#517 - How to Juggle Three Balls

How to Juggle Three Balls

An ancient performance art, juggling dates back four thousand years, with the first recorded evidence of juggling depicted by Egyptian tomb hieroglyphics. Always a pleasure to watch, juggling often appears so easy. Yet, as a beginner, it's all falling balls and less juggling. Nevertheless, with a little direction, and a lot of practice, you could be a great three ball juggler - just follow the steps outlined here to get started in the cascade method.

Find ideal balls. A good choice is to find balls that are not too light and not too big (or too small like marbles). If you are just starting to juggle, it is best to use small balls filled with sand. They should fit snugly in the palm of your hand.

• Try using beanbags or purpose-made juggling balls while first learning to juggle. They don't bounce or roll away when dropped, so you spend your time and energy juggling, not chasing dropped balls.
• You can make your own practice juggling balls from tennis balls or balloons.

Find a suitable place to stand. When learning to juggle, you will drop the balls and it's best that you're not anywhere near fragile objects and that you have plenty of space around you. Outdoors is ideal.

• Stand comfortably with your feet about shoulder width apart.

Start with one ball. Throw one ball from one hand to the other hand at head height, in an arc. Get used to the feel and weight of the ball. Notice that the pattern is an arc, and not a circle as you may have thought.

• A common mistake made by beginners is to throw the ball high into the air. It's important to ensure that the ball doesn't go any higher than head or eye height. Do not throw too low either, since that will force you to juggle fast, and fast isn't necessary for three balls.
• As you get better at throwing the single ball, start trying to move your arms in a gentle circular movement. This is much closer to the final movement that you will use when juggling all three balls. You are not trying to throw in a circle though, just moving your hands this way.

Move on to two balls. Put a ball in each hand.

• Throw the first ball to your left hand at head height.
• Before ball 1 reaches the left hand, release ball 2 towards your right hand and catch. Keep your hand movements open (meaning, don't close your hands over the ball after catching).

The best time to throw the second ball is when the first reaches its maximum height.

• Keep practicing this movement. Once you get this right, the remaining steps will be much easier.

Move on to three balls. Place two balls in your right hand and the other ball in your left. (If you are left-handed, change the instructions around to fit.) Only proceed with this step when you feel confident with juggling two balls.

Start with the right hand and throw ball 1 (blue) towards the left hand. Remember that the ball in the air should be at head height.

When ball 1 (blue) is about to arrive in the left hand, release ball 2 (red) from the left hand towards the right hand.

When ball 2 (red) is about to arrive in your right hand, release ball 3 (green) on its arc back to your left hand. Catch both balls.

• You might find this move to be difficult - keep trying.
• It is often helpful to roll the ball in your right hand to the front of your hand with a slight downward motion of the hand before you throw it. The outgoing ball travels just to the inside of the arc of incoming ball. You are exchanging the one in your hand for the one in the air.

Repeat the three ball juggling steps as necessary. Keep practicing until you get used to the movement, then stop catching and holding the balls at the end. Don't worry about walking forward; this is normal for beginners. With practice, you will be able to perform the 3 ball juggle with your feet planted firmly in the same spot.

• Continue juggling as long as you can.
• Increase the speed with practice. Try to make the balls look as though they are in continual motion.
• Be aware that what makes the three ball juggle easier is that there is never more than one ball in the hand at any one time.
• Keep practicing. Juggling only improves with practice and the more you try, the less and less you will drop the balls, and the faster you will become.

excerpt from: wikihow.com