Drop Lines

"While you are doing a juggling show, or for other situations, things are going to happen. As a juggler, undoubtedly there will be times when you drop. You can't just pass it off like nothing happened, at least part of the audience saw it. Cover the drop with comedy or facial and body expressions. Let the audience know - that you know - that they know - you dropped.
Here are some ideas to start with. Use these and develop your own lines by combining a few of them together." -- Kit Summers

Some drop lines: (names cited are merely those who sent in suggestions to myself or rec.juggling, not necessarily the original authors of the phrase)

"I'm an optimist. I still have two left..." -- Steven Ragatz
"There's always one isn't there" -- Preacher
"Now I'll bet you think that was an accident...." -- Preacher
"Now I'll bet you think that was an accident....Well it was" -- Preacher
Point at the ball..."You GIT, you *always* do this to me. Time and time again I've laid it on the line for you and you always let me down. Well not again,you've really done it this time, You're out!!!(Throw ball away) You'll never work in this town again" Best to use cheap balls for this or a partner to retrieve the balls. -- Preacher
Look at a member of the audience..."Shusshhh (Look around)....I don't think anyone noticed" -- Preacher
"I knew I should have stayed in school" -- Preacher
"Somebody, somewhere is out to get me" -- Preacher
"I hate my life" -- Preacher
Drop remaining balls and start fire eating. -- Preacher
Look around and juggle with 2 balls whistleing as if nothing happened (Like they do in the cartoons) -- Preacher
Drop remaining balls and whip out a sign "Will work for food" -- Preacher
"Isn't it a relief Doctor's aren't this bad at their job" -- Preacher
"Do you believe I get paid for this" This *has* to be done well or you'll come across as a cocky bastard. -- Preacher
"Newton and his f**king apples!" -- Preacher
Look up at the sky "Hey man, I'm sorry already, I thought you were the forgiving type" -- Preacher
Scream and run off letting your partner quickly step up for his half of the act. -- Preacher
"Women" This sounds wierd but it works really well if you have a you have an audience without a huge ammount of collage students on a crusade to change to world in it. -- Preacher
Put a screen around the ball and take a toy rifle that makes a bang and shoot the ball -- Preacher
"STAY BACK!!!! They're dangerous when they're wounded" -- Preacher
"Traitor" -- Preacher
"No no, not yet" Pick the ball up and resume juggling. -- Preacher
"This is why I was fired from that nursery" -- Preacher
"Whoops. Almost dropped one." -- Kit Summers
"Couldn't help it. Ya see, there was this sudden gust of gravity." -- Kit Summers
"Juggling low." -- Kit Summers
"It fell down." -- Kit Summers
"Take two." -- Kit Summers
"What a save." -- Kit Summers
"A new version." -- Kit Summers
"This act is really picking up, don't you think?" -- Kit Summers
"Skylab." -- Kit Summers
(scream) -- Kit Summers
(put balls away, juggle three similar but smaller balls as if you were doing a quick practice, then continue with the larger balls.) -- Kit Summers
"Humiliation again." -- Kit Summers
"Yes, he has great balls, but he doesn't manipulate them properly." -- Kit Summers
(Turn around and zip up your fly.) -- Kit Summers
"Don't worry, I'm used to it." -- Kit Summers
"I have to be careful because these are the only balls I have." -- Kit Summers
"Come and see the juggler die." -- Kit Summers
"Oh bugger!" -- Trog Woolley
"It's lucky that happened. I was starting to impress myself." -- Red Jester
"At least I didn't hit someone this time." -- Red Jester
"Cool!!" -- Red Jester
"I learned that trick from the professionals." -- Red Jester
"I used to be able to juggle." (I use this one with friends because they all claim they used to be able to juggle) -- Red Jester
"Good, that gives me a chance to show you this:" - and then do a kick-up, or something impressive that gets everything back in the air again. -- Jeff Napier
"That's the last time I take YOU out, mister!" -- CBear
"You're fired!" -- CBear
(stopping juggling and facing the audience) "Juggling is a constant battle against natural forces. I am presenting a paper next week at the university." -- CBear
"You want to see the instant replay?" (then drop another one) -- CBear
"I'm just getting back to basics, folks. This was the first juggling trick I learned." -- CBear
"Bad ball! You need a time out" (then continue) -- CBear
"This act really is picking up." -- Franklin Mint
"Point at the dropped object, in a firm confident voice say "STAY" and then continue juggling with 1 less object." -- Dancey's Encyclopedia
"Now, let me show you my floor show" -- Dusty Johnson
"This takes a great deal of practice. THAT isn't what I have practiced" -- Dusty Johnson
"Don't try this at home, in fact, don't even try it in public" -- Dusty Johnson
"5 second rule." (as in, what you might normally say when you drop a piece of food, pick it up and brush it off, deeming it good to eat. You could do the same with the juggling ball...) -- John Chase
"What a great opportunity for another trick." Followed by a kick-up. -- John Chase
"Yup, gravity still works. Just checking... you know." -- John Chase
"See, the difference between ME dropping and some amateur juggler dropping is that I do it with poise and confidence." -- John Chase
"Good thing the floor was there. That could have gone for f**king miles" -- Paul Zenon

Jeff Napier writes:
"One time I had to do a passing routine with another juggler with whom I had never rehearsed. We decided we'd just start some music and pass four-count jazz for the duration of the song. We had also not rehearsed any sort of introduction for the piece. I had to say some sort of intro, and I knew I wasn't going to have any luck with a sudden comedy inspiration - not that I ever have. So I simply said something to this effect, "We're now going to show you how jugglers play. We'll drop these things quite a bit. Don't worry, it's all part of the show."
Well, we did drop, yet we got a tremendous response. You see, we took the pressure, the concern, off the audience. We told them it was alright to get into it, to enjoy the show, even if it was messy. That made an absolute world of difference. I have used the technique many times since.
Of course, comedy drop lines are always a good addition to this technique."

Dusty Glabraith writes:
One of mine for school shows is telling how I've trained one ball, usually the yellow one, to do a trick.
Throw that ball straight up, not too high, and let it drop. Shout "STAY" and get the kids to shout with you. That gives them the drop line and keeps them paying attention waiting for the next drop.
Many thank to Elliot Cutler aka the Plunger Guy for this approach.

Don Wagner writes:
My favorite drop line for a club is:
"I have spent months teaching the club tricks. If everyone can loudly count to three, the club will jump from the ground into my hand." (I then get the club in a position to do a kick-up) "1..2..3" (nothing happens)
(pick out a specific person if they were not saying anything) "You didn't say anything. Let try again with everyone a lot louder"
OR (to all the audience) "You need to be A LOT LOUDER"
1..2..3.. Do the kick-up.

John Dalbey writes:
my favorite drop line. I saw it used by a street juggler in Berkeley.
There were a lot of college students watching the performance.
He dropped a club, and while continuing to juggle the remaining clubs, says "that's okay, it gives me a chance to show off a trick I call "the pickup." While still juggling, he edges over to stand in front of the dropped club. He glances down at the club on the ground. His body language leads the audience to anticipate a kick-up or something clever. Suddenly he stops juggling completely, walks over to a co-ed in the circle of spectators and addressing her says "Hey, wanna go out with me?"
While the audience was laughing he quickly scooted back to the club and picked it up and resumed juggling.