Lisa

Other Tutorials:

William Penman (video clip)

     Lisa is a four ball pattern established by William Penman as part of his Hurricane Series. It is made up of three distinct throws: a vertical throw, a horizontal pass, and a split-multiplex. In combination, they create a simple pattern that is easy to juggle yet still impressive to watch (especially if performed low and fast).

    To begin learning Lisa, start with two balls in your dominant hand and one ball in your non-dominant. Simultaneously make a split-multiplex from your dominant hand and a horizontal pass from your non-dominant hand to your dominant hand. One ball from the split-multiplex should be thrown vertically, while the other should travel in an arc toward your non-dominant hand. As the vertical ball descends back toward your dominant hand, you are going to throw the ball in your dominant hand (which was first passed from your non-dominant hand) vertically along the outside of the descending ball, clearing space for that ball to be caught. Your non-dominant hand will catch the other multiplexed ball. You will then catch the outside ball in your dominant hand.
    Practice this on both sides. To add in the fourth ball, you are going to start with two balls in each hand. Make a vertical throw from your non-dominant hand and then, as that ball descends, make the simultaneous pass/multiplex combination from the previous step, catching the first ball you threw in your now empty non-dominant hand. As the vertical ball from the multiplex descends back toward your dominant hand, you are going to make a vertical throw along the outside, catching the vertical multiplexed ball. The other multiplexed ball will be caught by your non-dominant hand, which should already be holding a ball. As the outside vertical ball thrown from your dominant hand begins to descend, you are going to make a horizontal pass from your dominant hand to your non-dominant hand, while simultaneously making a split-multiplex from your non-dominant hand. This will clear space for the outside vertical ball to be caught in your dominant hand, after which you will catch the multiplexed balls in their corresponding hands.
    As shown, practice this on both sides. To run the full pattern, simply keep making horizontal pass/split-multiplex combinations after each outside vertical throw. Lisa is a fairly easy pattern to master, but its simplicity allows for many creative variations.