Feeds
Prerequisite: Basic Synchronous Passing Patterns or Compatible Four-Handed Siteswaps | Next: Moving Patterns, Static Group Patterns
Feeds are a common and simple form to involve three or more passers. A passer acting as the feeder (A) will pass with multiple feedees (B, C, ...). Each feedee will only pass with the feeder, but not with other feedees.
Feeders and feedees generally juggle different patterns that are compatible when merged together. Feeders usually have the more difficult job as they receive (possibly inconsistently thrown and inconsistently timed) passes from multiple feedees and need to aim their passes at multiple different positions. Unless the intention is to integrate weaker passers in easier positions, it is common to try a feed and then rotate positions clockwise until everybody has tried every position.
Synchronous feeds
The basic idea of a feed based on synchronous 6-club patterns is simple: The feeder juggles a repeating sequence of selfs and passes where different passes in the sequence may go to different feedees; the feedees each juggle selfs and passes so that they pass to the feeder on exactly those beats that the feeder passes to them.
Basic feeds. The traditional standard pattern is to feed two feedees on 6-club four-count (starting two beats offset) with 6-club two-count alternating between the two feedees:
As usual, we instead recommend an ambidextrous pattern as a modern starting point: 6-club three-count vs 6-club pass-pass-self:
(From the feeder's perspective it can be helpful to think inside-inside-self-outside-outside-self for the fact that the first pair of passes go in between the two feedees and the second pair goes to the outside hands.)
For four passers, this can be easily extended to a feeder juggling 6-club one-count and alternating passes to three feedees each juggling 6-club three-count:
As another beginner-friendly feed, a feeder juggling 6-club one-count can alternate passes to two feedees in 6-club two-count -- with one of them juggling left-handed two count.
Chaining multiple feeds. To integrate more passers, it is possible to have more than one feeder in a pattern, producing N-shaped or W-shaped layouts, for example here is a pattern with two feeders (B, C):
Getting creative. It is easily possible to come up with various different variations by deciding whether and to whom the feeders should pass on each beat. For example, a feeder juggling 6-club one-count could pass to one feedee in bookends (pass-pass-self-pass-self) and to two more feedees in five-count. To further extend this, one of those feedees could act as a feeder themselves, feeding the first feeder in five-count and a fifth passer in pass-pass-self-self-self:
It is similarly possible to introduce (crossing) double passes as early doubles, either as a trick throw or continuously, for example:
Adding clubs to synchronous feeds. It is possible to add extra clubs to a feed. The most common traditional pattern is a feeder passing 7-club two-count to two feedees passing 7-club four-count on doubles:
(Note that, as for 7-club two-count, rather than crossing all doubles, the feedees conventionally start left-handed or a beat late. Also the two feedees each juggle a pattern that would not work with two passers, since they split the extra club between them.)
Also 8-club pass-pass-self can straightforwardly feed two feedees juggling 8-club three-count:
(As with 6-club patterns above, any sequence of double passes to feedes and heffs can be combined to create more patterns.)
Beyond this, extra-club synchronous feeds become a bit obscure. Any 6-club or 8-club pass-pass-self pattern can feed any pair of two compatible 7-club three-count patterns and many additional strategies can be found to distribute one or two extra clubs across feeds with three or more passers. None of these are common, and we recommend to explore feeds with four-handed siteswaps instead.
Feeding four-handed siteswaps
There are many common feeds of four-handed siteswaps and it is easy to create more. N-shaped and W-shaped patterns with more than one feeder are possible, but not common. Who throws straight and who throws crossing passes can be negotiated -- usually the feeder gets to throw the (easier) straight passes and the feedees throw crossing passes (that can be harder as they may require extra wide angles to go all the way across the pattern).
774 vs. 5-club one-count. To integrate beginner's into a feed it is possible for a more experienced passer to feed two passers in 5-club one-count with 774 or three passers in 5-club one-count with 7-club one-count.
Mild madness vs. Jim's three-count. Many passers learning Jim's three-count then learn that it can be fed with Martin's mildness (pass-pass-self-pass-pass-zip-self). This works well when considering both of them as the four-handed siteswaps 7767746 and 7777266:
Martin's one-count vs. why not. For more experienced feedees, Martin's one-count (pass-pass-pass-pass-zip) feeding two juggler's passing why not (or the asynchronous Jim's two-count) is a good introduction to feeding with four-handed siteswaps. Having the feeder start with 5 clubs and the feedees to wait for an incoming pass to trigger their heff is the easiest-to-remember start.
Why not vs. 5-count popcorn. This feed is roughly of similar difficulty for all passers; as usual, 5-count popcorn can be juggled with either heffs or trelfs.
7-club one-count vs. funky bookends and why not. Combining three different patterns, the feeder needs to remember the passing sequence B-B-C-B-C independent of whether throwing with the left or right hand.
972 vs. 7-club three-count and French three count. In this pattern, the feeder passes double passes with one feedee and single passes with the other.
(It is possible for the feeder to throw both singles and doubles as straight passes if both feedees cross their passes.)
8-club pass-pass-self vs. 7-club three-count. The siteswap 996 can naturally feed two feedees passing 966 for a total of 11 clubs.
For a challenge, add a club and have the feeder juggle 9-club one-count (on doubles) against against one feedee passing 996 and another passing 966. Or pass 9-club one-count against three feedees each passing 966.
Creating custom siteswap feeds. With the theory of compatible siteswaps it is easy to create many more feeds. The key point is to arrange three or more patterns so that the combined interface of the feedees' patterns matches the interface of the feeder's pattern.
Generally the two feedees always throw at the same time, but they must not pass such that their passes arrive on the same beat. For example, two feedees can pass why not with the interface pxpxx, but they must be offset from each other by one beat so that their combined interface toward the feeder is ppppx -- that is either one of them will pass on every beat except the last. The feeder can pass any pattern that is compatible with the combined interface of the feedees; in the example any pattern with interface ppppx, such as Martin's one-count, can feed two why not feedees. As another example from above, funky bookends has the interface ppxpx and can be combined with why not's interface pxpxx when started two beats later for a combined interface of ppppp which is compatible with 7-club one-count by the feeder. It is possible to combine patterns with throws of different heights and of very different difficulty levels as long as their interfaces can be combined. Following this principle, we can find many unusual feeds of common four-handed siteswaps, such as:
- 7-club one-count (ppp) vs. 765 (ppx) and 582 (pxx)
- parsnip or funky bookends (ppxpx) vs. Jim's two-count (async, 77466) (pxpxx) and 5-count popcorn (pxxxx)
- 945 (ppx) vs. French three-count (pxx) and 5-club one-count (pxx)
- 7-club one-count (ppp) vs. 74a (pxx) and 77a (ppx)
As with all compatible siteswaps, identifying starts can be a bit tricky and may require pen and paper as described in the appendix. The total number of clubs needed for the feed is the sum of the clubs for each pattern divided by two, since each passer passes half of each siteswap. We following heuristic to figure out the start often works: Let the feeder start with their pattern with a convenient start and identify when each feedee will receive their first pass. Usually each feedee can identify how they usually would start their pattern in reaction to an incoming pass. For example, it is common to start French three count with a heff on the beat after the first incoming single pass is thrown. If the first incoming pass is at a different height than usually expected in the feedee's pattern (e.g., an incoming zap instead of a single pass for a feedee's French three count), this start would be adjusted correspondingly to start a beat earlier or later. In many cases, the second feedee may need to wait a beat or two for their first incoming pass; they can either wait for their usual start or backtrack and identify the throws before; the throw before might include a pass to the feeder. In many cases, it is possible to identify the start this way with only few attempts to figure out what works; if it does not work go back to the pen and paper method. See the patterns above for some examples of starts.