"I've been teaching juggling for 16 years. In that time, one question came up more than any other: what juggling balls should I use?" That's Bennett Santora, who founded Fly Juggling and made his own juggling balls after answering that question thousands of times.
So here's the honest version of the answer. There is no single best juggling ball for everyone. The right ball depends on your hands, your skill level, and whether you're learning your first three-ball cascade or drilling five-ball patterns. A lot of it can come down to personal preference, but there are certain qualities that I would still recommend for beginners all the way to advanced. This guide breaks down what actually matters, weight, size, fill, and grip, then gives clear picks for beginners and for jugglers who've been at it a while.
What makes a good juggling ball
Most people overthink color and underthink the four things that decide whether a ball is easy to learn with: weight, size, fill, and the surface.
The best weight for juggling balls sits around 110 grams. Weight is always a tradeoff. The heavier the ball is, the easier it is to control, but the more straining it is to throw. Heavy enough that each throw feels deliberate and lands where you aimed it, light enough that you can practice for an hour without your arms giving out. Balls much lighter than this drift on the throw and are harder to control. Much heavier and they wear you out before you build muscle memory.
Aim for roughly a 2.5 inch diameter (about 6.35 cm). Size has a somewhat similar tradeoff as weight. The larger the ball, the easier to control, but it comes at the sacrifice of a higher likelihood of collision and harder to catch multiple in one hand. I believe a 2.5 inch diameter, or something close to it, is enough for clean, confident catches while you're learning, and still compact enough for faster patterns once you progress. People often search for a "4 inch diameter ball", but that's larger than most jugglers want. Oversized balls are much less forgiving since it’s more likely you’ll have a collision when trying to juggling, and it’s much harder to juggle 4+ balls (or even hold them in your hand) when they’re that big!
What a ball is filled with changes how it behaves in the air and in your hand. Millet-filled balls (a natural grain fill, usually around 90% full) have a soft, dead weight. Other fillings may include plastic pellets, ground-up rubber, or metal. While these fillings can provide easier cleaning, it doesn’t have the same satisfying catch and squish that a millet filled ball does. Additionally, they don't bounce or roll away when you drop them, which you will, a lot, while learning. That "stays put" quality is the single biggest reason beanbag-style balls are the standard for learning. Plastic or silicone balls bounce, which is a different discipline entirely.
A slightly textured surface, think leather with a bit of tack, sticks to your fingers when you catch and releases cleanly when you throw. Slick balls are frustrating, overly soft ones deform. You want firm with a grippy exterior.
The main types of juggling balls
Beanbags (millet-filled). The all-rounder and the best balls to learn juggling with. Soft catch, no bounce, no rolling. This is what you want if you're starting out or teaching someone.
Stage or Russian balls. Hollow shells partly filled with sand or beads. Lightweight for their size and popular with performers because they read well from a distance. Less ideal for a first set because they do not have any squish. The Fly Juggling balls are 90% filled and have a little bit of give. This is ideal, especially for beginners, because it makes it easier to start and finish with multiple balls in one hand, and it’s more forgiving when making a catch.
Bounce balls. Hard silicone balls made for bounce juggling, where you throw down instead of up. A specialist tool. If you searched for juggling bounce balls hoping to learn the basics, start with beanbags first and add bounce balls later.
Scarves and larger foam balls. Slow and floaty, aimed at young kids. Fine for a six-year-old, but most people over eight learn faster with a proper weighted ball.
Best juggling balls for beginners
If you've never juggled, you want beanbag-style balls: 110 g, around 2.5 inches, millet fill, grippy exterior. That combination gives you the most forgiving catch and the least chasing after runaway balls. This is coming from FlyJuggler’s opinion as a professional juggler, with over 16 years of experience, and who has juggled 9 balls.
The set most beginners learn fastest with is our Classic juggling balls, professional 110g leather beanbags with a millet fill, made specifically so the weight and grip suit people who are still building the pattern. They're the same balls used by experienced jugglers, which means you won't outgrow them the week after you learn.
One tip that matters more than the ball itself: buy at least five, not three. Three is the minimum to juggle, but here’s what happens when people try buying three: they end up landing three balls in no time and are ready to move to four. Then they have to buy a new set anyways, but their first set is more broken than their second set. It feels weird, so they end up having to buy a THIRD set to get balls that feel even. Save yourself the time, and just start with a set of 5 since that will give you a simple progression path to an intermediate stage without having to rebuy balls. Also, if you think you might want to juggle with a partner, I recommend getting a minimum of 6 balls, but probably closer to 10, since with pass-juggling you’ll need significantly more. Most people start with a five-ball set for exactly this reason.
Best juggling balls for professionals and serious practice
Once you're past the basics, "best" shifts toward consistency: every ball in your set should feel identical, hold its shape session after session, and take a beating without splitting a seam. Professional juggling balls in the 110g range with a durable leather shell and a dense millet fill hold up to daily practice far better than cheap import beanbags, which flatten and go lopsided within weeks.
If you perform or practise in low light, or you just find bright colours easier to track, the Chroma juggling balls are the same weight and build as the Classic set in seven high-visibility colours, genuinely useful for spotting the ball mid-pattern rather than just looking good.
How many balls should you buy?
Whatever set you get, a juggling bag is worth a few extra dollars. It keeps your balls together and protected, which matters once you own more than three.
Where to buy juggling balls
You can find juggling balls on Amazon and in general sporting-goods shops, but the quality is a lottery. Weights vary between balls in the same pack, fills settle unevenly, and cheap shells wear out fast. For a matched, consistent set built for learning, buy from a juggling specialist.
Our Classic juggling balls come with a 30-day learn-to-juggle guarantee: download the Fly Juggle app, use the tutorials and practise fifteen minutes a day, and if you still can't juggle in 30 days you get a full refund. That guarantee exists because the balls and the teaching are designed to work together.
Frequently asked questions
Around 110 grams for a standard adult ball. Heavy enough for controlled throws, light enough for long practice.
About 2.5 inches (6.35 cm) in diameter suits most adult and kids' hands. Larger balls are easier at first but hold you back as you improve.
The best learning balls use a millet (grain) fill, usually around 90% full, for a soft catch with no bounce or roll. Stage balls use sand or beads, bounce balls are solid silicone.
A ball around 110 g is "weighted" in the sense that matters, it gives you feedback on every throw. You don't need anything heavier unless you're doing specific strength drills.
You can, but you'll learn faster with the right ones. Millet-filled beanbags that don't bounce or roll cut out most of the frustration of the first week.
Fly Juggling Classic Juggling Balls
"Juggling lights up both sides of your brain at once. Studies show it creates measurable changes in just a few weeks - improving focus, reaction time, and hand-eye coordination."
“Perfect weight, perfect size, great hand feel - and the best part is they don't roll away when you drop them. Extremely dope carrying bag too."
"These were my first set of juggling balls - and you know you can learn with them because I learned with them. Perfect for beginners. Perfect for intermediates too."
Most jugglers go for the 10-ball + bag bundle. Best value, best learning curve, plus the bag for travel.
FLY JUGGLING Classic Juggling Balls
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