Three balls in a real juggling cascade: each flies a parabola to the other hand, gets scooped and thrown back, with a throw every sixth of the cycle. Nested translates, no SVG.
Also known as: juggling animation, three ball cascade, juggler loader.
<div class="ldr-juggling-balls" role="status" aria-label="Loading"> <span><span></span></span><span><span></span></span><span><span></span></span> </div>
.ldr-juggling-balls {
--s: var(--ldr-size, 48px);
--c: var(--ldr-color, #3b82f6);
position: relative;
width: calc(var(--s) * 1.3);
height: calc(var(--s) * 1.1);
}
.ldr-juggling-balls::before,
.ldr-juggling-balls::after {
content: "";
position: absolute;
bottom: 0;
left: calc(50% - var(--s) * 0.49);
width: calc(var(--s) * 0.34);
height: calc(var(--s) * 0.1);
box-sizing: border-box;
border-bottom: calc(var(--s) / 20) solid color-mix(in srgb, var(--ldr-color, #3b82f6) 40%, transparent);
border-radius: 0 0 50% 50%;
}
.ldr-juggling-balls::after { left: calc(50% + var(--s) * 0.15); }
.ldr-juggling-balls > span {
position: absolute;
bottom: calc(var(--s) * 0.19);
left: 50%;
animation: ldr-juggling-balls-x 1.5s linear infinite;
}
.ldr-juggling-balls > span > span {
position: absolute;
width: calc(var(--s) * 0.18);
height: calc(var(--s) * 0.18);
margin: calc(var(--s) * -0.09);
border-radius: 50%;
background: var(--c);
animation: ldr-juggling-balls-y 1.5s infinite;
}
.ldr-juggling-balls > span:nth-child(2),
.ldr-juggling-balls > span:nth-child(2) > span { animation-delay: -0.5s; }
.ldr-juggling-balls > span:nth-child(3),
.ldr-juggling-balls > span:nth-child(3) > span { animation-delay: -1s; }
/* Flights are linear in x; the hand carries the ball back inward. */
@keyframes ldr-juggling-balls-x {
0%, 100% { transform: translateX(calc(var(--s) * 0.14)); }
38% { transform: translateX(calc(var(--s) * -0.5)); }
50% { transform: translateX(calc(var(--s) * -0.14)); }
88% { transform: translateX(calc(var(--s) * 0.5)); }
}
/* Exact parabolas: quadratic ease out on the way up, quadratic ease in on the way down. */
@keyframes ldr-juggling-balls-y {
0% { transform: translateY(0); animation-timing-function: cubic-bezier(0.33, 0.67, 0.67, 1); }
19% { transform: translateY(calc(var(--s) * -0.72)); animation-timing-function: cubic-bezier(0.33, 0, 0.67, 0.33); }
38% { transform: translateY(0); animation-timing-function: ease-out; }
44% { transform: translateY(calc(var(--s) * 0.06)); animation-timing-function: ease-in; }
50% { transform: translateY(0); animation-timing-function: cubic-bezier(0.33, 0.67, 0.67, 1); }
69% { transform: translateY(calc(var(--s) * -0.72)); animation-timing-function: cubic-bezier(0.33, 0, 0.67, 0.33); }
88% { transform: translateY(0); animation-timing-function: ease-out; }
94% { transform: translateY(calc(var(--s) * 0.06)); animation-timing-function: ease-in; }
100% { transform: translateY(0); }
}
@media (prefers-reduced-motion: reduce) {
.ldr-juggling-balls, .ldr-juggling-balls *, .ldr-juggling-balls::before, .ldr-juggling-balls::after, .ldr-juggling-balls *::before, .ldr-juggling-balls *::after {
animation-duration: 3s;
}
}--ldr-color on the element or a parent.
Currently previewing #3b82f6.--ldr-size. Every dimension in the snippet is
derived from it. Currently previewing 64px.animation shorthand.
Delays on the children are relative, so they keep their rhythm.role="status" and an
aria-label so screen readers announce the wait. The reduced-motion rule
at the end slows the animation for users who asked for less motion.