Juggling

“

You cannot run from me, my gun is faster! Click to listen — The Soldier

”

Juggling refers to the strategy of using weapons to keep an enemy momentarily suspended in the air, leaving them vulnerable and disorientated. More agile or powerful enemies may require several of these mid-air suspensions to take out, hence the term juggling.

Juggling can be performed as a Soldier, using the Rocket Launcher's splash damage to lift an opponent into the air (also called the 'bounce effect'). In effect, this does away with the opponent's ability to dodge and allows the Soldier to subsequently predict where they will land. The Soldier has the opportunity to fire at this spot, or even to shoot the opponent out of the air. A well-placed rocket can send a foe straight up into the air, which can be devastating against any class rushing at you. Juggling is significantly easier and more effective with the Direct Hit, although arguably requiring better aim. Due to a more concentrated splash area, as well as faster rockets, a well placed direct hit will send an opponent farther/higher than regular rockets; however, it requires a more precise hit below the enemy for the same reason. It also Mini-Crits an enemy sent airborne via an explosion.

The Demoman can juggle using the Grenade Launcher, by getting a hit directly on an enemy's legs. It is also possible to juggle using sticky bombs, though it is more difficult to execute as Stickies can not be detonated instantly after launch and enemies will most likely avoid Stickies laid near their feet. However, juggling with the Demoman is made much easier with the Scottish Resistance by selectively detonating carefully placed Stickybombs.

The Pyro can juggle opponents by knocking them into the air with a compression blast, or by reflecting the explosives of another class into that opponent.

Although harder to do, the Scout is also able to juggle enemies, through use of his Force-A-Nature. To juggle with the Force-A-Nature, the target must be hit in the feet while they are off the ground. This can be hard, since the Force-A-Nature isn't very accurate, but can allow you to either get the better of your enemies or even send them far away. Juggling is much easier against rocket jumping Soldiers, since they can stay in the air much longer than normal targets.

Juggling can be used to separate an ÜberCharged Medic from his target by knocking them out of range, so as to cut off the ÜberCharge prematurely. With a well-directed shot, enemies can be lifted into the air in such a way that they take additional fall damage upon landing or even send them flying into an environmental hazard.

It is not usually effective to use this tactic against Scouts, since they use their double jump to quickly change direction midair or significantly reduce fall damage.

Aerials

Main article: Aerial

Successfully juggled enemies can be hit directly in the air. This is called an aerial, airshot or middie. Where you land the direct hit will result in a different effect on the juggled player. Hitting the player directly square will result in a sudden loss of any momentum. Hitting the player in the head will result in a sudden downward increase in velocity which is usually enough to kill the player upon impact with the ground; an effect called cratering. If a player is hit lower than the waist, it usually results in a midair juggle, suspending the player in the air for a quick follow-up shot.