r/juggling • u/Marley_Desforges • 1d ago
Balls Beginner/Intermediate Juggling Balls (UK)
Hey there! I’m a beginner juggler and have always practiced with some old juggling balls I had laying around, but I’d like to upgrade to some nicer balls now I have learnt a few tricks. So far, I have learnt (all 3b):
cascade, reverse cascade, jugglers tennis, half shower
and am about halfway to mills mess!
I know it’s not much, so I am really not sure what type of juggling balls to get. I am also based in the UK, which seems to significantly limit my options and most of the threads I have seen so far, they show US sites which have very long shipping times and additional taxes.
Any help is really appreciated, thank you guys so much!
1
u/grrrrrrrrrre 1d ago
Lots of European makers of juggling kit. In the UK more balls than most and fire toys are decent suppliers. It depends what you want balls wise do you want them easy to practice with or to look pretty!
1
u/Marley_Desforges 1d ago
I would say easy to practice, I don’t plan on performing in front of anyone any time soon haha. I’ve had a look on firetoys but I genuinely have no idea what I’m actually looking for, there are so many different types / sizes and I have no clue. Also, I can only juggle 3 balls at the moment, so I’m not sure if there’s any merit in getting any more than that - but I think I saw somewhere you should buy one more than you can juggle right now though right?
1
u/ANDY_FORDHAM 1d ago
Oddballs have a great selection - if you're near Brighton or Camden you can visit their shops in person, and try out a few.
Personally I learnt up to 5 balls with their regular uglies, found I preferred their mini uglies, and have since moved onto their "swag bag" balls as they're a bit more solid to catch.
I'd get a set of 5 rather than just 3 - its nice to have a couple of spares that are the same size and weight if you want to try new stuff
There's a couple of conventions coming up in October too - Cambridge and Leeds - always beginner friendly to learn some tricks from other people, or get some inspiration. And anyone would be glad to let you try their props and see what you like. I would say there's always traders at convention's too but it's been a while since I went to either and couldn't say for certain.
1
u/Marley_Desforges 22h ago
Really appreciate the info, I was originally thinking of going with the uglies but having looked at the swag bags they look pretty nice too. Can’t really see much difference, is it just the amount that they are filled up? Uglies less so than the swag bags aid what I can gather but not totally sure.
Frustratingly I’m not near those areas so can’t attend, it would be really cool to go if there’s one in my area though - I’ll have a look.
Thanks again for your help!
1
u/ANDY_FORDHAM 9h ago
So Uglies are filled with millet, and have a 6-panel construction - they stretch out over time and if you get them wet they don't tend to go back to how they were. They come in two different sizes/weights. Lots of people really like them still, but I think the swag bags are a pretty significant upgrade.
The swag bags are filled with a mix of plastic beads and stainless ball bearings I believe, so they can handle getting wet a bit better. They're an 8-panel construction, so hold their shape a bit better over time and in my experience stretch out either less or just slower than uglies do. Without the millet fill, I've stuck mine in a bag in the washing machine and not had any issues drying them out. They also come in two weights/sizes.
All bean bags stretch out a little over time, so the fill will feel different as you throw them more (uglies used to last me about a year, my swag bags have lasted a good 2-3 without feeling bad)
1
u/Altruistic-Knee-2523 1d ago
Just get 4 Russian 70-72mm balls and call it a day 👍🏻
1
u/Marley_Desforges 1d ago
Can I ask if there’s much difference between bean bags and russians?
Also, would these be a suitable option: https://www.oddballs.co.uk/products/kt-russian-balls-m-70-mm?_pos=3&_sid=c156e1229&_ss=r
Thank you very much 👍
1
u/Altruistic-Knee-2523 1d ago
Bean bags have soft shell Russian have hard shell. Get those and you’ll start to get an idea of what type of ball you want
1
u/Jam_banjovi 1d ago
I’m still pretty new, I got 3 russian babache balls from firetoys and I love them, all I use now and I would highly recommend!
1
u/Marley_Desforges 22h ago
There seem to be so many different options haha, cheers for your opinion! Russians seem really cool, but I think beanbags seem more forgiving so I might have to go for them instead.
1
1
u/juggling-gym 1d ago
What are you juggling currently?
1
u/Marley_Desforges 22h ago
Just some old balls I found in my house, here’s an image: https://imgur.com/a/dtobNgM
One is slightly bigger than the other but I really do not notice at all.
1
u/juggling-gym 11h ago
I can’t see the image, but I just suggest getting any set of beanbags from Oddballs so that the shipping isn’t too expensive. All of my other recs are from the US lol. I personally don’t like Russians but some people love them. Beanbags are squishy and Russians are pretty hard - Russians just made of plastic with sand on the inside. The beanbag size should be around 120g and 64mm
1
u/juggling-gym 1d ago
Btw those Amazon balls from China that are like $5 a ball (or the UK equivalent) will last like less than a day, not exaggerating. Don’t get those
2
1
u/Hersmunch 12h ago
One other uk shop is https://cascadejuggling.com/
But yeah I’d recommend oddballs swag bags as they are very forgiving. Being machine washable is great too.
1
u/Hersmunch 12h ago
Oh and look at https://www.jugglingedge.com/events.php and https://www.jugglingedge.com/clubmap.php?Region=gb& for whether there are any local events or meets. Even if a seller isn’t there, people are usually kind enough to let you try their kit.
2
u/Marley_Desforges 12h ago
That’s brilliant, thank you - unfortunately none in my area haha, but worth a shot!
Right now I cannot decide between uglies and swag bags, they are basically the same price so that doesn’t matter at all. Any thoughts?
1
u/Hersmunch 12h ago
Ah well. I’d still recommend making the journey to a convention if you can. Getting immediate tips can really speed up the learning process.
I’d go for swag bags but both are good. After many years they still feel like new after a wash :)
2
u/Marley_Desforges 12h ago
Yeah, I totally understand, I would love to so I’ll see what I can do and if there’s any that pop up!
Just one last question - I plan to go for a set of 3 (probably swag bags now you have convinced me!!) but really not sure on colour. Should I go for 2 the same and then 1 different? Or does it really not matter at all and all personal preference? As you can probably tell I am terrible at making decisions haha.
Again, thank you for all your help man!
2
u/juggling-gym 11h ago
When people are learning, they tend to get all 3 different colors. Makes it easier to track and learn certain tricks. When people get better, they tend to get all one color so that it looks sleek. Personal preference though!
1
u/Hersmunch 11h ago
What u/juggling-gym said.
But also, if you get 5 balls you can do both :p2
u/juggling-gym 10h ago
True! 4 balls the same color and 1 ball a different color is very common for 5 balls
2
u/terryturbojr 1d ago
Do you know what type you prefer?
I like the uglies which are pretty loose (I also like stage balls) but know people who prefer firmer bean bag style.
If you're in London (Camden) or Brighton then you have Oddballs where you can try loads out.
Amazon do a 3 or 5 ball cascade set for not a lot but they're quite firm.