Most juggling catches in one minute (three fire staffs)

The most juggling catches in one minute (three fire staffs) is 166, and was achieved by Tyler 'Spades' Macklin (USA) in Portland, Oregon, USA on 9 May 2021.

Tyler was inspired to attempt this world record because as he was teaching an after-school circus program to elementary students in Portland, Oregon during 2019, he discovered that all the students loved the Guinness World Records books. "One day I was looking through the book with several kids and telling them about many of my circus friends who hold world records when I realized that I should break some records of my own!"

Tyler chose to attempt this record specifically because he has always loved the beauty and majesty of fire. "I have been a professional fire performer since 2007 and perform with many types of fire swords regularly. This record provided me with the perfect opportunity to display the proficiency and skills I've achieved over the many years of training and performing."

"To prepare for this record I specifically dedicated time in my daily training to practice sword tosses and juggling for the two years leading up to the attempts. I first practiced without using fire to make my tosses more consistent, build up my forearm strength and work on my endurance. Once I felt confident in my ability without fire I began practicing more with the lit sword. I have been performing with fire professionally for many years so the fire itself didn’t have much of an affect on my abilities."

The hardest part about training for Tyler was getting used to the immense amount of fire on the blade of the sword. He found that if the wind blew the wrong way or he caught the sword incorrectly, he faced the very real possibility of getting burned.

"I attempted this record at a venue in Portland, Oregon on Mother’s Day as a charity fundraiser for a local women’s shelter. I am very accustomed to performing in front of large audiences, but this show was unique because it was one of the first live shows in Portland after reopening from the Covid shutdown. I had a one-hour time slot to attempt to break three Guinness World Records titles so I knew I had to achieve a successful attempt quickly. When I got onto the stage I immediately realized the stage lighting in the dark room was very different from the natural lighting of my training area. The light from the fire in the darkness made it slightly disorienting to see and catch the sword accurately. I had to rely more on muscle memory and body awareness than my vision to complete the 30 seconds of tosses without dropping or messing up the pattern."

Tyler would love to continue to break Guinness World Records titles in the future because he found it to be a very fun experience were he was able to raise money for charity in the process.

"Being a Guinness World Records title holder would be a childhood dream-come-true. I grew up looking through the books and loved reading about all the amazing feats people have achieved around the world. Having my photo in the Guinness World Records book would be the ultimate accomplishment of my performance career and help me inspire a new generation of circus performers to challenge themselves and push the boundaries of what they can achieve."