Devil sticks
set of juggling sticks
The manipulation of the devil stick (also devil-sticks, devilsticks, fiddle sticks, flower sticks, bâtons fleurs, stunt sticks, gravity sticks, or juggling sticks) is a form of gyroscopic juggling or equilibristics, consisting of manipulating one stick ("baton", 'center stick') between one or two other sticks held one in each hand. The baton is lifted, struck, or stroked by the two control sticks ('handsticks', 'sidesticks', or 'handles'), stabilizing the baton through gyroscopic motion.
Manipulating devil sticks is one of the circus arts and is sometimes called devil-sticking, twirling, sticking, or stick juggling.
History
Devil sticks are believed to have originated in China in the distant past as simple wooden juggling sticks. Although devil sticks are often described as having ancient origins in China, some sources note that the earliest verifiable documentation dates to the early 19th century, including documented performances in Europe and an image of the Indian performers Medua and Mooty Samme printed in Prague around 1820. It was apparently brought to Britain sometime around 1813, when a publication mentioned that previous generations had not known of it.
The first scientific analysis of the physics behind the game, known as "the Devil on Two Sticks," was published in 1855 by Benjamin Peirce.
Variants
Devil sticks vary widely in size and construction materials, but the batons are generally based on one of two basic designs: tapered and straight. Tapered batons are tapered from the ends towards the middle such that the middle is thinner than the ends. Straight batons are uniform in width but have weights attached to the ends.
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This entry incorporates text from “Devil sticks” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.