How to Juggle Four Balls

Learning the Basic Four Ball Fountain

Know how to throw the balls. The most basic four ball jugging move is the Fountain. To start, you need four balls. When you throw them in the air, you need to throw them slightly to the outside. The side you throw the ball to will vary depending on the hand that the ball is in. If the ball is in the left hand, you will throw the ball toward the left side. If you have the ball in your right hand, you will throw it to the right. This move give momentum to the balls and also creates space for the other balls to fly in the air.

Practice with each hand. Now that you know the way to throw the balls, you need to start practicing with each hand. Hold two balls with your right hand. Moving your hand in a clockwise circle, throw one ball in the air. After you let one ball go, move your hand in the clockwise circle with the other ball still in your hand. As you round the bottom curve of the circle, let go of the second ball. Then, as you crest the top of the circle, catch the first ball. Continue to make the circle with the first ball now in your hand and the second in the air. Continue the pattern, alternating balls and keeping the momentum going. Once you've grown comfortable with your right hand, try your left. For your left hand, you complete the same steps, but move your hand in a counterclockwise direction. If you are left handed, you might want to start with the left instead. Your dominant hand will likely be more coordinated than your non-dominant hand.

Put the moves together. Once you have mastered each hand, it is time to put the two motions together in a synchronous Fountain. Start with two balls in each hand. Start moving your hand in the circular motions you practiced. When your hands reach the center, let go of one of each of the balls and continue to move your hands around the circle. When you are cresting the bottom of the circle, let go of each of the second balls and then catch the first balls as you round the circles. Keep going as long as you can. To stop, just catch two balls in each hand. If you have a hard time doing this for long periods of time, try doing two or four circles before stopping. Then work up to six, eight, and ten. Before long, you'll be able to juggle without interruption. The basic four-ball pattern is really each hand handling two balls. A ball never goes from one hand to the other.

Try an asynchronous Fountain. In addition to the synchronous Fountain, you can also try an asynchronous Fountain. Instead of releasing the balls at the same time, move them in opposite positions at the same time. When one of your hands is releasing the ball, the other should be catching a ball. In other words, when the left hand moves up to throw a ball, the right hand is going down after just catching a ball. Interleaving the hand timing makes the pattern look more like a real fountain. This also allows you to throw the balls closer together in the center. This sells the cascade illusion more effectively.

Learning Additional Tricks

Juggle Columns. In additional to the basic Fountain, there are other four ball juggle moves that are fun to do. Start with two balls in each hand. Throw the ball on the right side of each hand straight up in the air. Move your hand slightly to the left. Right before the first balls come back to your hands, throw the second ball in each hand straight up in the air. Then, move your hand back toward the right and catch the first ball. To keep the columns going, throw the balls back straight in the air before the second balls fall back in your hands. Unlike the Fountain, your hands move back and forth from side to side instead of in a circle. You can also do an asynchronous column as well. Instead of throwing your balls at the same time, stagger the timing where one of your hands is releasing and throwing the balls in the air while the other is catching.

Try the Shower. Start with two balls in each hand. With your left hand, throw a ball in a large arch from the outside to your right hand. At the same time, with your right hand, throw a ball directly to your left hand across the inside before catching the ball coming down from the arch. There will always be at least two balls in the air, though there will be three as you thrown the ball from right to left. You can also do a Half-Shower. To do this, instead of throwing the ball directly from the right hand to the left, throw it in a small arch across the inside between your hands.

Do the Wimpy. Start with two balls in each hand. Instead of keeping two balls on each side, you are going to switch balls between your hands. To do this, one of your balls needs to be thrown a bit higher than the other. Your hands should circle in mirror images of each other, where they each go to the outside and inside at the same time. Pick one of the balls in each hand and circle your hands. As you hit the center area, throw one of the balls in each hand towards your other hand, throwing one higher than the other. Continue the circle with your hand and, as you make your way back towards the center, throw the second ball in each hand into the air towards the other side, again throwing one higher than the other. As you make your way across the top of the circle with your hands, you should catch the first ball thrown from the opposite hand. As you move your hands in circles, the balls will keep changing hands as you throw them towards the other hand. You can choose which ever hand you want to throw higher. Some prefer their non-dominant hand instead of their dominant. You can figure out which feels the best for you.

Learn the Windmill. The Windmill is a distorted version of the basic Fountain, but is more complicated. Instead of keeping your hands in a circular pattern, you cross your arms under one another. Start with two balls in each hand. With your right hand, throw one of the ball into the air toward the left side. Cross your arms in front of you, moving your left hand under your right arm and throwing one of those balls in the air in the same direction as the first. With two balls in the air, uncross your arms and move your right hand back to where it first threw the first ball. Throw the second ball from your right hand. Crossing your arms again, grab the first ball with your right hand and throw the second ball with your left. Uncross your arms again, catching the first ball in your left hand and throwing the first ball from your right hand again. Like the fountain, your balls will not change hands. You keep throwing the same two balls with each hand, you just interlace the actions with each other by crossing your arms. If you are left handed, you may want to switch the actions where you cross your right arm under your left and throw the large arch with your left hand. Just do what feels right for you. If you find this move difficult, try the three ball Windmill first.