Do you remember a few weeks back when I posted an entry about how I began juggling? Well… I promised to write about how to start learning juggling, so, here we go!

For all of you there interested in juggling, this is a basic guide, but there is really no hard and fast rule, so stick with what’s comfy for you, and get ready to have a rolling good time!!

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Juggle…. What??

Silks vs balls… Which to pick??

First and foremost, you have to decide if you wish to start juggling using silks or balls. Most jugglers recommend silks as they are lighter and have higher air resistance and this means they drop much slower. Personally, I did not begin with silks, but with balls, and I’d recommend that you do the same – simply because silks utilise a different release during juggling in comparison to all others.

The balls that you can use include self-made sock balls or beanbag balls. I would not recommend using any bouncy type of balls, unless you fancy running and chasing after your balls a lot!!

The First Step – Observe!!
Start as always, from the basic. Observe a normal 3 ball cascade.. specifically, observe one ball out of the three.

What do you see?

Most people are surprised to find out that the balls actually travel ONLY in an arch, from one hand to the other. In actual fact, all three balls travel from one hand to the other in arch like motions, and never from hand to hand directly, contrary to what most people think.

Once you’ve understand that, observe two balls at the same time now. Look out specifically for the timing of the release of the 2nd ball in relation to the 1st. You will see that the release of the second ball is when the 1st ball has reached the peak of the arch. And THAT essentially is the crux to the 3 ball cascade!!

Now on to Some REAL Juggling Action!!

Now all that is understood, you can start the real juggling. First, find a space where you won’t be bumping into things. Make sure you are at a good and empty space where you are not liable to be crashing into any antique vase of any kind, or any breakables of any kind! (10 thousand dollars is really too expensive to pay for learning juggling!!)

Start first, with ONE ball. Mimic the action that you have observed and throw the ball from one hand to another; the ball motion following an arch shape. Ensure that the ball makes a consistent ‘arch’ that is not too high. Practise until you can do that without much thought.

Once that is done, you can progress to 2 balls. Start with 1 ball in each hand. Throw the 1st ball and release the 2nd UNDER the 1st when the 1st has reached the peak of the arch. Catch both balls. Remember!

Practise until you can do it consistently, with only a pause in between each throws. Try to start the throws from alternate hands so you are comfortable with using both hands to start.

Now… on to the most interesting part! Finally, you are ready to try 3 balls! Start off with 2 balls in one hand and 1 in the other. I find it easier to hold 2 balls in my dominant hand, so you can try that too. Throw the first and second ball as you would when you’re holding 2 balls, however, do NOT try to catch them. Instead, concentrate on releasing the 3rd ball when the 2nd ball has reached the peak of its arch. Let all 3 balls drop to the ground. (Now you know why i say, no boucy balls!!) Pick up all 3 and start again! You will find it extremely difficult to release the 3rd ball. That is normal. You just have to practise till you can release all 3 balls at the right timing!!

Once you have learnt all three balls on time consistently, you can… well, take a break! The practise should have given you a good full 2 -3 hours of fun (and exercise!! Picking up balls works just like squats!! *grin*) so take it easy and remember to take a break when you feel like it

When you’re rested enough, you can come back to doing the 3 balls throw, with a difference. This time round, try to catch all three of the balls instead of letting them drop! When you are able to do that, instead of catching all 3 balls, try to add in a fourth throw before catching all 3 of them. Slowly, little by little, add in one throw at a time when you’re confident and voila!! Before you know it, you’re juggling a basic 3 balls cascade!!

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So there you have it.. The tutorial guide from yours truly on learning to juggle the 3 ball cascade. Remember! There is no hard and fast rule to juggling. The key is loads of practise, so do not give up if you do not get it the first few times! Watching video tutorials of juggling helps too, so you can do a search on Youtube for video juggling tutorials too!

I’ll be posting little tips and guides on the 3 ball cascade later on too, so do keep a lookout for that as well!

Till then, enjoy the magic of juggling and HAVE FUN!!

Kinetic Gal