Hobbies And Interests
Clacking
Get a feel for the Clackers by starting out with the simple action of clacking the two balls together. Holding the ring between your thumb and index finger, allow the balls to come to rest evenly, hanging below your hand. Using your wrist, move your hand in a gentle up-and -down motion. This will cause the balls to bang together and bounce off one another in rhythm. The faster the motion of your writ, the faster they will clack together. It is important to keep your elbow steady at your side so as not to create a swaying motion, which could cause the balls to miss each other. Get comfortable with this maneuver before moving onto other tricks, as Clackers can cause pain and bruising when a trick goes wrong.
Over and Under
The next step is to clack the balls over and under your hand. keeping them in continuous motion. Begin with basic clacking and gradually increase the range of motion and speed of your wrist to bring the balls up and over your hand 180 degrees to clack together. Once momentum is gained, as long as you keep a steady rhythm, the balls will gain energy from each other and click-clack over and under your hand. This takes much practice. Any deviation in rhythm, motion or sudden shift of arm position can cause Clackers to miss target. Wearing protective eye and wrist gear will reduce the risk of injury.
Twirling
While no clicking or clacking is involved with this trick, the difficulty level is high. The object is to twirl Clackers like a baton. This is no easy feat because the rope is slack and a baton is rigid. This trick should not be attempted indoors. Serious harm to self, others or objects in the room pose a very real danger. Especially when you are first learning this trick, find a place with as much open space as possible. Begin by tossing Clackers into the air in a twisting motion, causing the balls to spin away from each other. Do this by holding the rope across the palms of your hands with the balls, hanging about 3 or 4 inches on either side. In one quick motion, while tossing straight over your head, quickly rotate arms in opposite directions. This will cause the Clackers to spin like an airplane propeller. To catch Clackers, while they are descending toward the ground, aim your hand for the middle of the rope. Once you make contact with the rope, allow your arm to follow the Clackers direction downward to cushion the catch. If your arm is held stiff while attempting to catch Clackers, the impact will cause them to flop out of control and serious injury could occur.
Best Trick
When it comes to Clackers, the best trick of all is to avoid injury. Those acrylic balls pack a wallop. Things can, and will, go wrong while practicing your clacking. No matter your level of expertise, nothing is 100 percent safe. In the 1970s Clacker injuries were abound in emergency rooms throughout the country. Among the most common injuries associated with Clackers were cracked or broken teeth, black eyes, bruised forearms and broken wrists. They may be a blast to play with, but no one is exempt from danger. Especially young children, if allowed to play with them at all, should be closely supervised. If misused for the wrong reasons, Clackers can be a deadly weapon. This is why the original version of Clackers was taken out of production. Today there are other Clacker-type toys available, however, they in no way reflect the danger the originals posed.