Last updated on March 30th, 2021 at 11:30 pm
Time To Learn How To Juggle
So you want to learn how to juggle? Juggling looks like a lot of fun right, whether it be with balls, clubs, rings, scarves or whatever. I bet you have thought I wouldn’t mind trying that but find it’s not as easy as it looks. Fear not because we will walk you through the basics. You will be aided by some of the best jugglers in the business via a series of video tutorials. The aim here is to learn how to juggle 3 balls.
Most people when they think of juggling probably think of three balls being tossed into the air. That is of course the best and easiest way to learn how to juggle. With that in mind that is what we will concentrate on in this tutorial.
Consider this to be your introduction or one or your first juggling lessons.
How does juggling work? Don’t worry as we have some brilliant videos to help illustrate the points. So just how do you learn to juggle?
The Basics – How To Juggle Balls
The first thing to do is find a relaxed stance with feet apart.
It’s important to prepare and nail the basics and the first of those is to take one ball, yes just one and practice throwing it between hands. Ensure it arcs around eye level. It may seem basic and it is but if you want to become a good juggler you really can’t skip ahead.
Having mastered throwing beween two hands try doing it with you eyes closed.
Once you are comfortable throwing the ball between hands we will add a second. However this presents us with the opportunity to go through how to hold two balls in one hand. I could describe how to do that however sometimes you really do need to see it, but don’t worry because the video I have to demonstrate this point is from a truly outstanding juggler none other than Niels Duinker. (For holding two balls in one hand skip to 2:16)
Back to throwing and now I want you place a ball in each hand. Now simply throw one ball and throw the other ball underneath it before it comes down. Now you are juggling two balls. Repeat this exercise until you feel comfortable, note most juggling tutorials will have you do this. The reason is to make you feel comfortable with the balls and get into a rhythm whilst improving your hand eye co-ordination. This step by step approach is proven to work so stick with it.
To take this on a little further try alternating which hand you start with.
Three Balls
Now you are ready to move on to three balls and you will need to have two balls in your dominant hand and one in the other hand. Throw the balls as before but add a second throw right before the second ball comes down. Spending time here will really help as this really is the fundamentals of juggling. Keep going until you are happy that you won’t be dropping any balls very often.
Once you have mastered it simply add a fourth thrown and catch and then a fifth and sixth. Now you really are juggling, so keep practising daily if possible until it becomes second nature.
So now you are hopefully juggling but maybe you need some visual help for that I think we need the help of Niels Duinker to demonstrate.
Lets take a look at the outstanding Niels Duinker.
Niels Duinker who demonstrates the art of juggling, he starts off right at the beginning with just one ball. This may seem a little too simple but stick with him as he is one of the best around.
- Video Source: Niels Duinker YouTube Channel
Is It Easy To Learn To Juggle?
To learn how to juggle requires more than just throwing balls between hands you need to throw in patterns. There are many different juggling patterns to master but once you know the basics you can put together some pretty impressive routines.
So let’s learn a few of those easier patterns starting with…
Three Ball Columns
This looks really simple but like all juggling tricks it does require a little patience, thankfully Niels is on hand to break this down into several steps.
Niels Duinker demonstrates how to perform 3 Ball Columns which is a very common pattern / trick
Three Ball Over the Top and Tennis
More 3 ball tricks / patterns from Niels Duinker here he show how to perform Three Ball Over the Top
Remember the more juggling patterns you learn meaning the better your act will become as you seamlessly move from one to the other.
Learn How To Juggle
I’ll let Niels take you through a few more juggling patterns so you can get an idea of what you can achieve. Then you can simply choose which ones to prioritise for learning.
The Shower
The Shower is another very common and essential pattern to learn and master if you are to become a competent juggler.
The Box
Here we are shown the pattern / trick The Box
423 / W
This trick is called the 423 or The W trick
Under The Legs & Behind The Back
Time to add a few fancy moves to our routines with the classic under the leg and behind the back move.
That concludes Niels’s excellent video juggling tutorials on patterns. If you have made to the point of being able to pull off the under the leg or behind the back tricks then please share your YouTube video links here. I always love seeing how people are progressing and what variations you have come up with.
Where To Purchase Juggle Balls
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Conclusion – Learn How To Juggle 3 Balls
The trick (pardon the pun) here is to keep practicing using what you have learned here as a guide. The videos from juggler Niels Duinker should aid you in this. How long will it take? Well that depends largly on you and how often you practice. If you do it for hour everyday for a couple of weeks you should be able to pull off Columns and The Shower patterns.
That does not mean you won’t be dropping any of the balls, trust me we all do that no matter how good you are. It just happens less often the better you get and the more relaxed you are. You will develop a more natural looking rhythm which will make it look easy but you and I know it is far from easy. After all you know how many hours it took you to get there! Bottom line if what you are doing looks easy and natural then you are probably on the right track.
Anyway soon you will be impressing your friends and family with some amazing tricks/ patterns. Once you have mastered three balls try more or try something a bit different such juggling clubs or rings. Don’t worry as I will have articles on all these different types of juggling and different number of items you may or will be using.
Final Thoughts – Is Juggling Hard To Learn
The great thing is that all the skills you learn here with the balls can of course be transferred over to rings and clubs. Essentially the patterns you learn in one form of juggling, balls for example will be the same as you use in another, say clubs. There will obviously be some differences but the basics remain the same and it will be more focusing on the how you throw a club or a ring as opposed to learning a new pattern.
What’s the trick to juggling? Patience and practice!!! How can I get better at juggling fast? Invest more time each day!
Juggling Tips – Learn How To Juggle
- Don’t try to skip ahead to three balls start with throwing & catching just one.
- Spend plenty of time practicing with two balls. Time spent here will really help when you finally add in that third ball.
- When you do add the final ball don’t get discouraged when you keep dropping them on the floor. The key is focus & patience.
- Remember the more often you practice the easier it will become.
- Once you master throwing three in pattern you can transfer that skill to clubs, rings or even scarves.
- Don’t juggling too many balls until you have mastered three.
- Oh and don’t keep this new found talent to yourself. Show your friends & family.
- And lastly practice, practice & practice.
Keep practising and keep an eye out for my next juggling tutorial. I do currently have other tutorials posted on the website that cover clubs, rings and scarves. So for instance if you require help with different types and styles these will hopefully get you up and running.
Who knows may be you can combine juggling on a unicycle or juggling on roller skates into your act! Or how about juggling apples whilst eating them, the possibilities are endless once you have mastered three balls.
One of the benefits that come from juggling is an improvement or sharpening of your hand eye coordination.
- Beginners Guide To Clubs
- Intermediate Level Clubs
- A Beginners Guide To Juggling Scarves
- What is contact juggling?
A big thanks to Niels Duinker for producing the best set of tutorials I’ve seen. They are really easy to follow, as Niels breaks down a seemingly challenging skill into simple step by step throwing exercises. I’ve seen many jugglers produce content but his are by far the highest quality production values that allow him to show different angles. This is very useful when trying to get to grips with a new pattern.
One other thing he manages to achieve is to show how much fun juggling really can be. Don’t forget to head over to his YouTube channel for more excellent content and give his videos a like if they helped you learn how to juggle 3 balls.
If you require more information you can always head over to the IJA (The International Juggler’s Association).
Juggling Clown
