The Follow

In this trick two balls follow each other back & forth over the top of the pattern, one being thrown the other being carried.

Start with two balls & hold one in each hand. Hold one hand as normal at waist height; hold the second ball about 6 inches directly above it so both balls are on the same side of the body.

Throw the ball from the hand on top as a back toss so that it peaks at eye level & will land on the other side of the body, after releasing the ball just drop the throwing hand out of the way. With the lower hand carry the ball in a path that follows the thrown ball to the other side of the body. Keep the carried ball BEHIND the thrown ball, when the ball in the air is rising the carrying hand should be underneath it & above it when the thrown ball is falling. Both the throw & the carry should peak at the same point. Finish by catching the thrown ball with the same hand that threw it at waist height. Stop the carry about six inches above the other hand.

Now do the same the other way. Always start with a throw from the hand on top & finish on the other side with the hand that was on top on the bottom. Keep practising the move back & forth continuously as a two ball pattern. While carrying & throwing notice that one hand is empty for a beat, the third ball will be caught & thrown in this gap.

Now take all three balls & hold two in one hand & one in the other. Cross your arms over so that the hand with two is on the bottom. Begin with a straight up Under the arm throw from the hand on the bottom. Then make the back toss & start the following carry. While the back toss is in the air catch the first ball then scoop & throw it up under the other arm on the other side before catching the back toss. When the second under the arm throw peaks throw a back toss with the hand that made the first carry & begin the follow on the other side. & so on.

I've said it before & I'll say it again. As you carry a ball hold it between your thumb, fore & middle fingers only & show it to the audience as much as possible. Don't hold the ball deep in the palm of your hand because no one will be able to see it.

Also try this move carrying the 'follow' ball beside the thrown ball. In this variation the back toss needs to be thrown much wider than normal, throw the ball eight or so inches to the outside of your body to give yourself more room for the carry.

The Follow can be easily modified into Relf's Revenge or the Sandbox Shuffle.