The following tricks are great to include in your diabolo routine if you’re performing for a non-juggler crowd. They are all really quick and easy to learn and tried and true crowd pleasers! If you remember to pause after the trick is done, the audience is guaranteed to applaud.
The list is divided in two: 10 tricks with 1 diabolo and 10 more tricks with 2 diabolos.
Easy And Cool 1 Diabolo Tricks
High Toss
Throwing and catching the diabolo is the first trick you learn! (here is the tutorial)
When you’ve mastered it, there is no difference in difficulty whether you throw the diabolo high or low. However, for a non juggler, the high toss looks amazing and if you perform somewhere with a high ceiling you should definitely include it in your routine.
Elevator
The elevator is in my opinion one of the first 10 tricks you should learn. (you can find the tutorial here)
It is very easy once you know how to accelerate your diabolo well and there are plenty of cool and quick to learn variations of this trick.
For someone who doesn’t know much about diabolo, the elevator looks like magic, so make sure you include the elevator in your performance!
Infinite Suicide
This trick is the hardest 1 diabolo trick of this list, but it is well worth learning. Not only does it look badass but it also frees one of your hand so you can wave at the audience or scratch your head. The infinite suicide also gives your diabolo speed.
Spaghetti
This magic knot looks, to the novice, like it’s going to stay tangled, so when you release the diabolo, it feels like you’re a magician!
Finger Grind
The finger grind is only a little harder than the normal stick grind. You need to be a bit more precise to keep the diabolo from tilting and you will lose speed faster, but it’s a cool trick to include in any performance.
Suicide To Magic Knot
This magic knot is just a impressive looking variation of the half-spaghetti (which is IMO one of the first 10 tricks you should learn). This stick release trick is very easy to learn especially if you already know the half-spaghetti and the suicide.
Umbrella
This tricks looks very impressive if you don’t know any better, but it is only a succession of suns stopped half way. The only difficulty to learning this trick is getting the timing right which doesn’t take long to get.
Levitation
This is another trick that makes you look like a wizard. The diabolo looks like it’s levitating!
The trick is actually a magic knot that starts with a trapeze, then a cat’s cradle and the levitation. Once you’ve mastered the cat’s cradle from the trapeze, the levitation trick takes literally seconds to learn.
Whip Catch
This is a classic crowd’s favorite, you throw the diabolo and then catch it by whipping it.
The only thing to keep in mind to learn the whip catch is to keep your sticks wide open (forming a big V).
Duicide
With this trick, you release both sticks, so it’s a guaranteed applause from the audience! This is a variation of the suicide and follows the same principles: start with a sun, release both sticks at the same time you would release the stick for a simple suicide and catch the sticks. This last part requires a little more focus than the suicide because you catch both sticks at the same time, but it’s not that difficult.
Impressive Yet Easy 2 Diabolos Tricks
Rocket Start
This is the easiest advanced start with 2 diabolos, it is pretty easy to learn and is a nice way to start a 2D routine as it looks good and give some spin to both diabolos.
2 Diabolos In One Hand
This is one of the first 10 tricks to learn (in my opinion) with 2 diabolos. As long as you keep your sticks wide apart (the same as in the whip catch trick), it is easy to keep the shuffle going.
Double Sprinkler
The simple sprinkler is in my first 10 2D trick list.
The double sprinkler is the same trick done twice in a row, and especially with the suicide exit, is a definite crowd pleaser.
Vortex Suicides
This is a series of vortexes where you release the stick at the very end of the trick. The stick release will rewrap the diabolo and you can continue doing more vortexes.
This trick also gives both your diabolos speed, so you have time to pause after the trick to enjoy the applause!
Fan
In my opinion, this trick is the hardest of this 2D list, as it requires smooth and continuous wrist movements. As its name suggests, it looks like a fan where the diabolos are the blades.
It is one of the few tricks where you are not facing the audience so it is a great change. When you master it and can do it for a long time you will be able to lie down and get back up while continuing to do the fan.
2 High
This is basically a high toss with both diabolos. It looks amazing to non jugglers and gives your diabolos speed. This trick is good to learn as you can build on it by learning siteswaps.
Ping Pong
The ping pong is very easy and very visual and is a nice break from the shuffle.
It is very similar to the mini columns but looks different enough so you can include both in the same routine one after the other.
Mini Columns
The mini columns is a trick I recommend you learn in the beginning of your 2D journey. It is quick and easy to learn.
It is also a cool crowd pleaser.
Arm Orbit
The arm orbit (or leg orbit) is simply a wider shuffle around the arm (or leg) yet it looks very impressive to a novice audience.
It is very easy and gives speed to both your diabolos as it is a big shuffle, so be sure to put it in your routine.
Double Magic Knot
This trick looks way harder than it is.
It is my favorite way to end a 2D routine, the 2 diabolos are in knots and when you release them you can catch them with your hands, bow and get a standing ovation!
Final Thoughts
This list is far from exhaustive. To get more ideas, try to remember which tricks you thought were awesome when you were just starting out.
Otherwise, any stick release or magic knot always looks impressive to a non juggler, but be careful not to do too many of the same type of tricks in your routine as they can look the same to someone who doesn’t know anything about juggling.
