Juggling 5 Ball Trick – Getting Started

To learn how to juggle 5 balls, it is assumed that you can already juggle a very good cascading 3 ball pattern and do quite a few tricks. It is not essential that you have learned to juggle 4 balls, as odd numbers of balls are done differently than even numbers, but there are several 4 ball tricks that can help you learn to juggle 5 balls.

5 ball juggling is not easy and will require a lot of time, practice and a lot of falls, but stick with it and it will be worth it! Note that I use the terms “favorite hand” and “weaker hand” instead of mentioning “left” and “right” hands. This makes it easier for left handed people especially to understand these tricks!

What does this pattern look like?

The Royal 5 Ball Cascade is the same pattern as the 3 Ball Cascade, only higher and much faster! This may sound simple enough, but keep in mind that in the cascade, the balls all go through the same center point, and so if your timing or accuracy is slightly off, then the balls are more likely to collide!

find other tips

When researching how to juggle 5 balls, everyone seems to have their own opinions on which tricks and techniques are the best. The tip I offer here is one possible way to learn how to juggle 5 balls, but feel free to try other people’s tips too! Find your nearest Juggling Club or Convention to meet other jugglers who can encourage and help you.

do not give up

3-ball cascade and 4-ball juggling may have taken you only a few days or weeks to master, but 5-ball juggling will take much longer, so be prepared! It took this author a few years of practice before he became solid.

Learn 3 and 4 ball tricks

Try to learn all the tricks in this article, as there are some good 3 and 4 ball juggling patterns that will help you master 5 ball juggling, but they’re still great tricks to add to your repertoire!

How high should I launch?

This is a trade off, as you’ll know from juggling 3 balls, the lower you can throw, the more accurate pattern you’ll have, but the less time you’ll have to hit each shot, and vice versa. Some people suggest that you should throw as high as you can reach when you’re on your toes. The choice is yours!

How to hold 3 balls in one hand

When it comes to juggling numbers (for example, 5 or more balls), it’s best to buy some balls that are a little smaller than normal or much softer, because you can’t change the size of the hands that hold them. . ! You’ll find that 5-ball jugglers have their own favorite type of juggling ball and their favorite method of holding 3 balls, so experiment a bit until you find a method that works for you! The poufs take up little space and have the added advantage that they do not roll when they hit the ground.

Practice these 3 and 4 ball tricks first!

There are several 3 and 4 ball tricks I recommend practicing that will help you learn to juggle 5 balls. Of course, there is nothing better than picking up 5 balls and trying, but these tricks are useful to help you increase your juggling speed, height, accuracy and improve your timing, which are essential skills to improve your 5 ball juggling, so Please try these tricks!

3 ball tricks

In any 5-ball practice session, it’s probably best to pick a couple of these tricks and maybe a 4-ball trick and lots of 5-ball practice, rather than just concentrating on one trick. This can keep you from getting frustrated and will also help expand your 3 and 4 ball juggling routines!

• 3 ball cascade (high): Practice shooting each ball at a height of 5 balls and get the consistent height with each shot.
• Hands up to the knees: Juggle a cascade of 3 balls, but drop your hand below your knees before shooting the ball high.
• 3 ball shower: One hand throws high to the other hand, which passes to the first. In essence, one hand does all the throwing and the other hand does all the catching. The balls travel in one direction (a kind of triangle). To start, just use two balls. Hold them both in your favorite hand and throw them high and fast (one after the other). As soon as a ball lands in your weaker hand, pass it horizontally to your dominant hand. When you feel ready to try three, remember that this will take a lot of practice to get it looking fluent. Remember to shoot high and accurately as you don’t have time to chase balls! Try to make a tall shower pattern and keep the pattern smooth and precise, and practice this in both directions!
• 3 Ball Flash: While cascading, shoot all 3 balls high then continue. This trick will help you get used to the speed and height of the 5 ball cascade!
• Flash with applause: Do a 3-ball flash (see above), and as soon as you’ve released the third ball, clap once. Now try again, but this time clap your hands twice before continuing with the waterfall. These 2 claps would represent the 4 and 5 balls being thrown in a cascading pattern, making it a very useful trick. Try to do this trick continuously.
• Juggling the baby: Start with 2 balls in your favorite hand and one ball in your weaker hand. Throw 2 balls from your favorite hand in a rain pattern, then throw the ball from your other hand directly into your favorite hand. Now throw the 2 balls in the rain pattern towards your favorite hand and throw the single ball directly into your weaker hand. This trick is called holding the baby, because that’s how you would juggle a real baby (the baby is the only ball that would be carefully passed using your arm as a cradle, in a straight line from one hand to the other!) PLEASE DON’T JUGGLE A REAL BABY!

4 ball tricks

Learn some or all of these tricks, then try juggling 5 balls. Learning these tricks will help make it easier!

• Half Shower: If you’re able to do a 3-ball shower (see above), then this trick should be simple enough once you get comfortable with 4-ball juggling. You can start by juggling this pattern synchronously (throwing a ball from each hand at the same time). Choose which direction you want the balls to go in and at the same time throw a ball high to one hand and low to the other hand. When both balls peak (which should be around the same time, takes a bit of work), then throw the next two balls in exactly the same way (the hand that threw a lob, throws another lob, etc.) .). Go ahead and practice this trick in both directions!
• Snake: Start with two balls in each hand. Throw a ball from your favorite hand, then two balls from your weaker hand in quick succession. Then throw two of your favorite hand in succession. (i.e. throw the one still in your hand, catch the first one on the left, throw it, catch and hold the second one on the left) Then two on the left, two on the right, two on the left, etc. It’s confusing at first, but the pattern looks great!

5 Ball Tips and Things to Practice

• Improve your accuracy: Throw the 5 balls and let them fall again. Look where they have landed. They should have landed roughly in a group of 2 close to each other and 3 balls close to each other.
• Improve your time: Try to throw the 5 balls into the air and let them fall to the ground. Listen to the sound these 5 balls make when they hit the ground and try to get a nice even rhythm for the drops. This will mean that your pattern is evenly spaced.
• 5 ball flash: That’s 5 pitches in a row with 5 receptions. The 3 balls from your favorite hand should end up in your weaker hand and the 2 balls from your weaker hand should end up in your favorite hand. You may find that it’s your third or fourth pitch that always misses the same way every time, and therefore this hack gives you a chance to focus on improving that particular pitch.
• Stand near a wall: What really helped me was when I practiced against a wall. Since the balls touched the wall a bit, his pattern was easier to do.
• Try 6 captures, then 7: “After you learn how to do the five ball flash you should try throwing an extra ball afterwards, I did research and learned that in the old juggling schools they taught to take one step at a time and it helped me a lot, for example don’t just flash , but flash an extra ball so you eventually develop the quintuplets’ rhythm faster” (Tip from Jashufet Harold)
• 1 ball of different color: Try to use 4 balls of the same color and one ball of a different color. If you have, say, four black balls and one red ball, and you make sure to throw the red ball last, then you’ll be able to keep track of how many catches you’re making, because every time you throw the red ball, you know what you’ve done! “5 more catches”!
• If the pattern becomes too wide: This tends to happen when you don’t have enough time to bring your hands back to the center of your body for the next pitch. Try throwing a little higher to give yourself more time to return your hand to its proper throwing position.
• If the pattern becomes too narrow: This may be because the pattern is too high. Try to lower the pattern a bit and extend the pattern slowly (if you do it too fast you may find the balls collide!)
• I can handle “10” pitches and then I can’t go any further! Try some 5-ball flashes (5 pitches and 5 catches). Aim for accuracy and improve timing. Now try to get 10 clean pitches, catches, and saves. If you can keep the first 10 pitches and catches clean, then there’s no reason you can’t keep up with a little practice. It may help to stop trying to count the balls as this may be taking up too much of your thinking!
• The pattern seems too fast! One way to make 5 ball juggling seem slower is to try showing a 7 ball cascade! After a few tries and realizing that you have to be even faster and more precise, your 5 ball pattern will seem much slower than before. Trust me, this really works!
• My arms hurt a lot when I practice: In order to build up some stamina, you could possibly try some weight training at your local gym, try juggling 3 or 4 of the heavy DX balls, or just keep practicing, but take regular breaks (your arms will eventually give out). get used to this trick, but it will take time to build up the stamina!)

You only need 3 reps of 5 balls to be classified as a 5 ball juggler (15 catches), so keep practicing!