Juggling: The Proper Three Ball Cascade and a Lesson About Life

Now let's learn to juggle three balls properly. Do not rush things. If you skip steps now, you will pay for it later. We are going to begin with just one ball. Practice with one ball first. Until you have mastered the basic throw and catch, don't even think about picking up the second ball. Likewise, until you have mastered two, resist the temptation to try with three. If you rush ahead, you will end up with bad habits, and breaking those bad habits will be hard and painful. Take your time. Be patient. Progress slowly. Relax. And don't forget to breathe.

Please note: The basic pattern for juggling an odd number of objects is called a cascade, meaning that the balls cross in front of your body. They do not travel a circular path, they cross. This is a common misconception about juggling. The circular pattern is a more difficult and advanced pattern called a shower. But you must first learn the cascade.

One ball-- Stand with your feet shoulder width apart. Elbows bent at about 90 degrees and close to your body. Forearms parallel to the ground. One ball in your favorite hand. Look straight ahead. Throw that ball into the air so that it makes an arc in the air in front of you. As it descends, it should fall precisely into your other hand. The highest point of the arc should be somewhere between eye level and a few inches higher than the top of your head. Then throw the ball in the exact same manner back to the original hand and repeat. And repeat. And repeat.

Here are some points to consider while practicing with one ball. You should not progress any further until you have mastered the following:

• You should not be moving your feet. At all. Be very strict about this rule, as if they are glued to the floor. Do not move them.

• Do not reach forward to make a catch. The secret of juggling is to make good throws, not good catches. You must throw the ball so that it falls with minimal effort into the waiting hand.

• Do not reach up to catch a ball. Let gravity bring the ball down into the waiting hand. If you reach up to make a catch, you are robbing yourself of potential time during which you will eventually need to be dealing with other balls.

• Do not look at your hands. If you look straight ahead you will see the balls clearly when they are at the peak of their arc. At that point it is easy to know where they will fall. Anticipate their descent. Be proactive, rather than reactive. Your brain is a high speed calculator. It can easily make the minimal adjustments necessary to catch the balls.

• Relax. Relax your shoulders. Breathe. Practice. Remember to make good throws. Try it a few times with your eyes closed. It should be possible. Make a perfect throw, and the catch will happen almost automatically.

• Absorb the impact of the catch slightly, as if the ball were an egg. Be smooth and gentle. These are not bricks that you are juggling. They are lightweight balls. Treat them like that. Practice a little longer.

Two Balls-- There is very little more to add here, except that now you will have one ball in each hand. The throws will be exactly the same. Got that? Exactly the same throws. Do not do anything differently. Catching is less important throwing. (You will not throw both balls to the same point. If you did, they would collide. Your left hand will throw to a point about 8 inches above, and 18 inches in front of your right shoulder. The right hand will throw to that same point but over and in front of the left shoulder. If the balls left a trail of smoke, those trails would cross approximately 18 inches in front of the center of your breast plate. I don't mean to make this seem difficult, it's really quite easy. Take a look at the video if you'd like a visual.) Throw the first ball. When it reaches the apex of it's parabola, throw the second ball so that it passes under the first. Catch the first. And then catch the second. Stop. Breathe. Try a few more times. Two throws, two catches and nothing more. Now try again, beginning with the other hand.

Remember do not move your feet. Do not reach forward to make the catches. Practice good throws. This is not a rushed procedure. Do not throw both balls at the same time. The whole process should take about four seconds.

• One- throw the first ball.
• Two- throw the second ball.
• Three- catch the first ball.
• Four- catch the second ball.

Now try alternating hands. Start with the right hand. Make two throws and two catches. Now start with the left hand. Make two throws and two catches. Try it with your eyes closes. It should be possible. Difficult, but possible. Relax. Take lots of breaks. Don't get frustrated. Relax. Have fun. Do not let the balls rule your emotions. They are just stupid little balls. You are the master. Got that? Ready to try three? Here goes nothing.

Three balls-- Nothing new happens now, either. Same timing. Same throws. The goal is to make three throws and three catches and then pause. Start with two balls in your favorite hand. The hand with two balls will throw first.

• When the first ball reaches its peak, throw the second ball and catch the first.

• When the second ball is at its peak, throw the third ball and catch the second.

• Then, catch the third in the hand that is now holding the first. (Try to catch it in your fingers, since the first ball is already in that hand.)

• You have just made three throws and three catches. You have just juggled.

Don't rush things. Don't move your feet. Make good throws. Don't reach forward. Look straight ahead. Do it again and again and again. Try starting in the other hand first. When you can consistently make three throws and three catches starting from either hand, move on to four throws. Then five. Then six. Each time a hand opens to throw a ball it will also catch one. Somewhere around twelve or fifteen throws, you will be able to stop counting and just juggle.

Congratulate yourself. You have just learned the most difficult skill in this book. Juggling is a metaphor for life. And you have just kicked its ass. That's just the kind of guy you are.