Using Tennis Balls For Juggling? (Explained For Beginners)

Most people when they start juggling believe you can juggle anything at all e.g You see people with in pictures and social media juggling fruit and tennis balls.

Here Is How Tennis Balls Are Start point For Juggling:

Tennis balls are very light in weight and are bouncy, so as a beginner it is ok as a starting point for juggling.

Tennis balls obviously are not going to be as good as a juggling ball or a bean bag but they are better than nothing.

If you are looking at starting juggling soon, then this article is for you!

Are Tennis Balls Good For Juggling?

When you think of juggling, your mind most likely pictures juggling with balls first. And tennis balls are actually one of the types of balls that people use when juggling.

Though they are not proper juggling balls (these are harder and a bit heavier and often colourful), tennis balls are a fairly good choice.

They are just the right size to fit into your hands and the fuzzy material makes them more comfortable to catch.

When you are still finding your rhythm, tennis balls are a softer and more familiar type of ball to work with.

Then, as you become more experienced and advanced, you can move onto different balls.

The material of a tennis ball also makes it a bit easier to grip. Tennis balls will also bounce back up if you drop them, so you should be able to catch them and get right back to juggling.

The only downside of using tennis balls is that they are quite squishy, which can make it more difficult to grip them hard enough.

Your hands do all the physical work when you juggle, but you’ll also need to engage your posture, your legs, and your concentration to bring it all together.

You don’t want your focus to be taken up trying to grip the tennis balls properly if there is an easier alternative that you could be using instead. That way, you can spend more time working on the other aspects of juggling.

Juggler’s Tennis is a juggling pattern similar to the three-ball cascade.

It is a bit more advanced because one of the balls goes back and forth over the top of the other two balls and the rest of the pattern. You can perform this pattern with four or five balls as well.

Aside from having patterns named after the sport, juggling also has other things in common with tennis. For example, both sports require excellent hand-eye coordination, fast reflexes, the ability to think and plan ahead, and good spatial awareness.

Though tennis requires you to use a racket, the skill sets for both activities are very similar.

That is not to say that those who have played tennis previously will make better jugglers, but having already worked on those skills will definitely help.

When juggling, it is all about holding yourself properly to make it work, so those who have played tennis, or another similar sport, in the past will likely find it easier to adapt.

But juggling is an art and a sport in and of itself, so it will take time to perfect your juggler’s throws and stance.

Are Tennis Balls Too Large For Beginners?

Tennis balls are a nice light option for beginners to start juggling with. They are just the right size to fit comfortably in the hand as well, so you shouldn’t find them too large to use if you are just starting to juggle.

If you have prior experience playing tennis then you’ll know exactly how to handle them.

However, a smaller ball may be the better choice if you have no past experience with juggling.

This is because your hands do not need to stretch as much, so you won’t have to think about those movements so much and will be able to concentrate on completing the juggling patterns.

You will develop good hand-eye coordination the more you practice, but it will take time for you to adjust to using bigger props.

When you can do it without even thinking about it, you’ll know that you can juggle. That should be a sign that you can handle different props, including different kinds of balls.

It may not be the best choice to start with tennis balls if you are a beginner because they are larger than traditional juggling balls, but they are definitely a fun challenge to move onto once you have mastered basic juggling patterns with balls!

Are Cheap Juggling Balls Better Than Tennis Balls?

Cheap juggling balls are perfect for beginners because they are a cost-effective way to get a feel for the activity.

Their extra weight makes them a preferable option to tennis balls because they are easy to throw and catch in sequence.

Tennis balls are comfortable to hold, but their lightness makes them harder to grip as they pass hands and they may bounce right off your palms.

Juggling balls don’t have to be expensive, and you can also use other cheap options, such as beanbags, when you are learning. Here is a good article on the best juggling balls.

Tennis balls will feel nice as you pass them, but they are designed to be bouncy, which is the opposite of what you want with juggling balls. The balls are supposed to make learning how to juggle easier, after all!

You can purchase cheap juggling balls online or in some stores that sell entertainment products. A pack of three juggling balls will be enough to start you off, and then if you would like to test how good your throws and grip are, try some easy patterns with tennis balls once you’ve got more experience.

You could even make it your goal to complete several patterns without the tennis balls dropping or bouncing as you throw and catch.

Are Tennis Balls Too Light?

Though they are used by lots of jugglers, tennis balls are very lightweight, which makes them more difficult for a lot of people to use.

Juggling balls have more weight to them without being too heavy, and lots of jugglers actually find these easier to catch. Using heavier balls will also help you get to grips with the rhythm of professional juggling.

Some jugglers who use tennis balls put small weights inside them, which solves the problem of the balls being too light.

This also prevents them from bouncing if dropped, so they won’t bounce away from you while you’re practicing. Having the extra weight when practicing juggling with balls will set you up for potentially using heavier props in the future.

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