Most people with average coordination can learn to juggle three balls in an afternoon. Beginning with one, you practice throwing from one hand to the other and back without moving your catching hand. Once you have the perfect throw basically down, try with two. As the first reaches it’s peak, throw the other. At first they might collide, or go way out in front of you or to the side. But after 50 or 100 tries, you’ll get the hang of it. Then comes the tricky part, adding in the third ball again messes everything up. Your once-perfect throws seem possessed by an invisible force field only to fly out away from you. Perhaps you return to two balls again, get your confidence back, and then try three. After several or perhaps many unsuccessful but very close attempts—suddenly, “I’ve got it!” Miraculously, you catch all three balls on their descent.

It may take a week or up to a month to really master the three ball cascade (as jugglers call this basic maneuver), as you go from 3 catches in a row to 100 or more. Once you reach 100, you will rarely drop the balls at all—even if you stop practicing and only rarely try this trick with three oranges at the grocery store. But if you get cocky, you might find yourself making an embarrassing mess in public! (more…)