Introduction to synchronous passing & notation
Most traditional passing patterns, including 6-club four-count, three-count, and pass-pass-self, as well as 7-club two-count, are synchronous patterns in that both passers throw at the same time. This is where a lot of people start passing, though we recommend a different first pattern (see learning to pass).
Many passers explore only a small number of traditional synchronous patterns, usually with many selfs and with most or all passes thrown from the right hand, making it harder only by adding more clubs. It is not surprising that many soon find this boring. But there are many synchronous patterns to explore, both one-sided (e.g., six-count popcorn) and ambidextrous (e.g., Jim’s three-count), and then there is also the whole world of four-handed siteswaps.
Notation
Learning a specialized notation can make reading and understanding different patterns much easier than trying to decipher textual descriptions. There are many different notations and they are not used consistently, since they emphasize different things; some notations are overly complex for simple patterns. Here, we adopt a consistent notation for all synchronous patterns based on solo siteswaps and visualize them in simple diagrams.
We use the following symbols for different throws:
| Symbol | Description | Solo-siteswap equivalent |
|---|---|---|
| z | Zip / hand-across: Directly handing a club from one hand to the other without throwing it | 1 |
| f | Flip / hold: Holding a club in a hand without throwing it, or flipping it quickly in place | 2 |
| s | Self as in a normal cascade | 3 |
| p | Single-spin pass, usually straight | 3p |
| h | Heff: A double-spun self to the same hand, as in a four-club solo fountain | 4 |
| d | Double-spin pass, usually crossing | 4p |
| t | Trelf: A triple-spun self to the other hand | 5 |
| r | Triple-spin pass, usually straight | 5p |
A pattern where both passers make the same throws at the same time can now be written as a sequence of throws, such as “p s s” or just “pss” for 6-club three-count, where both passers pass on every third beat. This can also be visualized as follows:
In such a visualization, we show two rows, one row for each passer. Time progresses from left to right. Usually both passers start at the same time with the right hand and then alternate hands, as indicated by the “R” and “L” labels for right- and left-handed throws. The numbers on the left indicate how many clubs each passer has in their right and left hand at the start (“right|left”), and the “||” and “X” next to a pass indicate whether that pass is thrown straight (i.e., right to left or left to right hand) or crossing (i.e., right to right or left to left hand).