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Thanks for the comments. Yes that is an interesting thing to watch for, I often scan for and select those freeze-frames for my video thumbnails (e.g. here is one of my favorites, includes equidistant ball distances and symmetric hand positions). It's quite frustrating when I know that there is a perfect line moment in a pattern I've recorded, but there's no screenshot to be captured because the line happens between frames because a) unlucky, b) very fast pattern and 30fps sampling just wasn't adequate, c) didn't run it for long enough, d) some combination of all of the above. A couple side notes: 1) The Mathematics of Juggling book has a page or two (edit found it! section 5.3.2 "Why Clubs and Balls Line Up") about alignment, 2) I really enjoy watching expert 5 club jugglers with all clubs spinning perfectly in phase, there's something deeply satisfying about that.

A similar aspect I frequently consider is the minimum distance between any two balls at any time. I usually try to maximize that variable for the pattern (without increasing the overall height/width bounding box perimeter of the whole pattern) giving each ball as much personal space as possible, especially in the animations where I can easily fine tune the tiny adjustments to the timing and throw/catch locations. It's not just aesthetic, makes the pattern paths much easier to follow visually (less of shell game), and the obvious practical purpose is maximizing your margin of error, i.e. minimizing the risk of two balls colliding midair.

I recently went through a similar situation. I decided I wanted to try clubs about a month ago. after doing very little reading I bought a set of these and I almost immediately regretted it. After reading about the green club project I think it would have been a better idea to just make a set of these to play with until I was sure I liked clubs. I made do with the one piece clubs for about a week before giving in and ordering a set of Play px3 Sirius clubs with wrapped handles. My hand are extremely grateful. I only wish I hadn't wasted money on the cheap clubs first.

I'm sure there are brighter ones and programmable ones but the boing ones are bright enough, have different color settings and also two color changing modes. When I bought mine, two years ago, they were definitely the best for the money. I haven't really researched it recently.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B000GI33Y6/ref=redir_mdp_mobile/187-4694895-4483053

You can get a set of 3 Yoho balls for ~$30. The balance is lopsided due to the batteries and they are going to be uncomfortably light at first. This means when you drop them, they will scatter.

But they are the brightest juggling balls I have encountered to-date and the batteries last a damn long time. Also, since I primarily play with 3 ball tricks, having balls with very little weight means i can flow between tricks at incredible speeds.


The Fire Mecca All-Light balls have an absurd number of flashing and color-changing modes (27). They are extremely well balanced and I quite like their weight. Unfortunately, the batteries aren't rechargeable and I have had a bad habit of letting the batteries go dead before festivals. (Changing batteries in a dark tent can be a pain) The light these balls put off is easy to see from a distance, but won't compete with fire. I think they are around $13 a piece.


The Meteorlite balls are waterproof (juggling in the ocean / hot tub / group showers is amazing) and are exceptionally balanced. The weighting is my favorite of this trio. However these were meant to be dog toys, so they bounce. When you get used to that, the bounce is just enough to save a performance. The batteries last a while, but the light is never pupil-dilatingly amazing if you are looking to juggle for friends who are 'inebriated'. Those are $10 per.

Happy juggling!

A few book ideas::

Virtuosos of Juggling (A classic! Not a how-to guide, but a beautiful book.)

Encyclopedia of Ball Juggling (Huge classic! If you can juggle three balls, this will give you something to chew on for the next few years...)

Club Juggling Compendium

The Complete Juggler (Rumor is there's a new version of this book coming out this year? That's all I know about that, but this is a classic!)

Juggling from Antiquity to the Middle Ages (note: I'm biased. I wrote this book.)

Juggling: the Art and its Artists (Big classic! Hard to find. Wonderful inspiration.)

Thanks for the reply. I'll take your word and get those balls instead. I was going to buy the first ones that were 19 something. And are the first ones that come up when you search play pit balls. And will definitely read that post too.

EDIT: so [these were the ones I was looking at.] (http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B000066SW0/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?qid=1381000863&sr=8-1&pi=AC_SX110_SY165_QL70) seems like they are slightly larger diameter. Are they the ones you previously bought by any chance?

I bought these from a local Meijers for $20USD and followed this guide. I wanted a decent quantity and color selection so I could experiment with weights, give sets to other people, and it's an inexpensive way to meet that criteria. The 3" diameter makes them quite visible and the size has been sufficient for me to learn 5 balls and get started with 6. I can hold 4 of them in a hand using a pyramid, so I can see myself going into 7-8 with these balls too. They have also been holding up very well, I made my first 6 balls about a year ago and only one of them is broken from my shoddy work and one other has had a leak, which I fixed with tape.

Sorry I don't have much experience with professionally made balls, so I can't offer much advice there. I have tried the Sil-X silicone filled balls and have to say it feels rather unique and smooth and they look pretty cool. I've also heard great things about a set of Japanese made Russians from Dan Barron(box/technical juggling god) and they felt very nice; he said they were filled with something other than salt but i forget.

Again, I have limited experience with different russians, but I think the difference in feel between russians is much less varied than in beanbags so I think everything is a pretty safe choice.

I have a set of these. They juggle really well. I find them to be a little slippery when catching more than two in a hand. The thicker shells give them a little more roll than my other DIY russians. Not ideal for foot stalls. If your friend is really interested in foot stuff, they should also check out intex shells. You have to dig through to find good even shells, but well worth it.

It's funny that you say exactly "The mathematics of juggling", because there's a book by that name that may be exactly what you're looking for. A little pricy, so if you're near a juggling club, perhaps ask if you can borrow a copy or check your library. The math inside it is mid-late university complexity.

This page is a bit less advanced, and has a nice further reading section.

Claude E Shannon is a pretty big deal in the information science world, and he developed Shannon's Juggling Theorem.

If anyone is on the fence, it's really easy! I used this video as a guide:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eh8yIkrdV9g&t=155s

And purchased these plastic balls from Amazon:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000066SW0/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o02_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

I realize now how silly it was to purchase Brontosaurus Balls and other similar sand-filled balls. The ones I made are better quality and will last longer now that I know how to do repairs.

Broadly, you have two options:

One piece clubs are cheaper and a good starting point if you aren't sure if you are going to stick with it for a while. You can get a set of three for around $20 here or here

The other option is to spend a bit more an get multi-piece clubs. They have a much softer feel on the catch because they are made with a dowel rod in the center, around which is a plastic/tape handle which has some give to it. You can expect to pay $15-20 per club for a set of these. link If you decide to go this route, there are a lot of manufacturers and everyone has different preferences. Beard, Dube, Renegade, and Henry are some well regarded club makers.

The third, dirt cheap option is to make a set out of newspaper like this.
I learned on a set of these and upgraded to some multi-piece clubs once I was sure it would be worth the money for me.

This is the best one I have.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/155209121X?keywords=how%20to%20juggle%20book&qid=1451968391&ref_=sr_1_6&s=books&sr=1-6

Zeekio Satellite Juggling Ball Set of 3 - Millet filled-67mm-125g - Great Grip - 12 Panel- 3 Ball (Blue with White Stars) https://www.amazon.com/dp/B078PQLKHB/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_uOnqDb0PBFAXS

I suggest trying Household Goop or something very similar. It's a good, flexible sealant that I use for many purposes.

After cutting and filling the ball, I suggest scuffing the plastic near the hole with sandpaper and then cleaning the area with rubbing alcohol. Then apply a dab of Goop, moisten your finger with water, and they smooth out the sealant.

You will probably have better luck cutting a small "V" in the plastic rather than cutting a hole out of the material.

Just suggestions. I don't have specific experience but will soon.

Burkard Polster (aka Mathologer) has a book all about the mathematics of juggling. It's quite interesting, but can get advanced.

heard good about these

http://shop.ctstore.com/store/pc/viewPrd.asp?idproduct=17&idcategory=3

https://www.amazon.com/Franklin-Sports-Aero-Strike-Plastic-Baseballs-Pack/dp/B003GCJLC2

Dave Finigans Complete Juggler used to have qualification tests and skill levels for various pieces of equipment in it. It might be something worth looking into.

Here is the desktop version of your link

Dick Franco's "Three Ball Digest" is a great resource with many tricks listed in order of difficulty, as well as tips on how to build a routine. I read this book two or three times when I was beginning.

http://www.amazon.com/Three-Ball-Digest-Juggling-Mastering/dp/0917643046/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1462984175&sr=8-1&keywords=three+ball+digest

Here's another brand of plastic baseballs that can be turned into russian-style juggling balls ($8 for a set of 8): http://www.amazon.com/Franklin-Sports-Aero-Strike-Plastic-Baseballs-Pack/dp/B003GCJLC2

Balls could be these:

https://www.amazon.com/Nite-Ize-MeteorLight-L-E-D-Ball/dp/B002DJDUEO

Nite Ize MTLP-08-07 MeteorLight K-9 Led dog ball, Disc-O https://www.amazon.com/dp/B001QC9DTU/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_cfC1AbYE05JP3

https://www.amazon.com/Learn-Juggle-Professor-Confidence-Harlan/dp/B0009F62MQ This the one?

Here is the mobile version of your link

There is a new book out called DIY Circus Lab for Kids that includes instructions for a few of these (at least flowersticks and diabolo).

https://www.amazon.com/Charlie-Danceys-Compendium-Club-Juggling/dp/1898591148

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000066SW0/

These are the balls that I use and I know many people use.

Was it this maybe?
http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B0009F62MQ/ref=aw_d_dsc_movies-tv

I remember having a VHS tape that mostly went along with the book. The jugglers on the VHS did a lot of things that weren't explained in the book though. Mills Mess was one of them. I wore out that part of the tape trying to learn it on slow motion through the fuzziness. Damn kids today have youtube...and friends.