The Jitter Ring accessory is also known as the Chatter Ring among several other names!
Hold the metal ring and hit the smaller colored disks. As the ring spins, the disks start spinning faster and faster, like mini gyroscopes! At first the challenge is to keep all the disks spinning, then there are plenty of tricks and stunts to master!
How does it work? (here comes the scientific part!) The Jitter Ring is actually just 5 small tops of slightly unusual design that are strung on a metal ring so they can spin freely. Have you ever noticed that when you spin a coin on a surface, it seems to spin much faster just before it stops? It’s the same with these little tops! You have to keep each of these little tops in perpetual wobble! This rotation of the spin axis is called ‘precession’ and causes the ring to press against one side of the hole in the spinning top. The contact point between the ring and the top can be thought of as a gear that changes the motion of the ring moving up into the rotating motion of the top.
How to start
- Hold the large metal ring in one hand.
- Use your other hand to spin the washers. One method that works especially well is to place the beads on your index finger in the middle of the ring, then move them to the side with your thumb.
- Once the beads have started to vibrate, you need to turn the ring towards you. What you’re doing here is actually pulling the big ring through the small beads! The friction from this action is what keeps the beads vibrating/spinning rapidly.
If you’re having trouble with this basic move, don’t worry, you’re not alone! The most useful advice I can give would be the following:
- Try to hit all the beads evenly when starting the ring. Remember the goal is to vibrate the beads, not hit them as hard as you can! Use a light but firm touch.
- Try to move the ring smoothly, without letting it wobble from side to side. You will notice that the faster you move the ring, the higher the beads rise towards your hands.
- Practice practice practice! You have to master this trick before you can go on to do all the tricks below!
some more tricks
Throw and Catch: You should be able to cast and catch the Jitter Ring once the beads have started to wobble. It takes a bit of practice for the beads not to stop, and for you to make a firm, solid grip (and not catch the ring where the beads are!) As soon as you catch it, start passing the large ring through the beads one more time to maintain speed. How high can you successfully throw and catch while keeping the beads spinning?
Back spin: Take the ring in one hand and start spinning it. You must keep the large ring moving through the beads for this entire time or else the beads will stop. Once the ring has rotated all the way around, you will need to remember that the ring will now need to go the opposite direction through the beads. It’s not as easy as you think! You have the option to rotate the ring the full 360 degrees, or get to the point where you are feeding the ring back and then return the ring to the way you rotated it. Turning clockwise is easier with the left hand and vice versa for the right hand.
With one hand: Once you’ve got the beads going, you can use one hand to keep feeding the large ring through the beads. It’s quite tricky, but you can go on for a long time once you get the hang of it! Basically you start with the beads (using both hands), then pull the ring towards you and down, then grab further away from you and pull the ring down again (and keep going!)
360 Flip Home: Making the ring go really fast and just throw it high so you can catch it, but in the air make it spin a full circle with a good swipe that you can catch and continue.
Start Footer: Hold the ring down and kick it with the outside edge of your foot lightly but firmly tapping the beads to get a spin.
Bus driver: To do this, you need to hold the wobble ring as if you were driving a bus, and then turn it. But be careful not to hit your hand!
Turn around: Throw it out, catch it, and move on.
Side hold: Turn the Jitter ring on its side and change the angle at which you hold it.
Flip your hand over: Rotate the Jitter ring around your hand and continue.
Throw over the shoulder: Throw the Jitter Ring over your shoulder and continue.
roller coaster: The trick is quite simple, but it requires a good grip. roll the rings and rotate the entire ring 180 degrees, how it would be positioned if it were on the floor. you can then pass it from hand to hand to keep the rings rolling around the main ring and keep your hands out of the way. this is where the grip comes in. there will be a second or two where you hold the main ring upright from one edge without letting the other side fall. Hard to explain, but if you have a game in your hands, it’s easy to see what I mean.