Nelson's Nemesis

Other Tutorials:

Guillaume Riesen (video)

     Nelson's Nemesis is a three ball pattern that basically fuses Columns and Rubenstein's Revenge together into one trick. It combines simultaneous vertical throws with revolving arm motions to create a unique juggling aesthetic. Nelson's Nemesis is not a particularly difficult pattern, but its throws might be slightly confusing at first.

    To learn Nelson's Nemesis, start with two balls in your non-dominant hand and one ball in your dominant. Make one vertical throw from each hand simultaneously (as if doing Columns), and then bring your dominant hand up and grab the ball thrown from your non-dominant hand at its peak. Let the other ball begin to descend, and then reach your non-dominant hand (which is still holding a ball) over across your body to the outside and make a vertical throw. This will clear space for you to catch the other vertical ball. Then catch the last ball with your dominant hand.
    As shown, practice this on both sides. Once you have these two synchronous throws mastered, the only thing left to learn is the arm flourish. In the previous step, you may have noticed that after the second ball has been caught and the third ball has been thrown, there is a period of time where both hands are idle. Instead of just having your arms sit there, you are going bring your dominant hand (which at this point has just grabbed one of the vertical balls) up and around the center of your body. Once your non-dominant hand has caught the other vertical ball (right after throwing the third ball), it too will be swung around the center of your body in a circle. This flourish should be practically identical to the one performed in Rubenstein's Revenge. Once your dominant hand has circled down to the center of your body, you are going to make a roughly vertical throw. If timed correctly, your dominant hand should then be free to catch the third ball. The last ball will then be caught by your dominant hand.
    As shown, practice this on both sides. Notice that after the flourish and vertical throw, you will have one ball in each hand. To start a new cycle of the pattern, make another pair of simultaneous throws, catching the last vertical ball in the same hand that threw it (in this case, your dominant hand). You will then reach up and grab one of the vertical balls and make the same set of throws as done in the previous steps, using the opposite hand for each throw. If you are having trouble figuring out the throws of Nelson's Nemesis, watch the full trick animation at the top of this page very closely, making sure to track each individual ball throughout the pattern.