Juggling is a pretty neat party trick, ever more so when you can do it with empty classes or your best mate’s triplets. Not all juggling involves throwing things in the air though – contact juggling is a completely different beast, and this video from the 2012 Japan Juggling Festival Championship will leave you mesmerised.

Contact juggling involves the manipulation of one or more balls while they remain in contact with the body, as opposed to toss juggling which manipulates the balls while they’re flying through the air. Think of it along the lines of having balls with magnets in them if your skeleton was made of metal. When done right, the visual result is quite amazing.

One such juggler is Mister Babache, a Japanese performer. This video is from his performance at the 2012 Japan Juggling Festival and can best be described as “hypnotic.”

Don’t let the slow start fool you, as the unassuming man walks onto the stage, places three balls on the ground, and starts his routine. The first few minutes are okay, and left us thinking “Ja, sure, give me a few weeks to practice and I could probably do that.” Then, around the three minute mark, he picks up the second ball, and shit gets real.

Try doing that at your next braai.

[Source: YouTube via Neatorama]