Multiplexing is a juggling trick or form of toss juggling where more than one ball is in the hand at the time of the throw. The opposite, a squeeze catch, is when more than one ball is caught in the hand simultaneously on the same beat. If a multiplex throw were time-reversed, it would be a squeeze catch.
Toss juggling is the form of juggling which is most recognisable as 'juggling'. Toss juggling can be used as: a performing art, a sport, a form of exercise, as meditation, a recreational pursuit or hobby.
Juggling balls, or simply balls, are a popular prop used by jugglers, either on their own—usually in sets of three or more—or in combination with other props such as clubs or rings. A juggling ball refers to any juggling object that is roughly spherical in nature.
Multiplex throws are given different names depending on the number of balls used, for example a one-ball throw (with one ball held) would be called a uniplex, a two-ball throw would be called a duplex, and a three-ball throw, a triplex. A four and a five-ball throw would be called a quadruplex and a quintuplex, respectively.
Throw types
Multiplex throws are generally grouped into different categories: Stack, Split, Cut, and Slice.
Stacked multiplex throws involve throwing both balls from one hand and catching them both in the same or other hand.
Split multiplex throws, as the name suggests, involve throwing both balls from one hand, "splitting" them in the air, and catching them in separate hands.
Cut multiplex throws involve throwing both balls to the same or other hand like a stacked multiplex but in a staggered fashion so the bottom ball of the duplex is caught, and re-thrown before the top ball is caught. These are used in the Shower Explosion family of multiplex tricks.
Sliced multiplex throws involve throwing both balls with one ball going directly to the opposite hand as a pass. This throw is usually made with the catching hand directly above the throwing hand so that when the throw is made, one ball goes straight up into the catching hand, with little to no air time, while the remaining ball is caught on a later beat.
In the case of triplexes, a split can result in one or two balls being caught in the opposite hand. An 'inside' split triplex denotes one ball being caught in the opposite hand, due to the single ball being on the inside of the triplex, and an 'outside' split triplex denotes two balls being caught in the opposite hand.
A cut and split multiplex can be combined in a triplex and this is referred to as a cut-split triplex indicating that both types of throw are involved.
Air position
Multiplex throws can be further classified depending upon the position of the balls in the air after the throw is made. In the case of duplexes, two balls side by side is a horizontal duplex, and two balls one above the other is a vertical duplex. This terminology can be applied to either the stack, split or cut duplex types of throw. So, a vertical stacked duplex refers to two balls being thrown together, one above the other in the air, and caught together in the same or other hand. A horizontal split duplex refers to two balls being thrown together, side by side in the air, and caught in separate hands. In the case of triplexes, three balls one above the other is a vertical triplex and three balls in a triangle pattern is a triangle triplex.
Notation
4 ball multiplex, 3-ball-cascade, one "5" juggled with it: [53]3333
Siteswap notation is a way of writing down a key feature of juggling patterns: the order in which the balls are thrown. Multiplex throws are notated inside square brackets [ ]. For example, two balls held in the hand for a beat is notated [22] while [54] represents a split duplex where one ball is rethrown five beats later and the other ball four beats later.
Siteswap is a juggling notation used to describe or represent juggling patterns. Siteswap may also be used to describe siteswap patterns, possible patterns transcribed using siteswap. It encodes the number of beats of each throw, which is related to their relative height, and the hand to which the throw is to be made: "The idea behind siteswap is to keep track of the order that balls are thrown and caught, and only that." It is an invaluable tool in determining which combinations of throws yield valid juggling patterns for a given number of objects, and has led to previously unknown patterns. However, it does not describe body movements such as behind-the-back and under-the-leg. Siteswap assumes that, "throws happen on beats that are equally spaced in time."
When working out the average of a multiplex siteswap, to determine the number of balls in the pattern, the throws inside the brackets are added together but treated as one throw. So, [43]23 = [4+3]+2+3 = 12. 12 / 3 (throws) = a 4-ball pattern.
It is possible to combine two siteswaps to make a new trick. The three-ball siteswap '423' and the two-ball siteswap '330' combined give the five-ball siteswap [43][32]3. Since siteswaps can be rotated, 330 can also be read as '033' and '303' and thus, when combined with 423, give the five-ball siteswaps 4[32][33] and [43]2[33] respectively.
If two siteswaps of differing lengths are combined, for instance 423 and 31, the length of the new siteswap can be determined by multiplying the two lengths together. Using the aforementioned siteswaps as an example, 423 (length 3) and 31 (length 2) give the siteswap [43][21][33][41][32][31] (length 6).
Styles
Claymotion
Claymotion is a style of multiplex juggling that was developed by British juggler Richard Clay in the early 1990s and was first given the name 'Claymotion' by Erica Kelch-Slesnick in 1997. Claymotion juggling is a sub-category of multiplex juggling that has a start-stop rhythm to it, not unlike cigar box juggling, so there are times when there are no balls in the air. Emphasis is placed on the graceful movements of the arms and so throws are typically low and controlled.
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Related Research Articles
In toss juggling, a cascade is the simplest juggling pattern achievable with an odd number of props. The simplest juggling pattern is the three-ball cascade, This is therefore the first pattern that most jugglers learn. However, although the shower is more complicated, "some people find that the movement comes naturally to them," and it may be the pattern learned first. "Balls or other props follow a horizontal figure-eight [or hourglass figure] pattern above the hands." In siteswap, each throw in a cascade is notated using the number of balls; thus a three ball cascade is "3".
In the cascade, an object is always thrown from a position near the body's midline in an arc passing underneath the preceding throw and toward the other side of the body, where it is caught and transported again toward the body's midline for the next throw. As a result, the balls travel along the figure-eight path that is characteristic of the cascade.
The fountain is a juggling pattern that is the method most often used for juggling an even number of objects. In a fountain, each hand juggles separately, and the objects are not thrown between the hands, thus the number of balls is always even since any number of balls in one hand is doubled by the same number in the other hand. To illustrate this, it can be seen that in the most common fountain pattern where four balls are juggled, each hand juggles two balls independently. As Crego states "In the fountain pattern, each hand throws balls straight up into the air and each ball is caught in the same hand that throws it."
In toss juggling, Mills Mess is a popular juggling pattern, typically performed with three balls although the props used and the number of objects can be different. The pattern was invented by and named after Steve Mills. It is a well-known trick among jugglers and learning it is considered somewhat of a milestone, "a mind-boggling pattern of circling balls, crossing and uncrossing hands, and unexpected catches."
Juggling clubs are a prop used by jugglers. Juggling clubs are often simply called clubs by jugglers and sometimes are referred to as pins or batons by non-jugglers. Clubs are one of the three most popular props used by jugglers; the others being balls and rings.
In toss juggling, the box is a juggling pattern for 3 objects, most commonly balls or bean bags. Two balls are dedicated to a specific hand with vertical throws, and the third ball is thrown horizontally between the two hands. Its siteswap is (4,2x)(2x,4).
In toss juggling, a flash is either a form of numbers juggling where each ball in a juggling pattern is only thrown and caught once or it is a juggling trick where every prop is simultaneously in the air and both hands are empty.
In toss juggling, columns, also known as One-up Two-up, is a juggling trick or pattern where the balls are thrown upwards without any sideways motion, distinguishing it from the fountain. The simplest version involves having three balls, with two going up simultaneously on either side, followed by one going up in the middle. One way to accomplish this is to juggle 2 balls in one hand and one ball in the other, so one hand has to move faster and further than in a regular pattern (cascade), whilst the other remains almost stationary. The hand juggling the center ball can alternate with each repeat to make the pattern symmetric.
Passing is the act of juggling between two or more people. It is most commonly seen as a subset of toss juggling, pass juggling.
In toss juggling, Rubenstein's Revenge is a 3-ball juggling pattern named by George Gillson after its inventor, Rick Rubenstein. Along with Mills' Mess and Burke's Barrage, it is one of three well-known named juggling patterns that involve complex carries and crossed arm throws. Rubenstein's Revenge is usually considered the most involved and difficult of the three.
In toss juggling, the shower is a juggling pattern for 3 or more objects, most commonly balls or bean bags, where objects are thrown in a circular motion. Balls are thrown high from one hand to the other while the other hand passes the ball back horizontally. "In the shower pattern, every ball is thrown in a high arc from the right hand to the left and then quickly passed off with a low throw from the left to the right hand ." The animation depicts a 3-ball version. Siteswap notation for shower patterns is (2n-1)1, where n is the number of objects juggled.
The circular motion of the balls is commonly represented in cartoons as the archetypical juggling pattern, somewhat at odds with reality, where the cascade is more common. By constantly reversing the direction, the box pattern can be formed.
Juggling practice has developed a wide range of patterns and forms which involve different types of manipulation, different props, numbers of props, and numbers of jugglers. The forms of juggling shown here are practiced by amateur, non-performing, hobby jugglers as well as by professional jugglers. The variations of juggling shown here are extensive but not exhaustive as juggling practice develops and creates new patterns on a regular basis. Jugglers do not consciously isolate their juggling into one of the categories shown; instead most jugglers will practice two or more forms, combining the varieties of juggling practice. Some forms are commonly mixed, for example: numbers and patterns with balls; while others are rarely mixed, for example: contact numbers passing. Many Western jugglers also practice other forms of object manipulation, such as diabolo, devil sticks, cigar box manipulation, fire-spinning, contact juggling, hat manipulation, poi, staff-spinning, balancing tricks, bar flair and general circus skills.
Juggling world records comprise the best performances in the fields of endurance and numbers juggling.
Juggling notation is the written depiction of concepts and practices in juggling. Toss juggling patterns have a reputation for being "easier done than said" – while it might be easy to learn a given maneuver and demonstrate it for others, it is often much harder to communicate the idea accurately using speech or plain text. To circumvent this problem, various numeric or diagram-based notation systems have been developed to facilitate communication of patterns or tricks between jugglers, as well the investigation and discovery of new patterns.
A juggling pattern or juggling trick is a specific manipulation of props during the practice of juggling. "Juggling, like music, combines abstract patterns and mind-body coordination in a pleasing way." Descriptions of patterns and tricks have been most common in toss juggling. A juggling pattern in toss juggling is a sequence of throws and catches using a certain number of props which is repeated continuously. Patterns include simple ones such as the cascade and complex ones such as Mills mess. A juggling trick in toss juggling is a throw or catch which is different from the throws and catches within a pattern. Tricks include simple ones such as a high throw or more difficult ones such a catch on the back of the jugglers neck, as well as the claw, multiplex, and pass. Systems of juggling notation have been created to describe juggling patterns and tricks. One of these is siteswap notation.
In toss juggling, a claw is a trick where the hand throwing or catching a ball is turned upside down so that the palm of the hand faces the ground. The effect is that of the jugglers hand appearing to snatch the ball out of the air. A claw can be juggled as an isolated trick, or be incorporated into an already existing juggling pattern. For example, the Boston Mess can be juggled with each right hand throw as a claw. The resulting pattern in known as cherry picking.
![3-ball Cascade with triplex: [333]33 Multiplex333 33.gif](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/07/Multiplex333_33.gif)
![4 ball multiplex, 3-ball-cascade, one "5" juggled with it: [53]3333 4b-multiplex-3-Ball-Kaskade-mit-mitjonglierter-5.gif](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/d0/4b-multiplex-3-Ball-Kaskade-mit-mitjonglierter-5.gif/100px-4b-multiplex-3-Ball-Kaskade-mit-mitjonglierter-5.gif)
