Top 10 Juggling Tricks to Learn After the Cascade
Congratulations! You've mastered the three-ball cascade, the foundation of all juggling. Now you're ready to expand your repertoire with some exciting new patterns and tricks. The cascade teaches you timing, rhythm, and the basic throw-catch cycle, but there's a whole world of juggling beyond that fundamental pattern.
These ten tricks are arranged roughly in order of difficulty, starting with easier variations and progressing to more challenging patterns. Each one builds skills that will serve you well as you continue your juggling journey.
Juggling Tricks
1. Columns
Difficulty: Beginner+
Columns is often the first trick jugglers learn after the cascade because it uses the same timing but changes the throw pattern entirely. Instead of crossing throws, you throw each ball straight up and catch it in the same hand.
Start with two balls, throwing them simultaneously from both hands straight up about 12 inches higher than your cascade throws. Let them drop and try again until you can consistently throw them to the same height. Add the third ball by throwing right-left-right, catching each where you threw it.
The key is keeping your hands parallel and throwing straight up rather than slightly inward like in cascade. This trick teaches you independent hand control and is essential for many advanced patterns.
2. Reverse Cascade
Difficulty: Beginner+
The reverse cascade looks magical because the balls appear to float outward before being caught. Instead of throwing under the descending ball like in cascade, you throw over it.
Begin by practicing the motion without balls. Your hands should scoop outward and upward, throwing over where the opposite hand will catch. The timing remains identical to cascade, but the visual effect is completely different.
Start with one ball, throwing it in an arc that goes up and out rather than up and in. Progress to two balls, then three. The reverse cascade teaches you about different throw angles and trajectories while maintaining cascade timing.
3. Tennis
Difficulty: Intermediate
Tennis (also called "shower" by some jugglers) creates a mesmerizing circular motion where all balls travel in the same direction. All throws come from your dominant hand in a high arc to your other hand, which immediately passes the ball back low and fast.
Practice by throwing one ball from right hand to left hand in a high arc, then immediately passing it back with a quick, low throw. The right hand should be throwing again before the left hand catches its next ball.
This pattern challenges you to use different throw heights and speeds simultaneously. Your dominant hand does all the "juggling" while your other hand just feeds balls back quickly.
4. Two in One Hand
Difficulty: Intermediate
This fundamental skill involves juggling two balls in a single hand while keeping the other hand free. It's essential for many advanced tricks and impressive on its own.
Start with one ball, throwing it in a small column about six inches to the outside of your hand. When comfortable, add a second ball. Throw the first ball, and when it peaks, throw the second ball in a slightly wider column. The pattern should be throw-throw-catch-catch.
Master this in both hands. Two in one hand teaches precise timing and prepares you for patterns where your hands are doing completely different things.
5. Flash
Difficulty: Intermediate
Flash is a quick burst pattern where you throw all three balls rapidly, then catch them all. It looks like a brief explosion of balls in the air.
From a cascade, throw right-left-right as quickly as possible while maintaining proper height. Don't attempt to catch until all three balls are thrown. The timing is much faster than cascade, creating a visual "flash" of activity.
This trick improves your ability to throw quickly and accurately while developing the hand speed needed for more advanced patterns.
6. Over the Top
Difficulty: Intermediate
Over the Top adds flair to your cascade by throwing occasional balls in a high arc that travels over the normal pattern instead of under it.
Start in cascade, then throw one ball much higher and further across than normal, so it travels over the normal crossing point. Continue cascading underneath this high throw. The high ball should land where a normal cascade throw would.
This trick teaches you to maintain a pattern while adding variations, a crucial skill for more complex juggling. It also helps develop your ability to handle balls at different heights simultaneously.
7. Mills Mess
Difficulty: Advanced
Mills Mess is the holy grail for many beginning jugglers because of its mesmerizing twisted-arms appearance. Despite looking incredibly complex, it follows a logical sequence.
The pattern involves your arms continuously crossing and uncrossing while maintaining cascade timing. Start by practicing the arm movements without balls: cross your arms, throw with the hand on top, uncross while the ball is in the air, cross the other way, throw with that hand on top, and repeat.
The key insight is that you're always throwing when your arms are crossed, and the hand on top always throws to the other side. Mills Mess teaches advanced hand coordination and is a gateway to many other crossed-arm patterns.
8. Burke's Barrage
Difficulty: Advanced
Burke's Barrage combines elements of columns and cascade in a pattern where two balls are thrown simultaneously while the third travels back and forth between hands.
Start with two balls in your right hand and one in your left. Throw the two balls from your right hand simultaneously (one straight up, one to your left hand), while also throwing the single ball from your left hand to your right. Catch the straight-up ball with your right hand, and you're back to the starting position.
This pattern challenges your ability to throw multiple balls at once while maintaining different trajectories for each ball.
9. 441 (Four-Four-One)
Difficulty: Advanced
The 441 is a siteswap pattern that creates a distinctive rhythm and visual flow. The numbers represent how many beats each ball spends in the air: 4 beats, 4 beats, then 1 beat.
Start in cascade position. Throw the first ball higher than normal (4 beats), then the second ball at the same height to the opposite hand (4 beats), then immediately throw the third ball straight up and catch it in the same hand (1 beat). The timing is throw-throw-throw-catch-catch-catch.
This introduces you to siteswap notation, a mathematical system that describes juggling patterns, opening the door to hundreds of documented patterns.
10. Box
Difficulty: Advanced
The Box is a sophisticated pattern where balls travel in a square path. Two balls alternate in vertical columns on each side while the third ball travels horizontally between them.
Hold two balls in your right hand, one in your left. Throw one ball straight up from your right hand while simultaneously throwing the ball from your left hand horizontally to your right hand. When the vertical ball comes down, catch it and immediately throw the ball that just arrived horizontally back to your left hand while throwing another ball straight up.
The Box teaches you to coordinate vertical and horizontal throws simultaneously and creates a beautiful geometric pattern that's mesmerizing to watch.
Tips for Learning New Tricks
Practice in Short Sessions: Your brain needs time to process new motor patterns. Practice for 15-20 minutes, then take a break.
Master Each Step: Don't rush to add the third ball until you're completely comfortable with two balls or whatever the intermediate step might be.
Use Different Colored Balls: This helps you track which ball goes where, especially important for complex patterns like Mills Mess.
Record Yourself: Video helps you see what you're actually doing versus what you think you're doing.
Stay Relaxed: Tension kills juggling. Keep your shoulders relaxed and breathe normally.
Building Your Skills
Each of these tricks teaches different aspects of juggling: timing variations, throw angles, hand independence, and coordination. Don't feel pressured to learn them in order – if one isn't clicking, try another and return later.
Remember that juggling is ultimately about having fun and challenging yourself. These ten tricks will keep you busy for months or even years, and each one opens doors to countless variations and combinations. The journey from cascade to advanced patterns is filled with "aha!" moments and the satisfaction of achieving something that once seemed impossible.
Keep practicing, stay patient with yourself, and enjoy the process. Every juggler progresses at their own pace, and every small improvement is worth celebrating. Before you know it, you'll be the one inspiring others to move beyond their first cascade into the wonderful world of advanced juggling.
