Beyond the Cascade: Columns, Shower and Reverse Cascade

For students who already have the three-ball cascade, a station rotation through three new patterns: columns, shower and reverse cascade. Students who do not have it yet reinforce the cascade with a peer tutor, and at the end everyone links two tricks into a short routine.

How to play

1. Check the 10-catch cascade prerequisite; anyone below it goes to the reinforcement station with a peer tutor (3 min).
2. Columns station: two balls rise and fall side by side in the dominant hand, then add a third down the middle with the other hand (5 min).
3. Shower station: high tosses with one hand and a quick flat pass with the other, first with two balls and then with three (5 min).
4. Reverse cascade station: balls are tossed from the outside and drop down the inside, over the previous ball (5 min).
5. Each student links two tricks into a 20-second routine and shows it to their group (7 min).

Rules

• Each station has a marked zone, and nobody goes into another one to chase balls.
• Rotate on the teacher's signal, leaving the balls in their box.
• At the reinforcement station, the tutor gives only one tip at a time.
• Avoid throwing over the head of anyone nearby.

Variations

Adaptations

• Visual impairment: practices the patterns with large balls that make sound and chest-high tosses.
• Autism: gets a card for each station with the steps drawn out and knows when the rotation will happen.
• Shoulder injury: works with low tosses or with two scarves instead of balls.

Learning goals

• Expand the juggling repertoire beyond the cascade.
• Learn new patterns by analyzing their paths.
• Combine tricks into a short expressive sequence.

Equipment for a class of 25

• juggling balls: 75
• worksheets: 6

Teacher tip

Put a card with a diagram of the path at each station: it helps a lot with the reverse cascade. Reinforcement tutors can be the students with the most juggling experience.

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