Of the patterns I recommend, 5551 and 55514 are king. 5551 – especially training it into and out of a four ball fountain (that is 44444…. 5551 44444….) forces you to notice the relationship between the 5 and the 4 immediately next to one another. If you’re throwing the 5s too high or too low, your tempo will be off when you re-enter the fountain. Drill this until it’s starting to feel more comfortable (on both sides!), then start working on repeating the pattern (so, 44444…. 55515551 4444…) and then start working on getting the pattern to switch sides with a single 4 (that’s 55514 – so, 4444… 555145551 4444…) Rinse, repeat, level up.

I suggest the three ball shower in both directions (Siteswap 51) as a way to focus on the way your hand throws the 5. Are you doing a proper hand scoop, or are you catapaulting the ball? Drill this, learn to switch sides (Siteswap 51251) and see how it goes.

531 with the 1 behind the back is a way to really be honest about getting your throw heights solid. There’s no way to cheat this one with handspeed, as your arms will be momentarily behind your back. It’ll only work if the throws are nice and tall.

7441 is a great way to cross train a bit – If a 5 is a certain height, what’s a 7? Really, just a super tall 5, right? If you’re working on these drills, you likely have a solid 441 with three. It can be helpful for some learners to learn what their natural 5 is by approaching it from the other direction – learn what a 5 isn’t, as well.

These drills aren’t put in any particular order – some will be more challenging than others. Focus on one for a while, then start working on another. Working on a variety of these patterns at the same time will help keep you sane – and will make you a more proficient juggler, to boot. Not a bad deal at all.

(These drills all have parallels with Richard Kennison’s methodology when coaching juggling. If you’re looking for a great juggling coach and you’re in Philadelphia, you should definitely look him up.)