5 clubs: 1-count
5-club 1-count (or ultimates) is a learning pattern that's pretty easy for beginners, but it's also a rhythm that lends itself to numerous variations and pattern evolutions for more experienced passers.
Normal 1-count
It's a rather slow passing pattern in which all throws are passes, so the
sequence is not at all complicated: Right Hand pass, LH pass, RH pass, LH
pass... The passes are normal singles, with one of the jugglers throwing
all crossing passes. The club that's in the air sets off the next throw
and so on; you might compare it to a domino effect (the causal diagram reflects
this).
The siteswap is a little strange: <3p2*|2*3p>. For those
who are wondering why it's not simply <2.5p | 2.5p>, or even 5
in 4-hand siteswaps, see the fast
1-count below.
5-club 1-count
Slow 1-count, or 726, or Flurry
This version is very, very similar to normal 1-count; all you need to do is
make lofty passes instead of normal passes (you could also try with
doubles). The siteswap becomes: 3.5p22 or 744 in 4-hand siteswap.
Hold on, I can see you going, "It's written 726 in the title, and now
it's 744, what's the deal with that?" OK, let's look back at
the normal siteswap: 3.5p22. The two 2's represent two consecutive pauses,
and you could replace those with 31 (self then handacross). Besides, that's
the interesting part of this rhythm--to make the most of the pauses. The
sequence thus becomes 3.5p31, or in 4-hand siteswap, 726.
Two footnotes concerning the above explanations:
1- Sorry to those who don't know (and don't want to know) siteswap. I
fully understand that they must have a hell of a time trying to make sense of
what I wrote. The basics of siteswap are, however, an essential tool for
any self-respecting juggler.
2- Here you have the opportunity to show what you can do with two pauses, and
the numerous variations of 31 make up only a few of many possibilities. It's up
to you to use your imagination.
Fast 1-count
In theory, one would simply have 5 as a 4-hand siteswap for 5-club
ultimates (just as six- and seven-club ultimates are noted as 6 and 7,
respectively). But that means you'd have to be able to make passes with a
value of 2.5p, i.e. very fast passes.
The solution: get closer together and pass in flats, pushing the club
forward (with one juggler always crossing his passes). Thus we get a very
quick rhythm that's visual, fun, and not that difficult.
