The diabolo is a prop consisting of a "two-headed top" that balances on a string tied to two sticks, which are held in the hands. The diabolo's speed of rotation can be increased to keep it balanced by repeatedly lifting one of the handsticks while providing slack with the other, making the diabolo roll down the string.

Multiple diabolos can be juggled on a single string, usually in a circular pattern, by either continually throwing them high by lifting and pulling the sticks apart, or pushing with one stick when a diabolo gets near it so that the string pushes it across to the other side of the string, going over the other diabolos. This second method results in a lower pattern with more than one diabolo on the string at once, called a "shuffle", which may be easier for 2 or 3 diabolos but is more difficult for higher numbers.

Ofek Shilton has juggled 5 diabolos high for 54 catches (video), and Etienne Chauzy has flashed 5 low (video). Tony Frebourg and Guillaume Karpowicz have passed 8 diabolos between two strings for 10 caught passes (video).

Diabolos can be juggled in siteswap patterns, where a 0 is a pause with an empty string (with time to do a 360 or jump rope with the string etc.), a 1 is a sun, and 2, 3, 4 etc. are increasingly high throws.

Time to pretend - juggling vidéo(04:24)
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