equilibristics'), Trick Sticks and many other names. Despite the plethora of names, stick twirlers often call them simply 'sticks'.
As new materials and construction techniques become available, resourceful jugglers and craftspersons have advanced the design of the 'modern devilstick', making them more durable, more portable, or having physical properties that enable jugglers to perform feats previously deemed impossible or too difficult to accomplish. It is a widely held belief that 'sticks' will continue to advance as construction techniques and materials become more advanced or as materials become more widely available.
Fiddlestix, the most advanced, and 'modern' design are made of cylindrical aluminum alloy or titanium shafts, either hollow or solid. The center stick is wrapped spirally with dense suede, butted edge-to-edge to make a smooth, suede covered 'frictive surface'. The sidesticks are either similarly covered with suede ('slider set' is what this is called, as the suede can help the centerstick to slide smoothly along the control stick) or are covered with surgical rubber or silicone tubing. (a gripper set) In the case of the solid titanium baton, the surface of the stick is either machine-milled or grit-blasted, to produce the friction surface and there is no covering on the length of the center stick. This type of stick is almost universally paired with control sticks covered in a soft natural latex, silicone, or hard vulcanised rubber tubing - a material which provides good friction against the bare metal of the baton's control surface.
The ends of the Fiddlestix baton are wrapped with a one to two inch (5 cm) thick layered, floppy 'tassel' of fringed suede, (wrapped axially and with the fringe pointing away from the center of the baton) the purpose of which is to retard rotation about the long axis of the center stick, and to move the apparent center of mass away from the long axis and closer to the 'contact point' at the surface of the baton. Another benefit is that reducing the concentration of mass at the middle of the baton creates a larger 'sweet spot' (the point at which the control stick has the most influence on the movement of the baton). The larger sweet spot combined with increased rotational inertia allows the sticks to be manipulated in ways that would be impossible otherwise, increasing the illusion that the laws of physics/gravity are being broken.
Though the name "Fiddlestix" has been subsequently registered as a trademark for an entirely different toy, the 'Fiddlestix' design is in the public domain, placed there by the doctrine of prior art in August of 1987 (at a Mountain Aire festival, featuring Aerobatic exhibitions, and concerts by Carlos Santana and the Grateful Dead) in Calaveras County California by their designer, Glenn, (also known as Bongo, Bongo the Clown), a juggler from Eugene, Oregon. Glenn began freely sharing the design with other jugglers, and explaining its physics, in an apparently successful effort to avoid the new physical properties of his toy design being patented by corporate toy companies. Since then numerous variations on the 'inertia tassel' design have been created - as well as some designs that have tassels of such slight mass as to be merely decorative.
One interesting variation on the Fiddlestix design is a 'folding' stick, which can be stored in a pouch less than 2 inches round by 12 inches long. These folding sets are not as durable as the non-folding type, but are a good choice for those who like to always have a set of sticks on hand.
Group activities
Though stick manipulation may seem at first glance to be a solo performance art, there are numerous group activities which 'stickers' enjoy:
Passing
two or more twirlers sling the center stick back and forth amongst themselves, either with one shared stick, or with everyone passing their own stick at once.Juggle till you drop
Juggle till you drop is where a group of twirlers share one stick - the juggler with the stick attempts increasingly more difficult and flamboyant tricks, during his turn, attempting to 'push the envelope' so hard that he loses control and drops the stick - a drop is when the stick hits the ground and comes to rest - whereupon he immediately hands the control sticks to the next player, who attempts an even more difficult combination of moves. The point of the game is to juggle so aggressively that each turn lasts a matter of seconds This results in:
- everyone gets to play, even with only one stick in the group...
- everyone sees each other push the limits, and often new tricks are invented based on 'mistakes', or derived from another juggler's attempts...
- one has an opportunity to rest, as juggling at the edge of your abilities uses lots of energy.
Half-sticking
Where two jugglers, standing shoulder to shoulder facing in the same direction, each with one control stick, juggle together ala' a three-legged race, each one only doing half the work.
Combat sticks
- 'Solo': two or more stickers use their center stick only, to knock the others' stick to the ground. A variation on this allows them to use their control sticks as well.. there are also anything goes variations, where the first to drop the stick loses, and anything short of actual violence is allowed.
- 'Team': Generally the same as above, but with two or more teams competing.
see also
Juggling, Equilibristics, Clown, Circus skills, Baton, Twirling, Pendulum, Angular momentum