Three ball cascade
A three ball cascade is a juggling pattern where every throw is straight up to the opposite hand. This is one of the first patterns that a juggler learns.
To learn the three ball cascade, begin by having three good juggling balls. Imagine two points in front of your eyes. Start with one ball in the right hand and nothing in the left hand. Your hands should be at waist level. Throw the ball from your right hand to the point in front of your left hand. You should not have to lunge to catch the ball. If the ball is thrown correctly, you will be able to catch the ball in your left hand without much effort. Practice this until you can look straight ahead, and not focus on the ball. Practice with both hands till the throws are consistent and the ball practically falls in the other hand. When you throw from the left hand, the ball is thrown to the point in front of your right eye, and it falls to your right hand.
The second step is to do the exchange. Put one ball in each hand. Throw from the right hand so that the ball reaches the point in front of your left eye. At this point, you have to catch the ball, but there is a ball in your left hand. So throw the ball in your left hand as before. This has to happen at a definite time step. The balls are thrown one after the other, and not at the same time. The beat is throw (right) - throw (left) - catch (left) - catch (right). This is one exchange, and will take some time to master. You should practice this starting from both the right and the left hand. All juggling happens on beats, just like music, and it is important to feel this beat when you practice. The throws all happen on the beat. There is a throw every beat from the alternate hand.
The final step is to put two balls in your dominant hand. (For most people, this is the right hand: the one you write with). Now throw one ball to the opposite hand, and keep the pattern going.
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