Ye Ole 7 Ball Tutorial

As requested, and originally posted to my website sometime in the late 1990’s. After switching to WordPress it disappeared, so I’m posting it here.

I’ve been juggling 7 balls for 11 years now and developed some techniques for breaking past some of the barriers. I was stuck at a best of around 50 catches for the first 6 years before I really looked around and experimented with different ways of practicing. Now I have runs past 1 minute long (300+ catches) and am almost ready to push that to the next level. In these last few years I’ve found out a few things about 7 balls that other jugglers might benefit from. I hope these insights offer you some help and encouragement.

The Beginning

Before looking at learning to juggle 7 balls make sure you feel comfortable with 5. By comfortable I mean that you’re really itching to push yourself farther. If you need a number of catches as a goal to gage I would have to say that 50 catches with 5 balls of any size should be no problem to you. Now you are going to need 7 balls that you feel comfortable with. They should be small enough that one hand can hold 4 in one hand and have complete control of releasing them one at a time, but large and heavy enough so that you have better control. I use 3 different kinds of balls. First, I use small, round and tightly packed beanbags. (2.1″ diameter) I used these to learn 7 because they allow more margin for error as they require less space in the pattern. Also, I can hold 4 very comfortably in one hand so the start in more controlled. Second, I have a set of street hockey balls filled with plastic bean-bag fill. These are for performing and for developing a solid pattern with less error correction. I’ll explain that later on in this page. Third and finally, I have a set of street hockey balls filled with heavy sand. I use these to build up endurance and give me longer, more solid runs with the other balls. Building this set is the best thing I ever did for my 7 ball juggling!

I’ve found that most jugglers who learn 7 on there own, figure out that the jump from 5 to 7 is very much like the jump from 3 to 5. Naturally, with 7 balls you need to throw the 5 up high enough to fit two more throws underneath, just as when juggling 5 you need to throw 3 up just high enough to fit two more throws under it. However, banging away at 7 balls on your own can be very frustrating and time consuming. Now, you will have to practice a lot, and sometimes you may be frustrated, but you don’t have to beat your head against the wall getting nowhere for years. Simply throwing all 7 into the air until you ‘get it’ is not the most efficient use of you time. Here are some tricks that will develop your 7 ball skills without actually juggling 7 yet…

First, you’ll want to work on juggling 5 balls at the height of seven. Use slow, high tosses about 2 to 2.5 feet above your normal 5 ball pattern. I recommend using large balls for this so you can clearly see where you make errors. It should be very comfortable for you to go from a high pattern to a low one and back again. Next, juggle 5 balls and throw all 5 up about 2 feet higher so your hands are free for a moment and continue juggling as they come back down. This is nothing new and is probably what most jugglers figure out on their own anyway. I must stress how important it is to be very smooth and fluid with these 2 skills before moving on. Try spending a solid week just on this if you feel intimidated in any way. Most ceilings are not high enough to practice this standing up. You might try practicing on your knees, but that’s never as good or as much fun as juggling outside of in a gym. I have a 9 foot vaulted ceiling which is barely high enough. I often get a racquetball court, ideal conditions for up to 10 rings! Next we’ll juggle 4 balls in a 7 ball pattern, but we’ll do it the hard way! Start with 3 balls in your dominant hand and 1 in your subordinate hand. (I’ll just use Right and Left as I’m Right handed, switch them around if you’re a lefty) Throw all 3 balls from your right hand one at a time to your left. Each throw should be thrown at the height of seven balls, perhaps just a bit higher in a nice arch. Once the third ball is released it should be time to throw the fourth ball, out of the left hand. Immediately throw the three balls that follow right behind in a nice high arch back to the right hand. Once the pattern is going, one hand throws all 4 balls in a row and then the other hand immediately follows, throwing them back.

One of the first things you will notice is how high you have to throw to get all of the balls in the air before the other hand has to start throwing. For your hand speed, whatever it may be, this is the true height you need to start at when you begin working on all seven. Once you’ve established the correct height for yourself, go back to juggling 5 at this new level. It’s probably higher than you’ve been practicing before. Go back and forth between these two patterns and get comfortable with them.

Now let’s talk about juggling all seven. Many jugglers question if they are holding the balls right on the start, especially the starting hand that holds four. I hold the 4 differently for differ end size balls. For large balls, they form a pyramid, as I have at least one finger on 3 which form a triangle for the base and the fourth rests on top. With this hold I need to keep my hand level all the way through the first throw to maintain control. With smaller balls, all 4 fit in a diamond pattern. I’ve seen so many variations on this that it would be difficult to say which is best. Everyone’s hands are different, so we all come up with what works best for us. However you fit them in your hand, come up with a configuration that gives you control of each ball and allows you to smoothly release each throw.

The process of juggling 7 is very much like the process of juggling 5, accept the feel is very different. As you might guess, start by throwing all seven as you have been preparing to do, and don’t concern yourself with catching them just yet. Watch very carefully as to where they might be colliding or one hand is throwing higher than the other. These problems are just like learning 5 where one hand often throws too far outward or too low. This beginning process takes time to iron out. Take each level slowly, first 7 throws, then 9, then 11, etc. First concentrate on your throws, then think about making catches when your throws are within a reasonable reach. Build up slowly with your small set of balls until you get around 20 catches fairly regularly, perhaps getting a really good run in the 30’s once in a while. This is where most jugglers get stuck after hammering it out for a while and look around the juggling world for some insight. This is typically the first wall…

Intermediate

One or the best things I have found to improve any pattern is to practice with several sizes and weights of balls. It is especially good to work on that now, after you have a fairly good idea of what 7 balls is supposed to feel like. If you have only worked with small beanbags it will almost be like learning all over again with a larger ball but it’s worth it. A good large ball to work with is the large ultra-leather Fergie bag. It’s tightly packed, well weighted and slightly plyable. A cheap home made version would be a tennis ball or a street hockey ball filled with sand or plastic fill. At any rate, find something you could use similar to these examples.

Start your pattern about a foot higher now. Each throw will be just a tad slower. You want to find a height that gives you the ‘feel’ of juggling. It’s really just a hair faster than 5 balls when your not busy correcting every-other throw. Every now and then, attempt to juggle as low and fast as possible, then switch to an exaggerated height, then back to normal. An important note: It is better to practice 7 balls for 10 minutes, 6 times a day, than to practice for an hour straight on the same skill. Work on it in many short bursts. You are taking in so much new information that you need time to let it absorb. Then, once a week at least, practice for a long time, an hour or two on the same skill and you will notice how much you learned from all your previous short practice sessions.

Arm positions: Ideally, most of your body movement should be your wrists and your forearms. From your shoulder to your elbow needs to remain relatively still, and only move to pick up a stray throw. Your forearms will move is a small circular motion, hinged from your elbow, and throwing strength is determined from your wrists. Your hands stay cupped (with larger balls, more enclosed with smaller ones) and never completely enclose the ball.

Advanced

To really get long runs you want the pattern to feel almost automatic, where it becomes like five balls should be to you now. (When you get long runs without warming up, or when you’re ‘cold’ ) To get to this point I suggest several tricks that change the pattern to something different and then go back to the cascade.

First, juggle 7 balls, throw 5 balls up about 2.5-3 feet higher, as if in a 9 ball pattern, and go back into a 7 ball cascade. This may seem almost impossible the first few days that you attempt it, but it will teach you a wealth of information about how accurate your throws are. It will also give you a clear understanding of the proper timing for your cascade.

Next I would try a half shower and a full reverse cascade. Try starting with a cascade and throw 3 consecutive throws from the right side on the outside of the the incoming throws. They should travel over the top of the pattern and be timed so they land in the opposite hand at the right time without colliding with any other balls. Try to throw all three in a row and continue with a regular cascade. When you are confident with 3 consecutive throws, move up to 5, and then 7. Ideally, it is best to work on both sides throwing the outside throws so that a full reverse cascade will be easier and more solid. In my judgment, when you can throw 14 right-handed half-shower throws and go back into a cascade, you have really accomplished something and your 7 ball cascade will feel very natural to you.

The full reverse cascade is a bit harder. Every throw is thrown from the outside and lands on the inside of the pattern. Something that tens to happen is all the balls bunch together in the middle if not thrown perfectly. When your first start to learn this trick, try going into the pattern from a starting position, instead of from a cascade. When you get around 14 catches, (2 throws and catches with each ball in the pattern) then attempt to enter the reverse cascade from a regular cascade. One thing I do with large balls to avoid collisions is to enter the reverse cascade on a different plane. In other words, if you viewed the pattern from the side you would see a row of balls directly in front of me, and when I enter into the reverse I start a new row about 2 inches in front of the previous one. This is to avoid collisions as there is little room left to change patterns on the same plane. If you saw it from the front you would not notice any difference, whether I were on one plane or another.

There are quite a few more tricks with 7 balls but these three seem to be the best ones to help you develop your pattern. I hope this gives you some help and encouragement with your juggling. Remember, the best thing you can do is practice a lot and often!

-Scott

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