4-Ball Fountain

It is often asked of three-ball jugglers whether they can juggle four balls. The problem is that it's not always obvious to onlookers that it is mathematically impossible to juggle four balls in a cascade pattern with no gaps. The juggling of four, then, requires a different pattern, and a different approach to juggling it.

In fact, juggling four balls can be simply summarized as juggling two balls in each hand. That's really all that there is to it. However, this isn't always easy, and there are two different ways to juggle four balls in a fountain pattern. I will explain all of this with the following diagrams.

Siteswap: 40 Siteswap: 04	Before trying the 4-ball fountain, you should practice juggling two balls in one hand in each hand. Naturally, one hand will be easier to do this in, and one hand will be more difficult. You should probably practice this more in the hand where this is more difficult, because your four-ball pattern is only as strong as your weaker two-ball pattern.
Siteswap: [24][24]4422 Siteswap: 4	This pattern is known as the 'asynchronous' or 'async' four-ball fountain. Notice that on each beat, one hand (and not both) throws a ball. You should practice the beginning as you did with two in one hand, and then move up to the full pattern. Don't worry if this doesn't come quickly - developing the coordination needed to keep track of both hands takes a little while. If you are having collisions at this stage, try to throw a bit farther horizontally and make your pattern less quick. If you're trying to juggle too fast, you will not be able to learn correctly. It's also important that you try to get both hands to throw to the same height, as different heights will mess up your rhythm.
Siteswap: ([24],[24])(4,4)(2,2) Siteswap: (4,4)	This pattern is known as the 'synchronous' or 'sync' four-ball fountain. On each beat, either no hands throw or they both throw. In this pattern, you have to throw the balls in both hands to the same height and in the correct direction. Practice starting the pattern until you can do this reliably, and then go into the full pattern. For some people, this is easier than the asynchronous fountain, but for some it is harder. It is always, however, useful to know both of them.