The Rules

• Beats fall on regularly spaced points in time throughout the pattern.
• Every field is noted on every beat.
• A field must do exactly as noted on each beat, no more or less.
• A number indicates how many beats until an object is next noted.
• A letter following a number indicates in which field an object is next noted.

Confused? Let’s go right back to the very beginning, but keep these rules in mind.

Beats

A pattern is made up of one or more beats. Each beat is contained in a set of brackets like this

{a beat}

Simple patterns with only one, two or three fields per beat can be arranged on one line like this:

{beat1}{beat2}{beat3}{beat4}

More complex patterns with many beats or fields can be arranged in a column with no line breaks like this:

{beat1}
{beat2}
{beat3}
{beat4}

Unless stated, a pattern is repeated.

{beat1}{beat2} repeat all

+ at the end of the pattern means, “do not repeat this pattern”.

{beat1}{beat2}+ don’t repeat

The reason for not repeating may be that it is not a valid pattern. In this case, if you try to follow the same set of instructions again you won’t be able to follow them correctly. A + can mean this:

{beat1}{beat2}+ catch all the balls and stop

Alternatively the + may indicate that you should look to the following line and move on to the beat or pattern that you see there.

{beat1}{beat2}+ go to the next line
{beat1}{beat2}+ go to the next line
{beat1}{beat2}+ go to the next line
{beat1}{beat2} repeat all

Fields

Each beat is made up of one or more field. A comma divides each field.

{field 1, field 2, field 3}

Often fields can logically be grouped together. The most obvious and common case is the left and right hand of a juggler, the basis of most juggling patterns. This creates a pair of fields, something very handy for notating patterns more clearly and easily.

{left , right}

A line divides different pairs of fields.

{pair 1, pair 1| pair 2, pair 2}

If there are two fields that follow each other in a beat but are NOT a pair or any kind of group, they can be separated by a line.

{pair, pair| single | single}

So if a field isn’t a juggler’s hand, exactly what can it be?

Fields can be split into three generic types:

• Manipulators. The thing that catches, throws or holds a juggling prop on any beat. In simple patterns only the hands are used in but a field may also be assigned to the head, feet, floor, elbows, etc.

• Airspaces. Where a manipulator is in relation to the juggler’s body on any beat. In the simplest patterns the hands stay in front of the body and stay on their own side of the body too. Defining airspaces lets you notate where a hand or other manipulator may be, for example: on the left, behind the back, above the head, inside, outside, etc.

• Orientations. Where a juggler is and which direction the juggler is facing. In simple patterns you assume a juggler is standing up and facing in one direction throughout, but in complex patterns involving pirouettes or other body movement this isn’t the case. A field may be assigned to directions and positions in relation to the juggler’s environment. For example: facing north, facing the audience, facing away from your juggling partner, laying down, sitting down, looking up, standing here, standing over there, etc.

Note that the fields by themselves never indicate action. A field isn’t assigned “move the hand to the left” or “turn 180 degrees”. Instead they are motionless snapshots of where a juggling prop, a hand or the juggler may be at a single point in time.

The use of fields is only as specific as the physical juggling pattern requires it to be. There is no need to use each or any kind of field in a pattern, only what is needed to show how the pattern is juggled.

If the pattern that is being described only concerns itself with throwing and catching with the two hands of one juggler, only two fields are required, {left hand, right hand}. But if the pattern being described involves a complex series of backcrosses and reverse backcrosses, six fields may be required, {left hand, right hand | left hand in front, left hand behind | right hand in front, right hand behind}.

In the same way, a field itself is only as specific as the physical juggling pattern requires it to be. A field should never have to be described as specific as, for example, {the left hand side of the right palm}, {12 cm in front of the body and 20 cm to the left of the body} or {45 degrees clockwise from the audience}.

Instead, the fields should be as general as they need to be to communicate the pattern in the simplest way, but no simpler. A 3 ball pattern that uses two hands and 3 columns of air can be described fully with 5 fields, {left hand, right hand| left | center | right}.

As long as the props, hands and body follow the given notation exactly, the juggler may do anything else he or she wants to, move about, throw and catch in different ways from different positions, etc. Any field not described in a pattern may be improvised.

Ordering and Labeling Fields

The fields can be arranged within a beat in any order, as long as this order stays constant throughout the whole pattern. A good guide is to always start with the hands (manipulators), then the position of the hands (airspaces), then the position of the juggler or jugglers (orientations).

Every pattern has a key. The key says how each field is assigned and also must show, where needed, a unique label in each field. This unique label should be a single, capital letter but in some cases combination of letters may be used. In simple patterns the following keys are used and assumed:

One juggler, left and right hands: {L, R} or {A,B}

Two jugglers, starting with jugglers left hand and working anticlockwise: {A, B | C, D}

Three jugglers, starting with jugglers left hand and working anticlockwise: {A, B | C, D | E, F}

And so on. Of course all of these can be swapped easily, with the right hands becoming left hands.

If displayed out of context, very complex patterns (patterns that use more than just pairs of hands) need their key to be displayed beforehand.

For example, before describing a pattern that involves bouncing or catching a ball on the head and foot the key may be:

{L , R | H head | F foot}

For a 2 person passing pattern with kickups from the ground by one juggler the key may be:

(A, B | C, D | F foot | G ground}

For a pattern that contains both inside and outside throws (reverse and normal cascade throws):

{L, R | G outside, H inside | J inside, K outside}

Or for a pattern that involves pirouettes:

(L , R | N facing north, S facing south}

In many cases they full key does not need to be given. This happens when the objects never leave one pair of fields and arrive in another field. For example, the in a reverse cascade the balls are always dealt with the hands, the right hand is always dealt with by its own two fields and the left hand is always dealt with by its own two fields. In this case the key can dispense with the field labels altogether:

{left, right | outside, inside | inside, outside}

The reason for this will become apparent later.

Two Shortcuts for Pairs of Fields

An asterisk “*” at the end of the pattern means, “repeat the pattern with all the information swapped to the other field in each pair of fields”. An asterisk does not always result in valid pattern but when it does it can cut down the length of notation by half and give a very clear sign that the whole pattern is symmetrical.

This: {do this, do that}*
Is juggled like this: {do this, do that}{do that, do this}
And in turn can be notated like this: {do this, do that}*

In turn this: {do this, do that | and that }*
Is juggled like this: {do this, do that | and that }{do that, do this | and that }

A “~” in a pair of hands means, “these hands are crossed with this hand on top”:

{~this hand, is crossed over this one}
{but now, this hand is on top~}

This is a very handy shortcut for notating juggling patterns where the hands cross, such as Mills Mess and Burkes Barrage.

Objects

Depending on what kind field it is noted in, an object can be different types of things.

• Props (ball, cub, ring, hat, etc) are noted in manipulator fields (hand, head, etc).
• Jugglers’ hands and other manipulators are noted in airspace fields.
• The jugglers themselves are noted in orientation fields.

Objects are noted in fields as numbers. If a field is empty it MUST contain a zero. An empty field (an empty hand):

{0}

The value of the number shows when an object is next going to be noted in a field. If the number is “1” the object must stay in that field until the next beat, it must not leave the field and it must have no “airtime”. This is a field containing the same object over four beats (a hand holding one ball):

{1}{1}{1}{1}+

More than one object can occupy a single field on a beat. This means that two numbers must be used in that field on that beat. Two objects in one field (two balls in one hand):

{11}

A “1” by itself always shows that an object stays in the same field until the next beat, when it is next noted. To move an object from one field to another you have to show a different destination. This is done by adding a letter to that object’s number in two ways.

First you can use the label of another field. Moving an object from field A on one beat to field B on the next beat, and then back, can be achieved like this:

{1,0}{1B,0}{0,1}{0,1A}

The second way to move an object from field to field is possible when the object is going to move from one field in a pair to the other field in the same pair. By placing an “x” after a number means “this object is headed for the other field”. The same pattern as above:

{1,0}{1x,0}{0,1}{0,1x}

And can now be written as so:

{1,0}{1x,0}*

These two methods can be combined in the same beat. For example, in a four handed pattern where each ball is passed anticlockwise simultaneously on every beat:

{1x,1C|1x,1A}

A “1x” must have no airtime; there must not be a recognizable moment when the object is not in either the field it is leaving or the field it is entering. With balls moving between hands, a “1x” or “1A” must be a “zip”, a fast hand-across or a fast horizontal throw. With hands moving between airspaces, a “1x” is simply moving a hand from one airspace on one beat to the opposite airspace on the next beat. This means passing a single ball around the body quickly could be notated as:

{left hand, right hand | left hand in front , and behind | right hand in front , and behind}

{1x,0|1,0|1,0}
{0,1|1x,0|1x,0}
{0,1x|0,1|0,1}
{1,0|0,1x|0,1x}

Or just:

{1x,0|1,0|1,0}
{0,1|1x,0|1x,0}*

Jugglers’ orientation is dealt with the same way except that the same body may be notated more than once in one beat. This is because a juggler may stand in different places and face in different directions at different times within the same pattern. This can happen over two beats when passing clubs and the two jugglers transition from passing “face to face” to “back to front”.

{juggler a facing juggler b, a facing away from b | a standing far from b , a standing close to b}

{1,0|1x,0}{1x,0|0,1}+

Throwing Objects

An object can leave a field and return to it without being noted in any other field. Simply put, a ball can be held, thrown and caught again:

{1}{2}{0}{1}+

A “2” must leave that field, it must have an airtime of at least one beat, and it must be noted in the same field two beats later. A “3” must have an airtime of at least two beats and be noted in the same field three beats later. And so on.

An object’s throw value may also be modified with an “x” or the label of a different field to direct it elsewhere.

A three ball cascade:

{2x,1}*

End of part one...

Part two contains examples of all types of traditional and popular juggling patterns showing the power of beatmap as a juggling notation tool. It also contains ways to connect patterns that use different fields and objects.

Part three contains many techniques to manipulate beatmap patterns and the new patterns that are created.