How to Juggle

Juggling is one of the more impressive hobbies to take on.

A juggler's hand to eye coordination skills have to be sharp in order to keep all of those balls, bowling pins, flame sticks, or eggs passing through the air and landing in their palms steadily. Every top juggler had to start somewhere, and that is with just one ball.

Follow these steps and you too can learn how to develop a juggling skill and entertain your friends and family.

Step one: Select a non-breakable item to juggle.
Step two: Practice the juggling movement with one ball.
Step three: Try two balls.
Step four: Ready for three balls?
Step five: Four balls or more!
General tips

Step one: Select a non-breakable item to juggle.

As a beginner, it is not a good idea to start juggling eggs. Start with a small ball that doesn't bounce much and isn't too heavy, such as a small beanbag or haki sack. You can buy them or make them yourself. You will need four.

Step two: Practice the juggling movement with one ball.

The idea is to toss the ball up in the air in an arc and catch it with your other hand. Toss it back to your other hand reversing the arc. The ball should reach approximately eye level. Repeat this until you consistently create a clean arc back and forth at around eye level without dropping the ball.

It is important that you do not move your hands and arms too much. Keep your elbows bent around your waist and throw the ball with your wrist, not your entire arm. Keeping your hands at the same level will make it easier to calculate the force of the throw you need to get the ball up to eye level. Think of juggling as a throwing skill, not necessarily a catching skill. If you throw the ball to the proper height, it will land in your hand at the right time.

Step three: Try two balls.

Begin with one ball in each hand. If you are right-handed, you will start with your right hand. (If you are left-handed you can start with your left.) Toss the first ball in an arc to your other hand. Do not release the second ball in an arc until the first ball reaches eye level. Catch both balls and stop. Repeat the exercise until you are comfortable with the timing of throwing one ball, waiting for it to reach the highest point of the arc, and then throwing the second ball. Note that you are not throwing these balls at the same time.

Remember that the idea is to throw the ball properly. Catching the ball will come naturally if your timing and force is correct when you toss the balls.

Once you get the hang of starting the juggle with your stronger hand, practice this drill beginning with the opposite hand. Repeat until you are comfortable with the exercise.

Step four: Ready for three balls?

After you have mastered the two-ball exercise, the real juggling can begin. You will hold two balls in your stronger hand and one ball in the other. Begin as before throwing one of the balls in your stronger hand in an arc to the other hand. Toss the ball in your other hand only once the first ball has reached the highest point in the arc. As soon as the second ball reaches the highest point in the air, you will throw the third ball. It helps to get this ball in position before you throw it, since you were just holding two balls in this hand.

This will certainly take practice, but if you are used to the timing in the exercise with only two balls using either hand as the lead, you should get the hang of this soon. Repeat the exercise until you can keep it up for a long time.

Remember that each time a ball is at its highest point in the air, you will throw the ball from hand that is meant to catch the ball coming towards it.
Don't forget to keep your elbows bent near your waist and use your wrists. If you keep the arc shape in your throw at the right height, the ball should land right in your hand.

Step five: Four balls or more!

You can finish your juggling act with something like this.

Once you have the rhythm of three balls you can add another one. You may throw slightly higher to allow time to throw, but ultimately you will simply need to move your hands faster.
The more balls you have, the higher you can throw and/or the faster you will need to move.

General tips:

Impressive, but don't expect to juggle
eggs after a few days of practise.

Try not to move forward. If you have trouble staying in one place, stand in front of something to remind you to stay straight.

If you have trouble getting the rhythm of three balls down, you might be too focused on catching. The throw is the most important part, so try to focus on that.

Throw the balls higher if you find that you don't have time to throw before the ball in the air comes down.

Rest in between practice sessions. Spend a few minutes trying, take a break, and then go back to it.

Be patient. You can't expect to be juggling six balls after two days of practice. Like with any skill, it will take time to develop. Relax and keep practicing. Before long, you will be a juggling pro.