MM_STD_03

   
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MM STD Tutorial Part 3

Right, here is a reminder of where we're up to:

From part 1:

  1. we juggle a 3 ball cascade with a long Dwell Time,
  2. we juggle to music with an exchange on every beat,
  3. the exchanges always alternate hands.

Then in Part 2 we had:

  1. We only worry about whether or not the arms are crossed, and if so, which is on top.

  2. Right hand goes clockwise -> "Inside Exchange"
  3. Left hand goes clockwise -> "Outside Exchange"
  4. Right hand goes anti-clockwise -> "Outside Exchange"
  5. Left hand goes anti-clockwise -> "Inside Exchange"

Because we are only concerned about whether or not the arms are crossed, and if they are crossed, which one is on top, there are only a few things to think about. In fact, let's consider a moment in our leisurely three ball cascade when we're holding two balls and waiting for the third ball to come down. Remember, because we have a long dwell time we spend most of the time with a ball in each hand waiting for one to come down for an exchange.

So here we are, a ball in each hand, about to do an exchange. A complete list of the things we are allowed to think about is this:

  1. which hand is about to do the exchange,
  2. which arm is on top, or are they uncrossed,
  3. are we about to do an inside throw or an outside throw.

To save time and space, let's simply write the letter r or l to say which hand is to do the exchange, and let's write the letter R, U, or L to say which arm is on top. The U stands for Uncrossed. We now have six possible configurations for our hands

Rl
Ul
Ll 		Rr
Ur
Lr

Let's take one, say Ur, and remind ourselves what it means. The U says that the arms are uncrossed, the r says that the right hand is about to do an exchange. What about Rl? That means that the arms are crossed with the right arm on top, and that the left hand is about to do an exchange.

We call these combinations States, and they are absolutely fundamental to the notation. As we juggle and the hands move around, carrying balls or moving into positions for catches, so we move from one state to another.

Consider the false shower with all throws on juggler's right hand side. About to throw with the right hand, the arms are uncrossed, we are in state Ur. What next? The next throw is with the left hand, of course (remember, the hands always alternate), and the throw is done with the arms crossed. We will therefore be in state Rl or Ll, but which one?

Ah, well, there are in fact two types of false shower. When throwing with the left hand from the right side, it can be done either from over the top or from underneath the other arm. If the false shower is done with overarm throws then the pattern moves between the states

Ur <-> Ll

whereas if the left hand throw is done from underneath then the pattern moves between the states

Ur <-> Rl

Summary

Things are starting to take shape. What we have seen now is that some aspects of a Juggling Pattern can be described by looking at the different "States" the hands move through. There are six states,

Rl
Ul
Ll 		Rr
Ur
Lr

The letters stand for

  1. R -> Right arm crossed over the top
  2. U -> Arms uncrossed
  3. L -> Left arm crossed over the top

  4. r -> Right hand next to exchange
  5. l -> Left hand next to exchange

These states refer to when the hands are both holding balls during the long Dwell Time, and when there is an exchange about to happen.

MM STD 04 looks at the different possible transitions between states.

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