by Aaron DaMommio. ©1998. All rights reserved.

Hold your hands out in front of you, as if you were holding a tray.

Stand comfortably on both feet. Take one ball and throw it from one hand to the other.

Throw it in an arc, a little higher than your head.

Try to catch it without moving your catching hand. After you catch it, throw it back to the original hand in the same arc.

Practice this step until you can do it fairly well.

When you get bored with one, take two balls, in different colors, one in each hand. Pick a color and always throw that color of ball first when performing this step.

When the first ball gets to the top of the arc, throw the second ball under the first ball. Catch the first ball, then the second ball, one in each hand. The sequence is throw, throw, catch, catch.

Repeat this step...but now the colored ball is in your other hand. If you always start with the colored ball, you'll alternate starting hands every time.

Important points about step 2:

• Don't try to throw both balls at the same time
• If you have trouble catching the balls, go back and practice step 1.

 

When you get bored with two, take a third ball. Hold two balls in one hand by clutching one ball with your thumb and forefinger, while holding the other with your remaining three fingers. Practice holding one ball in each hand while throwing the third ball from the thumb and forefinger of one hand to the thumb and forefinger of the other. When you can do this easily, you are ready to try juggling three balls. Step 3 is just like step 2, except that after you make the second throw, you can continue, throwing the third ball under the second. You can juggle continuously, because after you throw a ball, another one is always waiting in the catching hand.

Important points about step 3:

• You start with two balls in one hand. Always start by throwing one of the balls from the hand that is holding two balls.
• One ball is always in the air, except for the moment immediately after a throw, when for a moment there are two balls in the air.
• You only have to throw one ball at a time.

Practice step 3. If you have trouble with step 3, go back and practice step 2 or step 1.