How to Juggle Five Balls

Co-authored by wikiHow Staff

Last Updated: December 15, 2022 References

Juggling is a fun and entertaining skill that's sure to impress. Many people can juggle two balls, some can juggle three balls, and a select few can even juggle four. By first mastering the basics, practicing a lot, and learning how to incorporate more balls, you can develop the skills needed to become a five-ball juggler.

Part 1

Part 1 of 3:

Mastering Three Balls

1
Start by throwing one ball. Hold both your hands in front of you with your palms facing up. Loosely cradle a ball in one hand, keeping it low and at your side. Using your elbow and not your wrist, toss the ball up into a high arc, aiming to brush your forehead.^{[1]
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Catch the ball in the opposite hand. Watch the ball as it moves through the air, and slightly adjust your other hand so that the ball will land in it. Repeat this until you can comfortably throw and catch the ball without struggling.^{[2]
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3
Throw two balls correctly. Hold one ball in each hand, and then throw one of them up into the air as you do when you only have one ball. When the ball you threw begins to descend, toss the second ball up and across in the opposite direction.^{[3]
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4
Catch two balls correctly. Catch the first ball you threw in the opposite hand you threw it from. Catch the second ball you threw in the opposite hand you threw it from. Practice throwing and catching the two balls like this until it feels easy.^{[4]
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5
Add a third ball into the mix. Hold two balls in your dominant hand and one ball in your non-dominant hand. Start the same way you do when throwing two balls, but this time when the second ball is falling into your dominant hand, throw the third ball up. Catch the balls. You should have one in your dominant hand and two in your non-dominant hand.^{[5]
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6
Practice with three balls until you've nailed it. Repeat this process until you're comfortable with continuing the sequence over and over again without pausing in between to catch all three. This is called the three ball cascade.^{[6]
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Part 2

Part 2 of 3:

Practicing Drills and Adding Ball Four

1
Practice juggling three balls with higher throws. Continue practicing the three ball cascade, but increase the height that you're throwing at to better resemble the height of the five ball cascade.^{[7]
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Research source} While having the balls peak at the top of your head is a good height for juggling with three balls, juggling with five balls requires that the balls peak about a foot above your head.
2
Clap between throws and catches with three balls. When doing the three ball cascade, empty your hands quicker than usual by making three quick tosses. Clap your hands once before catching the balls and returning to the three ball cascade.^{[8]
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Research source} This will help you develop the quickness needed when juggling a higher quantity.
3
Practice cascade throws with four balls. Start with two balls in each hand. Throw one ball from your non-dominant hand, followed by two consecutive throws from your dominant hand. As the second ball thrown (first from your dominant hand) begins to approach your non-dominant hand, make room to catch it by tossing the last ball up. Catch the balls. There should be three in one hand and one in the other.^{[9]
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4
Add a horizontal pass to a three ball cascade. Start with two balls in each hand. Throw one ball from your dominant hand, one ball from your non-dominant, and then the second ball from your dominant. At this point, you'll have three balls in the air and one still held in your hand. As the first ball you threw approaches your non-dominant hand, throw your last ball horizontally to your dominant hand. Catch the first ball in your non-dominant followed by the others.^{[10]
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5
Juggle four balls in a five ball cascade pattern. Starting with two balls in each hand, throw one ball from your dominant hand and then throw one ball from your non-dominant hand. Throw the other ball from your dominant hand and then the last ball from your non-dominant hand. Catch two balls in one hand and two balls in the other.^{[11]
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Part 3

Part 3 of 3:

Incorporating a Fifth Ball

1
Make the first three throws. Start with three balls in your dominant hand and two balls in your other hand. Throw one ball in a high arc from your dominant hand, one ball from your non-dominant hand, and one more from your dominant hand. You should have one ball in each hand and three in the air at this point.^{[12]
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Balance throwing and catching. As the first ball you threw approaches your non-dominant hand, make a throw from your non-dominant hand to make room for the ball to be caught. Then, throw one ball from your dominant hand to make room for the next ball to be caught.^{[13]
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3
Catch all five balls and then restart the sequence. Catch all five balls in your hands so that the balls are similar to how they started at the beginning of the sequence. Start the sequence over again, take the same steps, and pause again when all five balls fall back into your hands. Continue practicing this until you feel confident.^{[14]
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4
Add as many throws as you can to the sequence. Once you're able to throw and catch all five balls in the five ball cascade sequence without dropping them or losing control, omit the pause. Instead of pausing to catch all five balls at the sequence's end, keep adding throws in the pattern one by one for as long as you can.^{[15]
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Warnings

Do not learn to juggle three in one hand. This helps with developing quickness, but it gets you into the habit of throwing balls directly up instead of across to the other hand.

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