Learning to pass

Passing is not much harder than solo juggling. It's true you'll need some time to feel really comfortable, but basic rhythms can be learnt and done quite quickly.
You don't have to start with balls (see photo on the right). Club passing is not harder and is n times (at least) more fun if you're at ease with 3 clubs solo juggling. And oddly, clubs are easier to catch than balls (when you know how).

Suggestions for learning to pass:

It's hard to give a unique and magical way of learning.  However here is a possible way to go about it, the steps listed clearly in order of increasing difficulty.

• throwing and catching a pass
• first passing patterns with 5 clubs
• first passing patterns with 6 clubs

It's also a very good idea to try the 5 club 1-count (or ultimate), as it's an easy one, but also one that is very different from the others since there is no self at all.

And after all this you'll be ready for some more evolved stuff, possibilities are endless and you'll have to choose:

• passing patterns with many jugglers (more than 2 I mean)
• tricks: Funky passes or selfs and siteswaps (syncopations) on a given rhythm (doubles, triples etc...)
• other less classical rhythms (PPS, whynot, hurries...)
• 7 clubs -and more- using different rhythms of course
• weep when you see all you still have to learn, but that's not gonna help..

These additional pages, which you may read later, give some details on some aspects of passing. Picking up a club and wrong end catches are things that you'll need to master quickly though.

• picking up a club on the ground
• holding through the gap
• wrong end catches
• holding your clubs (grips)
• posture

A last piece of advice:

When learning, try to get yourself an experienced passer as a partner. He should not only be able to catch your crappy passes without moaning (that's even some good training for him), but will also send you some perfect passes, and will tell you what your weaknesses are. The results: you're making much faster progress. He may also tell you to forget all the bullshit you've seen on this site and to follow his good personal advice.
And do not hesitate to ask jugglers that are a lot better than you are to pass with you--10 minutes is not a lot for them, but it'll be huge for you!

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