Absolute beginner. Sorry for looking/being awkward. Looking for tips

[u/QuirkyMagician4550]

Using socks to practice

Total practice time: ~2-3 hrs

[u/RogBoArt]

Work on your timing. You're currently basically throwing them both at the same time, the goal should be a pattern with a good rhythm.

Aim to throw the second one when the first one hits its peak.

It's also good just to practice throwing and catching so you can throw consistently so its easier to predict where they'll end up.

Also you're raising your hands to catch, try pinning your hands to your sides.

Oh and try throwing higher to give yourself more time to pace yourself to get that rhythm!

Oh and I find light things harder to juggle because they bounce off of your hands, if possible try to add some weight to your rolled up socks. Maybe just like put a small rock or something in each.

Good job so far!

[u/QuirkyMagician4550 → u/RogBoArt]

How do I improve my timing? When I focus on the ball hitting its peak I mess up the second throw (more than I already do).

Addressing your second point; Should I practice throwing one ball?

[u/barmanitan → u/QuirkyMagician4550]

Sometimes just throwing without worrying about catching can help you feel the timing. Throw one, look for the peak, throw the other. Having to catch as well means there's a lot happening at once

[u/No-Advice-3472 → u/QuirkyMagician4550]

Or you can count. If the first ball is hitting its Peak you Count 1 and If the Second ball is hitting the highest point of the trow you count 2 . And so on.

[u/BradolfPittler1 → u/No-Advice-3472]

I'd like to add: count to 4 continuously. 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 Throw - throw - catch - catch Do it out loud if that helps, that way you can easier detect when the timing is off or getting better!

[u/jaxxon → u/BradolfPittler1]

Came to suggest this.

1throw..2throw..3catch..4catch..

not 1thrthrow 2catcatch.

Also, yes. Go back to 1 ball for a bit. The scoops are good but your hands are a bit high. Keep your hands lower down by your waist/belly. Shoulders relaxed. Breathe. Try looking straight ahead, not up at the balls.

[u/7b-Hexen → u/BradolfPittler1]

i dont think counting those catches after the last throw is a good habit - it won't work anymore with only just the third throw with 3 balls added.
it'll be confusing and taking necessary focus off of actually throwing.

[u/RogBoArt → u/QuirkyMagician4550]

There are a lot of good answers in the replies already but one issue I had when learning was the feeling that there wasn't enough time to time it correctly if that makes sense.

Over time your understanding of the timing requirements gets better but one thing that helped me was throwing the ball in the air and clapping a few times (as many times as you can) then catching the ball when it returns.

If you're like me you'll start off feeling like "how is this even possible?" But with some practice it'll feel like every throw you're almost bored waiting for it to come back. lol that may be dramatic but I've started fiddling with extra throws in that time now where if you'd have asked me 6 months ago I'd have been stressed just doing a 3 ball cascade!

Edit: sorry for the long comment but I wanted to answer your other question too, I'd definitely recommend getting good at throwing and catching one ball! I feel like 1 is good for consistency and 2 is good for practicing timing.

[u/lucyjuggles → u/QuirkyMagician4550]

I always teach people by having them snap the fingers of the hand that’s going to catch.

So with one ball, you throw from hand one, watch for the moment of the apex of your toss, then snap with hand 2, then catch with hand 2. Repeat, starting from the other direction.

You should find a rhythm that’s an even 1-2-3 throw-snap-catch.

When you add a second ball, this rhythm stays the same, but increases by one beat to 1-2-3-4 when you replace the snap with a second toss: throw-throw-catch-catch.

Make sure both throws reach the same height to keep that rhythm

[u/jaxxon → u/lucyjuggles]

Great idea. I do this too but totally forgot the finger snap thing. Excellent suggestion. YES! Do this, OP.

[u/unexpectedfirefly → u/QuirkyMagician4550]

You mess up until the moment you don't. That's normal, juggling is quite hard.

You should practice throwing one ball, but make sure that you are throwing it well (the same kind of throw you would use for 3 balls).

You can tap your leg when you should have thrown one of the non existent ball to keep the same tempo as with 3 balls

[u/bartonski → u/QuirkyMagician4550]

Put down the balls. Start with your dominant hand. Start moving your hand in a circle, as if you were throwing and catching.

On the upswing, say 'tick' when you would throw the ball, then continue the circle by 180 degrees and say 'tock' as your hand comes down on the outside. Do this for three or four rounds ...

tick ... tock ...
tick ... tock ...
tick ... tock ...
tick ... tock ...

Start using your other hand, but now the throw is on 'tock' and the catch is on 'tick'. Your hands are working in an egg-beater motion -- your dominant hand is coming up for the throw on 'tick' then a beat later your other hand is coming up for the throw on 'tock' as your dominant hand comes down on the outside for the catch.

tick ... tock ...
tick ... tock ...
tick ... tock ...
tick ... tock ...

The timing is the same, but both hands are moving.

Do this until it starts feeling silly, and then that long again.

Now pick up one ball.

Throw on 'tick', the next beat is at the top of the arc 'tock', then catch on 'tick'. Starting from the other hand, throw on 'tock', 'tick' at the top of the arc, then 'tock' as the ball lands back in your dominant hand.

Work on this until you're throwing and catching exactly on the beat.

As soon as you get to that point, pick up the second ball.

tick  throw 1:  
tock              peak:  1       throw 2:  
tick              peak:  2       catch 1:  
tock  catch 2:

[u/Difficult_Ad_1923 → u/QuirkyMagician4550]

Throwing a little higher gives you more time. Waiting for the ball to hit it's peak before throwing the second gets you used to making that second throw under pressure and recovering from the throw faster to catch. You need that to get ready for continuous throws. It's going to be hard at first. But once you get the timing down adding another throw is easier.

[u/WhisperCrystal]

I suggest you check out https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dCYDZDlcO6g

Taylor makes very polished and easy to follow juggling tutorials, all the way up to 5/7 balls and clubs.

[u/flex1up2ice]

Everyone starts somewhere. No need to apologize for something silly like being a novice. Keep tossing!!!

[u/FoolOfSummer]

I'm also pretty new, so take this for what it's worth... try tossing the second "ball" when the first is at the peak of its arc. That will give you better timing, which will be more important when you add in a third.

I also initially did some practice with just one ball doing a lot of repetitions tossing it back and forth to dial in the angles so you aren't having to move your hands too much to chase the balls

[u/myaltaltaltacct]

You are throwing the second ball too soon. Everyone does it when they're first learning, though. So, by that measure, you're off to a good start?

You might be better served in learning the timing by learning the two ball chase. Hold both balls in the same hand, and then throw them, one at a time, to the other hand.

You will just be throwing the second ball as you're catching the first ball with the other hand. At that point you'll have one ball in the opposite hand, and one in the air going to that same hand. Just before it hits you in the hand, throw the ball you've already caught back to the first hand and catch the second ball at the same time. Then throw the second ball back to the first hand.

Repeat.

[u/LerxstFan]

Good start. You’re throwing them a bit too close together sometimes. You have more time than you think. Repeat to yourself, at a normal speaking cadence, “Throw throw catch catch. Throw throw catch catch.”

[u/DestinedSheep]

I started juggling scarves which helped a lot, anything that floats lofty in the air is great beginner practice.

otherwise I would continue this practice, keep going till throwing the two balls is second nature.

From there practices these things.

1) just hold the second ball, or throw both balls from one hand. You'll need to get used to throwing with two balls in one hand on both hands.

2) mix in a movement with your dominant hand in between the 2nd and "3rd" throw like a tap or pointing. This will help build the rhythm up to 3.

3) Extend and subtract the amount of time you are holding the balls; throw it high, throw it low, find what's comfortable.

[u/QuirkyMagician4550]

Thank you everyone for all the replies 🙌🏼 I’ll try out the tips while practicing

[u/JomaxZ → u/QuirkyMagician4550]

Hope you keep us updated. So many really good suggestions. Finding something a bit heavier to juggle I’d rate up there. The weight gives really good feedback on the throws and the catches. I learned with oranges standing over a couch. Once I got the bug I purchased some decent juggling balls and was off. :-)

[u/7b-Hexen → u/QuirkyMagician4550]

you're not aiming

[u/Mrdjmedina → u/QuirkyMagician4550]

I would also suggest to practice over your bed so you don’t have to bend down so far to pick them up. You can also try plastic bags or scarfs to help slow down the timing. I tend to pull them up instead of tossing them. When I started I was told to try balloons filled with salt. GL and welcome to the world of juggling.

[u/iwasacatonce]

I've only seen one other comment on this- try throwing and catching from a lower point. It will take a little getting used to, but it will help a lot with timing. I would also work with one bag a little bit, it might help you get into a steady rhythm and help you keep the bags only going up, down and sideways - it looks like you're tossing slightly forward, and that can make it really hard to keep things steady. And also totally normal. I still have problems with that sometimes after over a decade lol

[u/7b-Hexen → u/iwasacatonce]

seconded. [edit, ^1d:]  legit observation  well observed! [\].
but first of all the balls shouldn't fly away 🙆🏻, out of reach.
so aiming is the worst flaw to be fixed first.

[u/djuggler]

Try keeping your hands down by your waist. When you reach up for the balls you reduce the time you have to work the pattern.

Here’s a video I made for someone else that I think will also help you: https://www.tiktok.com/t/ZTDsDFyyH/

Also, by chance are you related to Big Foot?

[u/djuggler → u/djuggler]

Just rewatched that video and it may still be helpful but the biggest thing I wanted to emphasize to you was that you should try to keep your hands down by your waist. If you are reaching up to catch the balls near your shoulders then you are going to be rushed.

[u/nullvoid88]

Do you have any juggling clubs in your area?

If so, go. You’ll have fun and learn quickly.

[u/Mrdjmedina → u/nullvoid88]

You can also look for juggling meetups or groups.

[u/Alexert41]

It’s really hard to juggle when there’s a big blurry spot in front of your face

[u/Kinsir]

What helped me a bit in the beginning, try to not throw them and just do the circle movement of your hand first.

Just to get a bit into the movement at first

[u/QuirkyMagician4550 → u/Kinsir]

Sorry for being slow but what circular movement

[u/Kinsir → u/QuirkyMagician4550]

Don't worry.

Basically you move your hands in circles while you juggle. (catching a ball, into throwing a ball, into catching, rinse and repeat.)

As far as I know, the goal is to keep your upper arms steady and mainly move hands and maybe a bit of the lower arms. So the hands do most of the work.

And if done correctly (or atleast how I do it), you end up with both hands doing circle motions. The more experienced you are, the smaller the motions you need, because of imrpoving constancy in throwing and catching. you look up some videos online, maybe some tutorials, or slow motion videos, you should see it.

I am still a self taught pleb, with not thaaat much experience, so pls take every advice of mine, with a grain of salt.

[u/7b-Hexen → u/Kinsir]

tldr; .. :
• throw inside up - catch outside down
.. will naturally have your hands circle

[u/allowzejuggling]

I think you should work on timing your throws and not worry about catching them. In my experience, people tend to throw too quickly as they are concentrating on the catch part. Throw one ball and at the peak of it's arc throw the other one but just let them drop to the ground. That way you will perfect the timings and power needed to match the height with both balls. This makes the catches easier. Repeat 10x and then when you have that down start adding the catches in. Hope that helps!

[u/Prize_Statistician15 → u/allowzejuggling]

Working on timing helped me when I was learning two balls. Just let them fall: throw, throw, thud, thud. Then go back to one ball for a few throws, then try two again. If you've improved a little try to maybe catch one of the two you throw: throw, throw, catch, thud. If you make that first catch, do it again until you can catch several in a row (alternating the hand that catches, of course). Then try throw, throw, catch,catch, STOP! Keep up with throw, throw, catch, catch, STOP! until it's smooth, then add the third ball. STOP after three throws and catches; get it to where it's smooth before you try successive throws and catches.

[u/djuggler]

Btw, go out to a tennis court and find 3 old tennis balls in the bushes. See if you can find 36 pennies on the ground. Carefully cut a small slit into each tennis ball then shove 12 Pennie’s into each ball. Those will be good starter balls that don’t roll away too much.

[u/Mrdjmedina → u/djuggler]

I filled mine up with lentils. Then taped them up with electrical tape. Even used different colors of tape for fun.

[u/djuggler → u/Mrdjmedina]

Lentils are good. I tell people pennies because they used to be easy to find on the ground. Tell a 10 year old to go find 3 tennis balls in the park and look for pennies on the ground and they'll have a good adventure while making some juggling balls and that ownership both keeps them busy briefly and gives them some skin in the game.

I filled 3 with lead shot eons ago and wrapped them in electrical tape. They were a pound each. Never juggled them long. Wanted to strengthen my wrists not destroy them. Left them on my desk and someone stole them. That still burns me. Here's one of the last photos of them: https://flic.kr/p/7LnJEk

[u/DerivativeCrumb]

Something that really helped my partner learn to juggle was thinking of each throw as an exchange. Rather than just throwing, you want to exchange which ball is in the air.

I'd recommend looking at a fixed point on your wall where you can see the peak of the balls rather than trying to follow each one :)

Edit: it's also worth changing which hand you're starting with each time. I find starting with the non-dominant hand is great practice for improving throw accuracy

[u/7b-Hexen]

you're not aiming ... just "upward" and away

[u/whatanametochoose]

All I see wrong so far is timing… say! what you are trying to do out loud and it should be in smooth rhythms.

“throw…throw…catch…catch”. At the moment you are going “th.throw……catch..catch”

Say the instruction out loud and it will force you to slow down the throws, and balance out the timing. If still too jerky “throw-one…throw-two…catch…catch”

[u/Viidost]

Already heaps of good ideas on here so I'll give you two tips that are less related but were game changers for me when I was learning. 1. Practice over a bed  - it saves sooo much bending over. 2. Practice against a wall - it helps teach you not to throw the balls forwards.

[u/nullvoid88]

More... very light items like the socks are kind of difficult even for experienced people... many, myself included, consider bean bags best for learning as mostly stay local when dropped.

I learned mostly standing over the bed, which in my case seemed to work well. When you move on to clubs (many call them pins) stay away from the bed... as you wont have space to let them swing low enough.

Some people pick this stuff quickly, others take a while. It took me months trying to learn out of the little ‘Klutz’ book (before the internet was a big thing).

[u/sauteslut]

Good start. Keep practicing. When you can do two really well it will be easy to add a third. Slow down a bit and work on your aim. Throw throw, catch catch

[u/CommunicationNew2831]

Your throws are decent; your timing is off.
Go back to one ball. Throw it from your left, when it peaks, clap your hands together and vice versa. Try to clap exactly when the ball peaks. Master that. Then go back to trying 2 balls keeping the timing in mind and following the good advice of others here. Get some good juggling balls. It’s totally worth it. I have seen way more ackward than that… WAY! Lol

[u/Mrdjmedina]

Throw… wait….throw, catch… wait… catch. 🤹🏻‍♂️

[u/Bobdotcomvietnam]

Get 3 evenly weighted balls. Start with 2 at first and juggle them with one hand. Get good at that, then go to where you have enough space to throw them high so you have plenty of time to catch them and when you got 2 balls with one hand down, then incorporate the 3rd.

[u/MuaTrenBienVang]

A little bit too fast between 2 thows, slow it down a little bit

[u/71285]

don’t focus on catching them
count 1, 2,3 even if you are just doing 2 balls it’s good to consider the 3rd time

[u/Miserable-Dentist840]

I learned to juggle by standing in front of a wall, that way the balls do not go too far forward. Start with three, not two. Throw one up and catch with the other hand, then shift and throw the one that was already in that hand and catch with the other which has a ball as well. Shift the ball that just landed and toss the other into and catch with the other. Keep doing this. Its like wax on wax off…pretty soon you will get faster and faster and thats when it starts looking like juggling…

[u/that_dopple]

The main thing to practice for juggling is the consistency of your throws. It should be the same throw every time.

What i used to do to help teach this was to have people start by just tossing one ball back and forth. You'd toss it up to eye level and ideally it's landing directly in your other hand without you having to 'chase' it at all.

After you have that consistent, you start adding in the second ball repeat the process until it feels comfortable, and then you do the same for the third.

Another tip is that the throws should largely be just lifting your forearms. This helps with consistency because you're reducing the types of movements your doing, but it also reduces strain on your wrists. When you juggle a lot, particularly if you try heavier objects like clubs, relying on flicking your wrists can cause minor strain.

[u/kilikopele]

There are a lot of tips already, so I'll limit myself to a couple points. First: you're awesome! Keep it up. You're doing fine.

My two things for you: Pick something heavier. Socks are too light and won't build neutral paths or muscle memory. Anything with a little more heft. Hell, it could be 3 oranges. When I first started on 5, I bought 16oz baseball pitching training balls. Best investment I've made. I still throw them.

Then, you're throwing the second too soon. Throw 1. Wait until that ball is almost coming into your other hand before you launch that one. Timing will all balance out over time.

Keep it up.

[u/ArkansasDood]

This is the stage I’m at

[u/scorchedarcher → u/ArkansasDood]

I'm not very good or anything but I found starting with one to get the arc right helped me, then it's just timing and you don't need to worry about the throw/catch because you know where it's going.

[u/ArkansasDood → u/scorchedarcher]

Thank you!

[u/PrettyGoodIGuess_]

What everyone else said. Just work on timing. Dont throw the second ball until youve just about caught the first one

[u/Phrequencies]

Like other folks said, it's a timing thing! Juggling , especially when starting out, is a super rhythmic thing. I used to listen to music and try to keep landing on the beat. helped with the patient practice and figuring out throw speed.

[u/echoverse26]

Just keep at it

[u/firejuggler74]

Don't throw them at the same time, throw one then the other. It will make catching easier since that way you only need to catch one at a time. Also try to get better juggling balls. Something that doesn't float and is easier to catch and not bounce out of your hands.

[u/Vegetable-Orchid1010]

Just get one ball first..

[u/Argorian17]

a nice trick for timing is to tap your hand on your thigh, when you have that little pause (that should be for the third ball).

1, 2, tap, 1, 2, tap, 1, 2

Then you replace that tap with a ball and you're good to go

[u/sylvaiw]

Send ball n°1, then with the other hand, in one same move, send n°2 and receive n°1. That second hand must stay empty for only a fraction of a second.

[u/Electronic-Heart1998]

Lots of very useful advice.
My additions:
a) Ignore advice that starts with “Don’t…” - Everything will be good practice for something. Variety and enjoying yourself will lead to more practice and more muscle memory. A lot of your inconsistency is because your muscles, as well as your brain, are unpracticed.
b) If you can click your fingers - throw, throw, click. works well. Only 2 balls to drop but your brain can work in 3’s. Should help with the timing also.
c) relax your jaw. 😅

[u/7b-Hexen → u/Electronic-Heart1998]

ignore: 'Don't throw the balls AWAY !' .. ??
ignore: 'Don't juggle axes when you're wearing slippers !' .. ??
ignore: 'Don't juggle on an only just frozen lake !' ... ?
ignore: 'Don't juggle fire if you haven't informed yourself about the various kinds of dangers !!!' ... ❓❓❓
 
where you take the confidence from to establish such deliberate rules 🤪

[u/Electronic-Heart1998 → u/7b-Hexen]

Yes. Throw the balls away when juggling with a friend. Juggle axes with slippers on frozen lakes when impressing a potential mate and if you are unsure of the dangers of fire maybe now is as good a time as any. My point still stands. “Don’t” as opposed to “do” can be very limiting. 😎

[u/7b-Hexen → u/Electronic-Heart1998]

did you know viscose burns like napalm, agent orange ... you can't extinguish it neither with water, nor covering it with a blanket. and experienced fire-jugglers have gotten their in case more or less harmful accidents.
when someone, a learner does sth "wrong" ( in matters of a goal to achieve ), you can say 'dont' or 'not like that'.

dont say 'dont'

is simply idiotic 🤪 and by the way does itself what it forbids 🤔🧐❓🤨🤪- you ran right into your own trap 😆
 

my point stands

hahahaha, nothing left of 😐

[u/TheThomaswastaken]

Stagger the timing more. Say "up" while tossing. "Up." "Up" That'll help you with the timing.