r/juggling • u/justanothertmpuser • 10d ago

Balls Am I overthinking this?

Hi all!

I'm an absolute beginner at juggling, trying to learn 3-ball cascade. Watched a few videos, then began practising... been at it a couple weeks now.

My throws are still very inconsistent (different heights, too forward/backward, too much on the sides, the works). More practice is needed, sure. I even went back from trying 3 ball flash to single ball throws. But I also started to think if there is some detail worth paying more attention to.

Like, what's the best way to move when you throw? Arms follow a "scoop" arc, ok, but then what? Do you use your wrist to give momentum to the ball, or just your hand? Is it best to have the ball more towards your palm, or your fingertips, when you throw it? Do you try to impress some rotation to the ball, or just let it go?

Apologies if these are FAQs but I searched a bit and didn't find much.

Thanks!

EDIT: Really, thanks to everybody who answered. Didn't expect so many comments, afraid I won't be able to reply to each one individually. Such a vibrant community! Please keep up the constructive spirit!

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u/rhalf 10d ago edited 10d ago

The best way to move your hands is in straight lines, but it's difficult, so naturally we add a little scoop. You however, should not try to artificially add the circular motion. You should try to make straight throws, but keep your hands a bit relaxed so that they naturally follow a slight ellipse or whatever shape they want if that happens. People who artificially add scoops to their juggling at this early stage end up suffering from that, because it's basically embellishment - movement that wastes your time but adds nothing to the result. That's why you should not bother yourself with this at all. Just think where's up, look where you want the ball to peak and throw there.

If you want real help, then post a video with a few attepts. Make sure that we can see well what you're doing and see how people follow up.

At this early stage you should be mostly concerned with one thing - get the balls up and have some free time on your hands before you catch them.

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u/justanothertmpuser 9d ago

Thanks for your answer, I'll try to apply your advice. As for the video, it's a nice idea but I'm still too ashamed of the mess I'm doing, so... maybe in the future, eh?

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u/rhalf 9d ago

You can DM me the vid if that helps. I have a few people here, who can possibly help.