The Berkeley Juggling Club

Chopabout

Berkeley Juggling Cooperative — Tue, 22 Jul 2025 02:23:16 GMT

The Chopabout is similar to the Roundabout, but the (as the names says) chops are involved ;) You should be able to do the roundabout first, before trying this pattern.

Here is what to do when the pattern is running and you start at the same position in the patterns as in the Roundabout when person A and C each had two clubs and A normally walks in front of C to do a 'fast'.

In the Chopabout, A still faces C, hand their right hand club to C. Person A then does a hand-across and faces B.

B at this point already throw a 'half chop', i.e., a chop that the person in the middle can catch roughly at head height. Person A at the same time holds the club in the right hand at the bulbd of the club behind him, so that C can just take it. B now throws a 'pelf', A does a hand-across, takes the 'pelf' and hands a clubs back to A's left hand.

Now, A turns around and C already threw the next 'pass' as a half-chop. This time A hands the other clubs to B. A turns around one more time, steals another 'pelf' from B, keeps rotating anti-clockwise and steps next to B.

At this time B steps into the pattern and the pattern continues.

When starting the pattern, two people just do 4-count and whenever the person in the middle gives a sign, the person facing the one in the middle start the pattern by throwing the next normal pass as a half-chop.

The three positions do the following (positions taken from the above description:

Juggler A:

(just walking into the middle)
hands a club to left hand of the person they were standing next to (C)
faces A, catches a half-chop and hands a club behind him to C
hand-across extra club from left hand to right hand
does an exchange with B after a 'pelf'
turns anti-clockwise
catches another half-chop and hands the club behind him to B
turns anti-clockwise
takes a 'pelf' from B and steps outside
puts one club (holding it at the bulb) at their hip which B takes

Juggler B:

after A gave a clubs to C, throws a half-chop
throws a 'pelf'
takes a club that A is holding behind him
throws another 'pelf'
takes the club at the hip from A

Juggler C:

takes a club from A (when A is walking in)
takes another club from A (which A is holding behind them)
throws a half-chop
starts passing to A, who now steps out of the middle

Similar patterns - Roundabout - Dropabout

More complex patterns with more people: - Scrambled B on Toast

Dropabout

Berkeley Juggling Cooperative — Tue, 22 Jul 2025 02:23:02 GMT

The Dropabout is similar to the Roundabout, but the middle position involves a multiplex-dropback.

It's actually closer to the Chopabout.

In the Dropabout, A still faces C, hand their right hand club to C. Person A then does a hand-across and faces B.

B at this point throw a normal pass to A and A throws a dropback to C. B now throws an extra pass to the middle person (i.e., on a 2-count). Person A now gathers both clubs in their right hand and is getting ready for a multiplex backdrop at the same time A is turning anti-clockwise to face C. On the next normal 4-count pass, A catches the pass from C and throws the multiplex-dropback to B.

Before catching the multiplex, B throws the one club they have left to A in the middle (they had two and did a normal pass to C). Person A turns around and catches the pass from B. A keeps turning, steps next to B, puts one club at their hip that B takes while walking in.

Similar to the Chopabout, to start the pattern the outside people just do 4-count and at a signal from the middle, the person facing the one in the middle throws a pass to the middle, who throws a backdrop in respons. The outside person throwing that pass then throws the 2-count pass and the patterns continues.

The three positions do the following (positions taken from the above description:

Juggler A:

(just walking into the middle)
hands a club to left hand of the person they were standing next to (C)
faces A, catches a normal pass and throws a backdrop
catches an additional pass from the same outside person (B)
starts turning and organizing both clubs in a multiplex grip
turns anti-clockwise
throws a multiplex dropback and catches a club from C
turns anti-clockwise
catches the pass from B
keeps turning anti-clockwise, steps next to B
puts one club (holding it at the bulb) at their hip which B takes

Juggler B:

after A gave a clubs to C, throws a normal pass, but to the middle instead of C
throws another club to A in the middle on a 2-count
throws another pass to A (who is currently looking at C)
catches the multiplex
does a normal pass to C
takes the club at the hip from A

Juggler C:

takes a club from A (when A is walking in)
throws a normal pass shorter, so that A can catch it after throwing the multiplex
starts passing to A, who now steps out of the middle

Similar patterns: - Roundabout - Chopabout

More complex patterns with more people: - Scrambled B on Toast

Scrambed B on Toast

Berkeley Juggling Cooperative — Tue, 22 Jul 2025 02:22:44 GMT

Work in progress.

Roundabout

Berkeley Juggling Cooperative — Tue, 22 Jul 2025 02:22:28 GMT

The Roundabout is a 3 person pattern where two people are passing (say person A and B) in a 4 count and the third person (C) is standing in the middle between them with one extra club.

In a single rotation of the pattern, the person in the middle (C) swaps with one of the outside person (say A).

The beginning of the pattern is slightly different then when you are running the pattern. In the following we describe how to start the pattern and then end with how it works while the pattern is running.

To start the patterns, C steals a pass from B with their left hand, hands the extra club they are holding in their right hand to A and does a hand-across of the new club from the left to right hand. Person A then immediately throws a 'pelf' (a combination of a self and a pass, i.e., a non-spinning self) from their right hand. Person C also steals this club and, turning clockwise, steps next to A. While spinning, C start holding the club in their right hand at the bulb at hip height. Person A does another pass to B, throws a left-to-right self and takes the club at the hip from C.

Now, we are almost done one rotation of the pattern. However, this is where things are a slightly different than when starting as above. A and C both of two clubs and B has three (whereas when we start the distribution is 3/3/1). Person A now steps in front of C and does what we call a 'fast' here in Berkeley, i.e., an extra exchange of clubs with C. To do this, A flips both clubs over, hands the right club to C's left hand who is forced in throwing a self. At this point A does a hand-across, C then throughs a pass from their right hand before catching the self. Person A intercepts the pass right away and carries this club over and gives it to B. This clubs is the same as the first steal in the above description, so B immediately throws the self, etc.

Simpler version of this: - California cool

More complex patterns with 3 people: - Dropabout - Chopabout

More complex patterns with more people: - Scrambled B on Toast

Martin's Madness

Berkeley Juggling Cooperative — Mon, 16 Jun 2025 18:35:55 GMT

Everyone starts normally (e.g., two clubs in your right hand, one in your left) and at the same time.

(work in progress, currently not correct)

Pattern Diagram

Position Diagram

8 club pass-pass-self

Berkeley Juggling Cooperative — Sun, 27 Apr 2025 16:39:07 GMT

Both jugglers start with 4 clubs each. Juggler A throughs PSP (all passes are crossings) and juggler B does PPS (all passes are straights).

Pattern Diagram

Position Diagram

Double Torture Chamber

Berkeley Juggling Cooperative — Sat, 26 Apr 2025 03:53:58 GMT

A more complex version of Torture Chamber where two people are getting tortuted at the same time and everyone outside is doing a sweep.

The pattern is otherwise similar to the static version, but one center person is going clockwise and the other counterclockwise.

Juggler A: Starts with B and goes anti-clockwise
Juggler B: Starts with A and goes left, always passes to A in the middle (but catches from F too)
Juggler C: Starts with D and goes left, always passes to A in the middle
Juggler D: Starts with E and goes left, always passes to F in the middle (but catches from A too)
Juggler E: Starts with F and goes left, always passes to F in the middle
Juggler F: Starts with C and goes clockwise

In the pattern two people (one in the middle) always exchange clubs direclty, the other jugglers pass in a large triangle.

Pattern Diagram

Position Diagram

Rotating Torture Chamber

Berkeley Juggling Cooperative — Sat, 26 Apr 2025 02:45:31 GMT

A more complex version of Torture Chamber where the outside people have a bit more to do.

The pattern is otherwise the same as the static version, but here, the center person rotate 90 degree after one cycle of the pattern.

To make the causal diagram a bit more compact, we show this version in 2 count, although 4 count is probably a better speed for this.

Pattern Diagram

Position Diagram

Torture Chamber

Berkeley Juggling Cooperative — Sat, 26 Apr 2025 02:02:29 GMT

A 5 person pattern with different difficult levels. It involves two people doing an 8-count, two people doing a windscreenwiper feed and one person being tortured in the middle. The patterns in cludes a backdrop for the person in the middle and for some passes where you catch from another person than you are passing to with some odd angles. Passes are normally done in 4-count. There are 4 passes until the pattern repeats, so counting them out can help.

Everyone starts with 2 clubs in their right hand and one in their left.

Here is what each person does:

Juggler A: In the center position: passes to everyone going anti-clockwise, including an extrem through to the left while catching from the right. Faces juggler B.
Juggler B: In one of the two 'front' position. 4-count feed starting with A in the center and then going left.
Juggler C: Doing an 8-count, always passing to B on 2 and 4.
Juggler D: Doing an 8-count, always passing to E on 1 and 3.
Juggler E: The other 'front' position. 4-count feed starting with D in the center and then going right.

Pattern Diagram

Position Diagram

A more difficult version is the Rotating Torture Chamber

Rotating feed

Berkeley Juggling Cooperative — Sat, 19 Apr 2025 17:30:52 GMT

You start in a circle. One person is feeding everyone. When that person passes to the person on their right, that person immediatly becomes the next feeder.

Pattern Diagram

Position Diagram

You can make this more complex, by having two of these interlocked, see Tony's nightmare.