Juggling World Records for Balls and Hero Jamaican teammate Yohan Blake

Juggling World Records for Balls, Rings, Clubs, Bounce and Passing

The rules for these World Record attempts to be accepted (whether by Guinness or the JIS Committee on Numbers Juggling) are as follows:

The props must be thrown individually from each hand, therefore multiplexing - which involves throwing more than one object at a time is not allowed.

You are counting the number of catches, not throws, so your counting will only begin when you have thrown all but the final object from your hands!

Bruce Sarafian World Record

Catches are only counted until the moment that a dropped object would have reached the hand that was meant to catch it (it stops sooner than when the object would have hit the floor!)

The new generations of jugglers usually film their attempts, so that their claims can be more easily validated. It is also far easier to try and count the number of catches of 12 objects when you can watch the filmed footage in slow motion!  The attempts are usually measured in the number of catches, but occasionally (with slightly lower numbered items) the length of time.

World Record for Ball/beanbag Juggling

12 balls/beanbags for 12 catches by Bruce Sarafian (1996), Peter Bone (2006), Sam Hartford (2010) - 3 different people all holding the same world record!

11 beanbags for 21 catches by Alex Barron in 2011

10 balls for 23 catches by Bruce Sarafian in 2001

9 balls for 54 seconds by Anthony Gatto in 2006 (featured in his "To be the best III DVD)

World Records for Bounce Juggling

10 balls using the lift bounce (39 catches) - Robert Mosher III

9 balls using the lift bounce (35 seconds) - Mathias Ramfelt

9 balls using the force bounce (62 catches) - Alan sulc

8 balls using the force bounce (4 mins 12 seconds) - Alan Sulc

2-man bounce passing

16 balls (74 catches) by David Critchfield and John Jones in 2005

World Records for Ring Juggling

13 Rings for 13 catches by Albert Lucas (2002)

12 Rings for 12 catches by Anthony Gatto (1993), Albert Lucase (1996), Sam Hartford (2002)

11 Rings for 17 catches by Anthony Gatto (2006)

10 Rings for 47 catches by Anthony Gatto (2005)

World Records for Club Juggling

9 Clubs for 9 catches by Bruce Tiemann (1996), Scott Sorensen (1997), Chris Fowler (2003)

8 Clubs for 16 catches by Anthony Gatto (2006)

7 Clubs for 4mins 23 seconds by Anthony Gatto (2005) from his Legendary Moments video

World Records for Club Passing

Records don't need to be a solo effort!

14 Clubs for 14 passes between Darin Marriott & Peter Kaseman (2004)

13 Clubs for 18 passes between Patrik Elmnert & Wes Peden (2008)

Further Resources

Some of the records on this page may not be recognised as official "Guinness World Records", but it is good enough for the excellent JIS Committee on Numbers Juggling from which these stats are taken! Their aim in creating this well maintained list is to stimulate interest in numbers juggling at all levels as well as setting some goals for the most dedicated, so head over to their website to see a more complete list!n Plenty of video clips for a lot of the record-breakers to get you inspired!

Another good web page with lots of fun facts is the Official Guinness World Records website. Type in "Juggling" and let the websites search engine pull up the best results - .

Can Usain Bolt Be Beaten?

Usain Bolt's failure to win both the 100m and 200m finals at the Jamaican Olympic trials last week has become a major talking point in world athletics. The hero of the 2008 Beijing Olympics was completely outclassed by his Jamaican teammate Yohan Blake, who was the victor in both events. The prospect of an Olympic upset is being discussed among fans and critics alike. Alarm bells are ringing.

However, the regular followers of Bolt will know that he likes to save his best form for the biggest stage. The 100m world record holder will be looking to run significantly faster than 9.86 seconds when he lines up to start in London. There is no doubt that Bolt's attempts to break the world record again will be grabbing all of the headlines before the start of the games.

Jamaican teammate Yohan Blake World Recod

However, with Yohan Blake recording a time of 9.75, the fastest time this year, the 100m final could be the most closely contested and fastest final ever seen at a major championships. At 22 years of age, Blake looks ready to stamp his authority amongst the sprinting elite. His rise to the top would not surprise those who have followed him closely. Now the fourth fastest man ever, he still holds the record as the youngest sprinter to run under 10 seconds, which he completed at 19 years and 196 days.

Tyson Gay is another potential threat to the Jamaican monopoly in this race. He has had a remarkable return to athletics after undergoing hip surgery last July. The American's race to become fit for London 2012 has not been smooth but he has recorded a time of 9.86 seconds this year, equalling Bolt's performance in Jamaica last week. Gay will be looking to improve and will have gained some confidence after racing without his previous injury affecting him.

Asafa Powell completes the speedy Jamaican trio. He is on the narrow list of names that have beaten Bolt since his historic win in 2008; Yohan Blake and Tyson Gay complete that distinguished list. His time of 19.88 at the Jamaican Olympic trials still keeps him in contention at the very top.

This is not to say that the emphasis has moved away from Usain Bolt, far from it. He is the most recognisable face in world athletics and has stepped into the spotlight with ease since his rise to fame in 2008. The media frenzy around Bolt has been quite remarkable but if he were to record a significant loss in the 100m final at London 2012, his heroic status would certainly be tarnished. More questions have been asked after his infamous false start at the World Championships.

Fans want to see competition and if Yohan Blake can provide a shock upset, it may establish a genuine rivalry in the sport, encouraging others to follow. A closely fought race between Bolt, Blake, Powell and Gay would be the ideal scenario, with all four running at their best.

Right now, the pictures of Bolt celebrating metres before crossing the finish line do not look like being replicated and his record of 9.58 seems far out of reach. Although, if Bolt can reproduce this form, he will no doubt reach demigod status in athletics and his homeland of Jamaica. The world waits.

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