TL;DR

RTSC Impact members are assigned juggling as individual at-home work.
We’ve been Juggle Testing regularly since July 2024 — and the numbers show good progress.
Median score right now is 10 juggles, up from 5 two summers ago.
Once a player reaches 10–15 juggles, growth accelerates rapidly.
It’s measurable, simple, and helps teach discipline through repetition.
Parents can help by encouraging 5 minutes of focused juggling daily. </aside>

I love juggling. It's something we can ask players to do - and something we can measure without subjectivity. That makes juggling powerful.

I believe deeply in showing kids the value of consistency and discipline. When kids learn that focused effort over time leads to visible improvement, they believe in their own ability to grow.

That creates a positive loop: put in the work, see results, feel good, want to work more.

I’ve been preaching to the team all year that we’re on a journey together - as individuals and as a group. Juggling is a way for each player to improve in a way that lifts the whole team, while also experiencing a microcosm of work and paydirt!

The Benefits of Juggling

When players juggle, they’re developing:

Foot-ball coordination – learning how different parts of the foot (laces, toes, inside) and thighs interact with the ball
Balance and body shape – adjusting posture and positioning in real time
Timing and rhythm – building the feel needed for receiving, passing, and dribbling
Focus and composure – learning to reset and stay steady through failure

But what might surprise you most is what juggling does for the brain.

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The Brain at Work

Every juggling touch sends a signal from the foot to the brain and back. At first, those signals are slow and messy. But with repetition, the brain starts to smooth the connection - strengthening the pathways between movement, coordination, and reaction.

This process - called myelination - is how the brain builds speed and precision. The more a player juggles, the more these patterns get locked in. It’s real physical and mental development.

Think of it like clearing a walking path in the woods. Do it once, it’s bumpy. Do it daily, it becomes smooth and fast.

From Frustration to Flow

We began structured juggling tests in July 2024. Back then, the RTSC Impact team median juggling score was 5, with an average of 5.1.

By December 2025, the median score more than doubled to 10.5. The average? Up to 24.1.