The Pass Substitute
18. April 2025 by Wiebke Schnapper
juggled@ NJF 2024
The Substitute is one element for Take Out Passing. This series will help you learn the basic elements you need to know for mastering take out passing patterns (also known as manipulation patterns). If you want to learn more basics check out our workshop: https://passing.zone/basic-elements-for-take-out-passing-workshop/
The Pass-substitute:
For the pass-substitute the manipulator replaces a thrown pass with an extra club. There are three versions of how to take the club: Early, middle or late.
The pass-substitute can be done in any count. In the video we show it on 3-count, that way you can practice both sides.
For the early substitute the manipulator is grabbing the club on the body before it leaves the hand of the passer. The passer can adapt the force of the movement. The arm should do the regular movement, but less force is needed as the club will not be thrown.
The extra club is handed to the other juggler from underneath. The manipulator has the club on the body now, which is perfect for another manipulation. If this is done in a pattern, where the manipulator will start juggling again after, the club might have to be flipped (turned around).
For the middle substitute the manipulator holds their free hand in the middle between the two passers. This is a signal, that they want to manipulate the next pass. The passer now throws the selected pass with less spin so it lands in the hand of the manipulator with a quarter of a turn. The extra club is handed to the other juggler from underneath. The manipulator has the club on the handle now, which is perfect if they want to start juggling again, but must be flipped for another manipulation.
The middle substitute is often recommended as it gives the manipulator significantly more time.
In some pattern it might come in handy to do a late substitute. For this, the manipulator places themself next to the receiving juggler. They catch the selected throw like a normal pass, and hand their extra club to the passer next to them. This can make sense in a pattern where the next step is replacing the receiving juggler, but is less common.
For all manipulation the convention is that when manipulating a pass from the right hand, the manipulator receives the club in their left and gives with their right hand. After a manipulation you usually have a zip (repositioning the club from one hand to the other). This can be adapted if it makes sense for the pattern.