The Weave

The Weave

Some people refer to the Weave as the Cross-Follow, or the Cross and Follow.

The explanation (below) first appeared in the May/June 2001 issue of JUGGLE magazine. JUGGLE is the official publication of the International Jugglers' Association.

A breakthrough for many folks who swing is to be able to execute the Weave (also known as the Cross-Follow) pattern. In a Cross-Follow the individual, asymmetrical movements of each arm combine to create a larger symmetry that is fluid, rhythmic, and graceful. The sense of accomplishment and contentment that folks feel, when first being able to swing the Cross-Follow pattern, is notable.

Not only is the Cross-Follow a beautiful, flowing pattern in its own right, the Cross-Follow is also the basic unit of Fountains.

The asymmetrical part of the pattern comes when isolating and looking at just one arm. When an arm is swinging on the same side of the body, there is one circle. For example, the right hand swings one circle on the right side. However, when the arm crosses over the body, to swing on the other side, it makes two circles. The right hand swings two circles on the left side. The same, individual asymmetry happens with the left arm, as well. The left hand swings one circle on the left side, and two circles when crossed over, on the right side.

This two-to-one ratio of circles around the body becomes more balanced when viewing both arms in the entire pattern. Both sides of the body, the right and the left, are home to three circles. Two of the circles are carried out by a hand crossed over the body, and one circle is swung by a hand on the home side. In both cases, the order of the three circles is: crossed-over hand, same-side hand, crossed-over hand.

In a sense, this dynamic between the symmetric and asymmetric patterns in the Cross-Follow are similar to juggling Mills Mess. Although each hand throws a ball twice as often in the cross-arm position as the open-arm position, when viewed as a whole, the entire pattern appears quite symmetric.

Because people learn patterns in different ways, several different approaches are given here. Try them all to see which work the best for you. It may turn out that attempting the different methods will have a cumulatively beneficial effect that will result in learning Rubenstein's Revenge more quickly.

Step One: Start wit One Hand

One approach to learning the Cross-Follow is to think about the number of circles each object makes. To recapitulate the above ideas, in a Cross-Follow each object makes two full circles on the crossed-arm side, and one circle on the same-arm side.

Hold the purple poi in the right hand. Leave the left hand empty for now, with your left arm at your side, out of the way.

Count and swing two circles while the right hand is on the left side of the body. As the poi is rising up and forward in the upper back quadrant of the second circle, bring your right arm back to the right side.

Continue swinging and count one forward circle on the right side. Again, as the poi is rising from front to back in the top quarter of the circle behind you, cross your right arm over to the left side.

Keep this pattern going until it feels natural. Count out two circles on the left side, and one circle on the right side.

Notice that there is a good time and a couple of not-so-good times to make the transition from side to side? If you wait too long, your arm may cross over the body while the poi is descending in front of you. This opens up the possibility of having the poi smack into the body, something to be avoided. Similarly, if you try to make the transition too early, you may smack the back side of your head with a rising poi.

Try the same thing with the red poi in the left hand. Count out two circles while the left arm is crossed over on the right side of the body, and one circle while the left arm is uncrossed, on the left side of the body.

Step Two: Adding the Unused Arm as an Obstacle

Feel smooth with both arms? It s time to make things more challenging. Try swinging the purple poi in the right arm, with the added challenge of having to swing around the left arm.

Hold your left arm straight out in front of you, about shoulder height. For the first crossed-arm circle with the purple poi in the right hand, swing your right hand over the left arm.

For the second crossed-arm circle, swing your right hand under the left arm. The timing to make the transition from over-the-left-arm to under-the-left-arm is similar to switching from the crossed-arm to the open-arm position. Begin the switch as the poi rises in the upper back quadrant, and finish the switch as the poi descends in the upper front quadrant.

It s okay to move your left arm a bit to make the transition a little easier, just be sure to clearly distinguish between over on the first swing, and under on the second swing.

The third swing is on the right hand side, with the arms uncrossed, so you don t need to worry about the relationship of the poi to the left arm.

It may help to verbalize these three circles. Saying crossed over, crossed under, uncrossed,  might be useful.

Swinging Over and Under the Right Arm

Treating the empty arm as merely an obstacle for the active hand to swing over or under is a temporary measure. This change from swinging over the arm to under the arm is what allows the passive arm to begin its first crossed-arm circle on the opposite side.

When you start swinging both poi, the left hand will make its same-side circle in between the over and under circles of the right hand. In other words, for the three circles on the left side, the order is: 1) right hand crossed-arm over circle, 2) left hand same-side circle, and 3) right hand crossed-arm under circle.

Similarly, the three circles on the right side occur in the sequence: 1) left hand crossed-arm over circle, 2) right hand same-side circle, and 3) left hand crossed-arm under circle.

Think about the second of the two right arm crossed-over circles, the third circle in the left side sequence. While we can say that the right arm is under the left arm, we can also say that the left arm is over the right arm. This is quite useful, as the left arm needs to be over the right arm to begin its first cross-arm circle on the right side.

In a sense, this is the essence of the Cross-Follow. While swinging a circle on the left side, the left arm was following the right arm. The left arm crosses over to the right side before the right arm, though, as the right arm needs to complete its second circle on the left side. This means that the right hand has switched from leading the left hand to following the hand. By the time the right hand crosses the body to its home side, it is following the left hand.

The same switch from follower to leader occurs when the right hand switches back to the left side. Another way of saying this is that the second hand that crosses the body follows the lead hand that is already there.