Ball Juggling

What could be more fun than juggling?

 

Click here to see a short video of "Mr. World", a mechanical, wind-up juggler.

Here are some ball juggling patterns. The patterns are organized around the different ways one can throw a juggling ball. My experience has been that breaking down variations into how one throws has proven useful for many people.

Three Balls

Different Ways to Throw a Ball

Four Balls

Five Balls

 

Siteswap is a method of numbering juggling patterns. The number refers to the throwing order. A ball that is thrown with the number three will appear three steps down the sequence. As a result, one can use the numbers to estimate the height of throws. A five needs to be thrown higher than a three, as the five will show up five steps down the sequence.

 

Siteswaps don't specify what type of throw. As a result, the system is a different way of looking at juggling patterns. It can be very valuable. 

 

The links above will take you to the different points in the outline. Links in the outline will take you to pages with animated GIFs showing some of the variations. Additional GIF files will be added.

Ball Juggling Book Outline
  
Table of Contents
Introduction
Section One - Learning How to Juggle
What type of juggling balls?
Size
Weight
Color
Material
One Ball
release
one ball out of a three ball cascade = 300
Two Balls
two ball exchange = 330
Two in One Hand
Columns
Fountain - Circles Out
                  Reverse Fountain - Circles In

							

							
Sloppy, Difficult Way to Juggle two balls in one hand

						

						
Three Balls

						

							
Making Corrections

						

					

					
Section Two - Variations with Three Balls (Back to top)

					

						
Cascade

						

							
High Cascade
Low Cascade
Wide Cascade
	
  • Cascade from Overhead

										
  • 	
Throw One Ball High and then begin the juggle
									
    • 
							
    
								
    High Throw with a Pause
    
								
    
									
    High Throw with a Two Ball Exchange


    
								
    
							
    
						
    
						
    Reverse Cascade
    
						
    
							
    Ping-Pong variation
Half-Shower
    
							
    
								
    High half shower
Half-Shower in the other direction
Wide reverse cascade
    
							
    
							
                   Statue of Liberty
    
							
    
								
    Second Way to learn Statue of Liberty
Underarm Statue of Liberty
Tim's Tumble
Tim's Over Tumble
Tim's Under Tumble                
    
							
    
							
  • Adam's Web
						
    • 
						
						
    Fountain (covered in section one)
    
						
    
							
    3B - 2B in right hand
3B - 2B in left hand
               
               Two in one hand tennis
    
						
    
						
    Columns
    
						
    
							
    Two balls in right hand, one in left
               
Two balls in left hand, one in right
               
               
  • Alternating middle ball between both hands

								
    weaving middle ball through pattern
middle ball makes figure eight through pattern
Ping Pong with Columns
middle ball makes race pattern around two columns, showers around columns
    
							
    • 
							
    middle ball makes box around both columns
cut throughs
               
  • False Columns
               < - Faking a throw with one hand
    • 
							
    
						
    Shower
    
						
							
  • Shower with a Stacked Multiplex
							
  • Shower with Split Multiplex
							
  • Shower with a Leak
							
  • Exchanging two balls after a high toss
							
  • High shower
								
      
									
    • High-low show
								
    
						
						 
						
                Hand Out of Home Position
    
             
						
    
							
    Crossed Arms
    
							
									
									
							
    Claws
    
							
      
								
    • Preliminary Exercise for Claws
								
    • How to Learn Claws
								
    • chops
								
    • clawed chops
								
    • wheel
								
    • triple claw
								
    • Tissage
								
    • Box with Slaps
								
    • Claws with Carries
							
    
							
    Chops
    
							
      
								
    • Carry Under
								
    • Reverse Chops
								
    • Second Type of Reverse Chops
								
    •  
								
    •  
							
    
						
    
						
						
    Juggling with Other Parts of the Body (Back to top)
    
						
    
							
    Under the Chin
    
							
    
								
    starting under the chin
finishing Under the Chin
eat the Apple Trick
    
							
    
							
    Touch the ball to the body
On Top of the Head
Back of hand - Fingerplex
    
							
    
								
    Fingerplex toss up
    
								
    
									
    fork
    
									
    
										
    two ball fork exchange
Twist &endash; Three ball fork exchange
    
									
    
								
    
							
    
							
    Ball surfing &endash;Rolling balls along the arms
Neck catch
Elbow catch
Foot juggling
Foot catch

Fingerplex
Bounces and Slaps
    
							
    
								
    Bounce off the hand
Bounce off the forearm
Roll off head
Hand, forearm, head progression
Flick off &endash; Bounce off a held ball
Kangaroo &endash; Bounce off the shirt
Bounce off the knee
bounce off knee to foot then return to juggle
    
								
    
								
    
								
    
							
    
						
    
						
    Multiplex
    
						
    
							
    Right, Right, Left
Multiplex two balls with the left hand
Right, Right, Left Multiplex
Cascade and Reverse Cascade Mulitplexes
Split Multiplexes and Non-split multiplexes

[33]33

[32]3
[54][22]2

[33][33]3
    
							
    
								
    Five Ball Split Multiplex
    
							
    
							
    Cascade Multiplex
    
							
    
								
    Split Multiplex
Non-split multiplex
    
							
    
						
    
						
						
    Carries
    
						
    
							
							
    Slice
    
							
    
								
    continuous slicing
    
							
    
							
    Two hand weave
Disappearing ball
    
						
    
						
    Bounce Juggling
    
						
					
					
    Section Three &endash; What else can you do with three balls? (Back to top)
    
					
    
						
    Juggling non standard objects
    
						
    
							
    Disparate Weights
beach ball juggling
comet - scarf tied around ball
    
						
    
						
    Starts, Stops and Transitions
    
						
    
							
    Hat finish
hopstop
stack and carry start
Transitions from four to five to four
Vesuvius &endash; Five ball start
    
						
    
						
    Moving While Juggling
    
						
    
							
    pirouette (1 high, 2 high and 3 high)
    
							
    
								
    flash pirouette
half-pirouette
continuous half-pirouettes
    
							
    
							
    joggling
    
						
    
					
    
					
    Section Four - Four Balls and Variations (Back to top)
    
					
    
						
    Columns
    
						
						
    Staggered Columns
    
						
    
							
    Four Ball Asynchronous Columns - Right In, Left Out

Four Ball Asynchronous Columns - Right In, Left In

    
						
    
						
    Splits
            
Fountain - Circles Out
    
						
						
    Reverse Fountain - Inside Circles
    
						
    
							
    Synchronous Reverse Fountain

Aynchronous (Staggered) Reverse Fountain
    
						
    
						
    Four Balls in Two Wall Planes

Four Balls Crossed
    
						
						
    Four Ball Burke's Barrage

Four Ball Cross Bounce

633 Bounce
    
					
    
					
    Section Five - The Numbers Game - Five and more balls (Back to top)
    
					
    
						
    Three in one hand
    
						
    
							
    Columns
Three ball fountain in the right hand
Reverse Fountain
Cascade
    
						
    
						
    Five Balls
    
						
    
							
    Learning Five Ball Cacade
    
							
							
                   Five Ball Reverse Cascade
    
							
    
								
    half-shower = (4x,6x)
half-shower on 5, (4x,6x) or 73
Tennis
Full Reverse Cascade
    
							
    
							
    Shower
    
							
    
								
    shower = 91
Multiplexshower
High Low Shower
    
							
    
							
    Columns
    
							
    
								
    Martin
    
							
    
							
    Multiplex
    
							
    
								
    Five Ball Stacked Multiplex
Five Ball Split Multiplex 

one-up four-up
    
							
    
							
    Mills Mess
    
							
    
								
    Mills Mess columns (three variations)
    
							
    
						
    
						
    Five Ball bounce
    
						
    
							
    Lift bounce
Force bounce
Five Ball column bounce
    
						
    
						
    Six Balls
            
Seven Balls - Cascade



Eight Balls
    
						
    
							
    cascade
fountain = 8
half shower = 97
    
						
    
						
    Nine Balls
    
					
    
					
    Section Six - Site Swaps (Back to top)
    
					
    
						
    Three Ball Site Swaps
    
						
						
                
            Four Ball Site Swaps
    
						
						
    Five Ball Site Swaps
    
						
					
    
					
    Section Seven - Juggling with Friends (Back to top)
    
					
    
						
    Steals
    
						
    
							
    runaround
    
						
    
						
    Passing
    
						
    
							
    Every third
every others &endash; four count
everies &endash; two count
Two handed passing
    
							
    
								
    Three count
One count
    
							
    
							
    four four eight
three three ten
Passing Formations for three or more
    
							
    
								
    Line
Triangle
W-feed
    
							
    
						
    
					
    
					
    Section Eight - Practice Tips and Techniques (Back to top)
    
					
    
						
    Space
Mind Set
Counting
Timing
The Soviet Method of Numbers Juggling
    
						
    
							
    Correcting the X
Other Theories of Numbers Juggling
Personal thoughts
Modifications on the Russian Method
    
						
    
						
    Stepwise Learning
    
						
    
							
    Working at different levels
    
						
    
						
    Are You a Thrower or a Catcher?
Where Do You Look?
    
					
    
					
    Section Nine - Some Thoughts on Performing (Back to top)
    
					
    
						
    Share Your Love
Character
Costume
Props
Choreography
Working with music
    
						
    
							
    Choosing music
What time signature?
Finding and using the strong beats
    
						
    
						
    It takes ten years to become an overnight sensation
Routine
Lighting
Handling Drops
            
    
					
    
					
    Afterward-A Million Ways to Juggle Balls, at Least - Inventing New Variations 
    
					
                                            
    
								
							
						
    • 
								
						
    
							
    			
			
		
							
			
    
									
						
						
						
						
					


    


    



 







 






 






 






    


    



	   
    
	
    

	
    
		     	
		
	


			
	
	
    
    
    
			
			
	

    

    

    







    

    
 


    

    







    

    










    

    

			
			
			
			
			
			
			
			
			
			






	
    
	
    
	
    
		


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    This web site was last updated on October 1, 2023.