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Beach Flingo is a game where you pass a small ball between yourself and a partner using a bib that is made of trampoline type fabric. It is like upper-body keepy uppy’s and is very addictive! It is a prop that most people will never have heard of, but it is the most favourite item I use when I run my Circus Skills Workshops, so go on, give it a try! |
If you attend the British, European or Scottish Juggling conventions, then look out for my Beach Flingo workshops!
So What is Beach Flingo?
The unique fun sport with the unique bounce effect (works like a trampoline)!
Easy to learn, perfect for travelling, pocket-sized (and for anywhere, not just the beach!)
This is a very addictive game. It comes packaged in a tube with instructions, 2 trampoline cloths and a ball.
One Person Tricks
| Bounce | Volley the ball up in the air and bounce off bib. Repeat! |
| Off the Wall | Volley the ball off the wall. Practice low & high throws. |
| Pirouette | Volley the ball high, pirouette, then bounce the ball again. |
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Pairs
Firstly, just practice passing to each other, and experimenting with high and low volleys, then try the following: |
| Keep it going! | How many passes can you achieve? |
| Pass off the wall | Volley off the wall to your partner. When I teach beach flingo at Conventions, I am usually able to teach in a Squash court which is ideal! |
| Bounce pass | If you are on a wooden floor, then you may be able to bounce the ball between you (you may need to do a high volley so that the bounce comes up to a decent height off the floor). |
| Pirouettes | Volley the ball to your partner, then quickly pirouette before he/she returns the volley. |
| Back to Back | Stand back to back and try passing the ball over your heads back and forth! |
| Juggling | Try standing side by side and passing one ball. Now try passing two balls! How difficult is that! With enough time spent on this, you might even manage to juggle 3 balls… |
Starts
| Simple | Throw ball to partner to start. |
| Throw to self | Throw up in the air and pass to partner |
| Throw over back | Throw over your back (while still keeping your thumbs in the loops so you are ready to hit the next shot when the ball comes overhead. |
| Overhead | Flick-upPlace the ball between your feet, then in one swift motion, flick both feet up behind your body, and if you release the ball at just the right moment, then it should fly over your shoulder/head, and be ready for you to pass to your partner! |
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FOLLOW / LIKE / SUBSCRIBE / ENJOY!!
You can hire Steve the Juggler aka Stevie Vegas – for more details try…
Juggler for Hire section – (based in the United Kingdom)
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Recoveries
You are always likely to drop the ball or not quite reach a pass from your partner, so here are some ideas!:
| Bounce | If the ball bounces near you, you could press your foot down quickly on the ball to make it bounce high, and then volley a shot to your partner. |
| Dive | If you have a soft surface beneath you, then you could dive to the ground to make that extra volley happen! |
| Overhead | You may receive a pass that is going over your head, so you need to turn round, and volley it back over your head using the bib! Do not run backwards as you may slip on something and hurt yourself. Best to see where you are going! |
| Sideways | If the throw is going out to one side, then hold the bib out to that side and volley the shot back towards your partner |
| Keepy-Uppies | If the ball is coming in too low, you could kick it up, then volley it back to your partner. If it is coming towards your head, you could bounce off your head, down towards the bib. It is up to yourself if you allow your feet and other body parts to count when you are counting how many passes before the ball hits the ground! |
Lost your Ball?
You may end up losing the small ball if you play this game a lot! The game works just as well with beanbags and juggling balls (and some people prefer using beanbags which don’t roll too far when you miss a shot!)
Multi-Person Flingo
The beauty of Beach Flingo is that as long as you have enough bibs (2 bibs and a ball with every pack), any number of people can take part!
| Group Effort | How many passes can you achieve?! |
| Volleyflingo | Play the game of volleyball but using Beach Flingo! I am sure that this game could take off in a big way! |
| Straight Line Pass | Stand in a straight line with others. Pass the ball back over your head so that the next person receives it. They can pass it over their head. Once you have passed, then you run to the back of the line and wait for your next volley to happen!
NOTE: You may find it easier to pass the ball straight up in the air, and have the next person run under it and do the same! |
| Pass in a Circle | Everyone stands in a circle and the ball is passed round the circle in one direction, then the other. More balls can be added. You can then pass randomly to other people in the circle, and then someone could stand in the middle and pass to each person in turn (the person on the outside always volleys it back to the person in the middle). Loads of possibilities. |
Some Fun Things to Do!
- Catch ball in pocket – At some point, bounce the ball high, and hold your pocket open as wide as you can to catch it!
- Celebrate!- Once you have hit that winning shot, then pull the bib over your head and run around like a maniac (similar to what Jurgen Klinsmann German footballer does when he celebrates a goal and pulls his shirt over his head).
- Pause – Try to get the ball to stop on the bib! More difficult than you think!
