Mills Mess – 1.2 MB

So you want to learn Mills Mess, do you? Well, I have to warn you up front. Once you learn this quintessential 3-ball juggling trick, your life will never be the same.

You will no longer be just a part-time juggler who can do a few tricks. You will become obsessed with learning new patterns, and juggling every free moment of your day. You won’t be able to sleep at night until you’ve perfected your latest trick. You won’t ever again be able to blissfully watch a juggling performance, without analyzing every throw and catch. Juggling will rule your life! You’ve been warned.

Still here? Ok, let’s begin.

Mills Mess is probably going to be the most difficult trick you’ll ever learn. It’s not the most difficult trick to perform, but for most people, it’s the first truly unique trick they try to learn.

There’s several different approaches to learning Mills Mess. I will show you two different ways. The first one is the way I learned the trick, but I wish I would have known this second way (because it seems easier to me now).

First, a basic description of the trick. Mills Mess is a 3-ball cascade pattern where you are continuously crossing and uncrossing your arms. Each ball is thrown from one hand and caught by the opposite hand. Each of the three balls, have its own specific path, that doesn’t change throughout the trick. Balls are caught and thrown in either the open-armed position or the crossed-armed position.

This method involves learning the mechanics of each of the individual ball paths separately, then combining them together to get the final product. It might help to have three different color balls to practice with, so you can easily separate each one’s identity.

Ball-1

Start with one ball, in your right hand. Place your right arm over your left arm (making an “X” with your forearms). Throw the ball up and to the right (like a rainbow), so that it would land where your left hand is. As you throw the ball, let your arms uncross in a circular path. Continue circulating your arms until they cross again, this time with your left hand on top (making an “X” with your forearms). As soon as you get your arms into this position, you will be catching the ball in your left hand (which is now on top).

So, you threw from your right hand on top in the crossed-armed position, and caught it with your left hand on top in the crossed-arm position.

Now, repeat this process back in the other direction. You will throw from your left hand on top, and catch with your right hand on top. Continue repeating this until it becomes comfortable and effortless. Watch the video.

Ball-2

Forget all about Ball-1. Start with one ball, in your left hand. Hold out both hands, in the open-arm position. Throw the ball straight up, in a column, with your left hand. While the ball is in the air, move your right hand underneath your left, so that you end up with your arms crossed (making an “X” with your forearms). Catch the ball in your right hand.

So, you threw from your left hand in the open-armed position, and caught it with your right hand on the bottom in the crossed-arm position.

Now, with the ball held in your right hand, open your arms (carry the ball over to the other side of your body). The ball is now in your right hand, in the open-armed position.

Repeat the earlier process back in the other direction. You will now throw straight up from your right hand in the open position, and catch with your left hand on the bottom in the crossed position. Carry the ball back over with your left hand to the open-armed position. You are now back where you started. Continue repeating this until you get used to it. Watch the video.

Ball-3

Forget about Ball-1 and Ball-2. Start out with one ball, in your right hand. Start out with your arms crossed (making an “X” with your forearms), and your left hand on top. With your right hand underneath the left arm, throw the ball straight up, in a column. Now, uncross your arms, and catch the ball in your left hand, in the open-armed position.

So, you threw from your right hand on bottom in the cross-armed position, and you caught it with your left hand in the open position.

Now, with the ball held in your left hand, cross your arms so that your right hand is on top (carry the ball over to the other side of your body). The ball is now in your left hand on bottom in the crossed-armed position.

Repeat in the opposite direction. You will now throw straight up from your left hand on bottom in the crossed-arm position, and catch with your right hand in the open position. Now carry the ball with your right hand back underneath the left arm. You now back where you started. Continue repeating this until it’s comfortable. Watch the video.

Putting it Together

Now that you’ve got each individual ball, it’s time to combine them. When I was learning, I combined two of the balls and practiced (Ball 1 and 2). Then I tried combining a different combination (Ball 2 and 3). And of course I finished by practicing (Ball 3 and 1).Watch the video.

Once you can do each of these combinations, you should be able to add in the third ball pretty easily. Even when you get all three balls to work together, your pattern may not look very good. It takes a while to get Mills Mess to look smooth.

You’ll need to start making it more of a flowing, figure “8” pattern, instead of a jerky, columns type pattern. A good Mills Mess looks like a snake chasing it’s own tale. The best tip I have to help make it look smooth, is to exaggerate the catch of Ball-1. When you catch that cross-arm to cross-arm ball, let your catching hand continue downward after it catches the ball. This will make it look more like a swooping motion, and give the pattern a better overall appearance. Complete Mills Mess Video.

I stumbled upon this method one day when I was trying to learn The Chops. Yes, I actually didn’t learn chops until well after I knew Mills Mess. The chops uses an underarm throw, similar to Ball-3 of Mills Mess (see Learning Method 1).

Get a set of three balls where there is one odd colored ball (two blues and one red, etc.) Start by juggling a regular 3-ball cascade. When you get to the odd colored ball, instead of throwing it up the middle of the pattern like normal, throw it from underneath your other arm. This will make the throw go straight up and down in a column. Then catch it like normal and continue juggling your basic cascade. Now every once in a while try the under-arm throw (of the odd colored ball) again. Make sure to get practice doing the under-arm throw with each hand. Watch the video.

Now try doing that under-arm throw consecutively, every time that odd color ball is thrown. It may help if you intentionally throw that ball higher than the rest so you can follow it. This ball will be making a “U” shape, continuously, going under your pattern. Watch the video.

At this point, you are doing (a rather sloppy) Mills Mess. Just continue juggling like this for a while, and your hand will naturally start over-emphasizing the cross-arm motion. Of course, it will still take a lot of practice to get this looking good. Read the advice at the end of Lesson Method 1 on how to polish up the final product. Complete Mills Mess Video.

Good luck.