A three-ball practice poster

One clean arc, then another.

The three-ball cascade begins with a single repeatable throw. Build a rhythm at a comfortable height, let each ball cross the centre, and keep catches soft. Short, patient practices usually teach more than chasing a long run after your throws have become hurried and your shoulders have started to climb.

Open the watch the crossing rhythm tool ↗

Study 06 / arcs / An original diagram

Three useful starting points

Observe · understand · practice

Start with one ball

Stand with relaxed elbows near your sides and palms facing upward. Toss one ball to about eye level so it lands in the opposite hand. Keep the top of the arc near the centre of your view. Catch by giving slightly with the ball instead of snapping at it. Repeat in both directions until the height and landing point feel predictable. If throws travel forward, practice facing a wall with enough safe space for your hands; the wall gives immediate feedback without being a target. Begin with soft beanbags that stay where they land. Stop before fatigue changes the movement and finish with several controlled throws at the same height.

Add the exchange before the run

Hold a ball in each hand. Throw the first across; as it reaches its peak, throw the second underneath it toward the other hand. Catch both, pause, and reset. Alternate the starting hand so one side does not become a permanent passenger. For three balls, start with two in one hand and one in the other. Make three throws and three catches, then stop deliberately. Add one throw only when that short sequence is calm. Passing a ball horizontally across the bottom creates a different pattern and often makes learning the cascade harder. Think throw, throw, throw rather than trying to rescue every falling ball.

Read the rhythm in siteswap

Siteswap notation records how many beats pass before a thrown ball is thrown again. In a simple three-ball cascade every throw is a three, written 3. An even value returns to the same hand; an odd value crosses hands in the standard alternating model. A 2 can be held and a 0 is an empty beat. The average of a valid repeating sequence gives the number of balls, but the average alone does not make a sequence valid: catches must not collide on the same beat. The preview compares a cascade with a two-ball fountain as simplified motion drawings. It is a rhythm illustration, not a complete simulator of every possible siteswap pattern.

The workbench

Watch the crossing rhythm

Choose the crossing cascade or the same-side fountain and set an animation speed. Start and pause the diagram to inspect the paths. The marker positions are schematic and the labels name the selected pattern. Reduced-motion preferences keep the initial view still; movement begins only after you press the start control.

PatternCycles per minute

Take it further

A small next session

Count controlled catches rather than minutes spent chasing balls. Try five sets of three throws, resting between sets, then write down whether your misses go forward, wide, or too low. Change only one thing at the next practice. Use the slower animation to watch alternating arcs, but let your own comfortable throw height determine the rhythm. Keep breakable objects, pets, and other people outside the practice area. A deliberate stop is also a skill worth rehearsing.