Passing with 3+ People

There are many different ways to include more than two passers in a pattern. In this part, we will discuss both static patterns, in which multiple passers stand in specific locations such as in a triangle to exchange passes, and moving patterns, in which some or all passers change their positions during the pattern, usually while they continue to juggle and pass. In addition to static and moving patterns, in the next part, we will discuss another popular class of group patterns, manipulator patterns (also known as takeout patterns), in which one or more additional jugglers steal and replace clubs out of a static or moving pattern, often swapping places with those passers in the process. These group patterns can be learned in many orders, but static patterns are usually a good starting point before adding movement, manipulators, or both.

Notation. To describe a group pattern, we need two parts: (a) the actions of each passer over time and (b) the positions where the passers stand or move. The actions of each passers are usually described using the notation of synchronous patterns or four-handed siteswaps for two passers. Although it is not always need, we add an index to the notation of all passes indicating which passer to pass to. The positions are usually shown in with diagrams showing locations as seen with a birds-eye view from above; for moving patterns, often multiple diagrams are used to show changing positions throughout the pattern.

Here is an example, of three passers passing 3-count in a triangle:

pBR ||pCR ||pAR ||sLsLsLsRsRsRpCL ||pAL ||pBL ||sRsRsRsLsLsLA:B:C:ABC_

Keep group patterns small. Most group patterns are best with 3 or 4 passers, and there are some interesting patterns with 5 passers. Larger groups are usually better off by splitting into smaller separate groups. While it can be fun to pass with many people at the same time, and there are some patterns that scale to very large numbers of passers, it can be very difficult to keep even simple patterns going with large groups. In patterns with 10 or more passers, even with very good passers, somebody will drop fairly early, resulting in frequent stops and resets. Because it is so challenging to keep large group patterns going, large groups usually pick patterns that are not particularly challenging or interesting for each passer individually.