Why were the jugglers of the Soviet era so good?

This book finally gives you the answer.

For the first time, the most important writings of the Soviet-era juggling masters are brought together in a single volume. This compendium gives modern jugglers direct access to the ideas, training methods, and mindset that produced one of the most legendary generations in juggling history.

The jugglers who emerged from the Soviet circus system were known for their exceptional consistency, technical depth, and artistic control. This was not talent alone. Their skills were built through structured training, serious physical and mental preparation, and a deep respect for juggling as a craft. This book helps you understand why that system worked and how its principles can still elevate juggling today.

The book opens with a foreword by legendary coach Yuriy Pozdnyakov, followed by individual forewords by Viktor Kee and Albert Lucas. These voices come from inside the tradition and from its direct legacy, placing the material in real, lived context and connecting historical knowledge to modern practice.

The lineage explored in this book reaches back to Enrico Rastelli, born in the Russian Empire in 1896 and widely regarded as the greatest juggler of all time. From there, it traces a direct line through figures such as Alexander Kiss, Nikolay Bauman, Sergei Ignatov, and Mikhail Rudenko, representing a tradition in which juggling was treated as a serious art, discipline, and profession.

This compendium includes

If You Are a Juggler
by Alexander Kiss
A philosophical reflection on what it means to dedicate yourself to juggling.

The Art of Juggling
by Nikolay Bauman
A deep exploration of technique, structure, and control.

Paradoxes of Juggling
by Mikhail Staroseletsky
An investigation into the subtle and scientific aspects of juggling, including practice methods and injury prevention.

Systematic Training for Juggling
by Mikhail Rudenko
A complete training framework showing how elite juggling skill is built step by step.

Along the way, the book corrects and clarifies important pieces of juggling history. One example concerns Mikhail Rudenko, the creator of the juggling ball design commonly known today as the “Russian ball.” While this name has become widespread, it is historically incorrect. Rudenko lived, trained, and worked in Ukraine, where he developed both the balls and the training methods associated with them. Stories like this appear throughout the book, deepening our understanding of where modern juggling truly comes from.

Together, these works reveal the thinking, discipline, and training philosophy that defined the Soviet juggling school and turned its artists into legends.

The result is a rare window into the golden age of Soviet circus, a time when juggling was a respected cultural discipline and a lifelong pursuit.

For the first time, these texts have been carefully compiled and translated into English by ND Juggling and Oddballs Juggling (UK), with Niels Duinker working closely with native speakers on translation and proofreading. The book is enriched with rare images from the juggling archives of Karl-Heinz Ziethen and David Cain.

This book is essential reading for any juggler who wants to understand not just how to juggle better, but why the greatest jugglers in history reached such extraordinary levels and how that knowledge can still shape juggling today.