- This article is about throwing between the legs. For other kinds of throws that go around part of the body, see Category: Body moves.
Body throws are throws that go between the legs while both feet stay on the ground. This trick was invented by Morris Cronin and is most commonly done with 3 clubs in single spins, with the clubs going between the legs from front to back.
For a normal front-to-back body throw, a club starts in front of the juggler, and is brought back between the legs and thrown from this position behind the juggler, and then it comes forward over the opposite shoulder and is caught in front of the juggler.
In a back-to-front body throw, a club is brought behind the back, thrown between the legs from back to front, and caught in front with the opposite hand. These throws are often called "reverse body throws" or similar names, but they're not actually time-reversed body throws - a front-to-back body throw in reverse would be something like a blind catch.
5 Club 3up Crotch Throw 360 Extra
3 and 5 club body throw tricks by David Ferman
Learn Crotch Throws!
3 club body throw tutorial
World records[]
World records for juggling with body throws:
Front-to-back body throws[]
Clubs[]
| Number of clubs | Record | Juggler | Year | Video |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3 club body throws | 5 minutes and 3 seconds | Ameron Rosvall | 2022 | YouTube |
| 4 club body throws | 8 catches | Kenny Cheung | 2016 | YouTube |
| 5 club body throws | 50 catches | Masahiro Takahashi | 2016 | YouTube |
| 7 club body throws | 7 catches | Masahiro Takahashi | 2020 |
Balls[]
| Number of balls | Record | Juggler | Year | Video |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3 ball body throws | 70 catches | Kenshin Tomie | 2022 | |
| 4 ball body throws | 8 catches | Kenshin Tomie | 2022 | |
| 5 ball body throws | 10 catches | Kenshin Tomie | 2023 |
Rings[]
| Number of rings | Record | Juggler | Year | Video |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3 ring body throws | 10 catches | Kenshin Tomie | 2023 | |
| 4 ring body throws | 4 catches | Kenshin Tomie | 2022 | |
| 5 ring body throws | 5 catches | Delaney Bayles | 2020 | |
| Kenshin Tomie | 2023 |
Back-to-front body throws[]
Clubs[]
| Number of clubs | Record | Juggler | Year | Video |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3 club back-to-front body throws | 2 minutes and 36 seconds | Ameron Rosvall | 2020 | YouTube |
| 4 club back-to-front body throws | 10 catches | Masahiro Takahashi | 2016 | YouTube |
| 5 club back-to-front body throws | 10 catches | Delaney Bayles | 2021 |
Unverified claims:
| Number of clubs | Unofficial record | Juggler | Year | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3 club back-to-front body throws | 499 catches | Ameron Rosvall | 2012 | Claim |
Balls[]
| Number of balls | Record | Juggler | Year | Video |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3 ball back-to-front body throws | 119 catches | Kenshin Tomie | 2022 | |
| 4 ball back-to-front body throws | 22 catches | Kenshin Tomie | 2022 | |
| 5 ball back-to-front body throws | 6 catches | Kenshin Tomie | 2023 |
Rings[]
| Number of rings | Record | Juggler | Year | Video |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3 ring back-to-front body throws | 24 catches | Kenshin Tomie | 2022 | |
| 4 ring back-to-front body throws | 4 catches | Kenshin Tomie | 2021 | YouTube |
| 5 ring back-to-front body throws | 5 catches | Delaney Bayles | 2021 |
Alternative names[]
One name commonly used for this trick is Alberts (named after Albert Lucas). In his 1987 book Juggling with Finesse, Kit Summers called front-to-back body throws Alberts, and back-to-front body throws Treblas. ("Trebla" is "Albert" spelled backwards.)
In 2000 Jason Garfield, who disapproved of people giving Albert credit for a trick he didn't invent, introduced a new name for the trick, crotch throws, and later the euphemism body throws (which is an ambiguous name, since some jugglers use the term "body throws" more generally, for any kind of trick throws that go around some part of the body).
A less common name for body throws is butterflies (which is also ambiguous, since that term has been used to describe several other tricks). Between the legs is a more descriptive and less ambiguous name.
Variations[]
- Crotch madness - Every third throw is a back-to-front crotch throw, and the rest are front-to-back.
- Blind catch
- Froggy style juggling