Elevators

Elevators are a type of trick that I discovered by combining the End Out with the Tumble. As a reminder, let's look at these tricks briefly. Fig. 7 shows a right handed End Out where all three boxes are released, R reaches across for 1 and carries it back to the right side. L then grabs 2, and 3 is pinned in the middle. The Tumble in Fig. 5 is like a Take Out, but 3 turns 180 degrees before being pinned in the middle.

 

You don't need to do some fancy flip with the wrist to get 3 to rotate - simply lift the right end faster (Fig. 6) and it will turn on its own.  The basic right handed Elevator starts like Fig. 6 but this time the right hand reaches across to grab 1 while both 2 and 3 tumble to the left. In Fig. 8, I've labeled the sides of 2 and 3 with the letters

A to 0; any of these sides can be caught with the left hand.             

As a rule of thumb, the close side of the lower box is the easiest to grab. In this case, that is side A, leaving 3 to drop to the middle as shown in Fig. 9. The left handed Elevators are a mirror image of Fig. 8 - the letters C and D still refer to the sides of the box that goes higher, and A and C are still the sides that began on top.

Next try a right handed Elevator where L grabs B. Now you need to reach across with the left hand to grab the far side of 2. To grab C or D, you'll need more speed because you need to pull it down to pin 2, which is closer to the floor. Now you have eight variations - grabbing sides A, B, C or D while doing right or left handed Elevators.

 

When you get comfortable with all four variations with both the right and left hands, try this exercise: First do the right handed Elevator where L grabs side A, then the same trick reversed for the left hand, next the right handed Elevator where L grabs B, then left handed R grabs B, right handed L grabs C, left handed R grabs C, right handed L grabs D, left handed R grabs D. The goal is to do all eight tricks without stopping in between to straighten them out but instead to correct any misalignment from one trick as you do the next one.

 

Now some variations on Elevators. Again, release all three boxes as in Fig. 6, but now grab side B with your right hand and L grabs C. Now the box left in the middle is the one closest to the floor - you need to drop down fast to pin it.

 

Also you can start with a basic Elevator but lift your leg to pin the last box under it. You might try a Tumble to Under the Leg first. If you're flexible, try a Tumble or Elevator to Behind the Back. Then try the Tumble or Elevator starting with the boxes in the behind the back or under the leg positions!

 

There are also many variations where you start an Elevator from Home position then end in one of the balances of one box on top of another or to catch the boxes in a sideways position - but I'll save those for a later article! Generally speaking, Elevators are a great universal transition trick because all three boxes are released and are rotating.

 

The End Flip

A variation of the End Turn for some of you advanced boxers is the End Flip. Like the End Turn, one of the end boxes turns 180 degrees before returning to Home position, but the hand that flips the box stays in place. Start with just one box and practice 180-degree flips (in both directions for all three axes) while keeping your hand on top in the standard position. You won't be throwing it up like a juggling prop but as always use your legs to lift it (along with everything else above your waist) and your hand stays over it until the catch.

 

The basic X-flip (a flip on the X axis) will turn in the same direction as an End Turn, but for a reverse spin (CCW in the right hand), move your index finger to the top edge of the box and push down on the inside end of the box as you release it. I found this easier than trying to rotate it with the wrist. Try to keep the face of the box facing forward as it would be if you were holding all of the boxes. When you do add the other two boxes, you'll want to try to flip the end box so that it rises and falls in line with the middle box to make it easier to get back to Home position. Before trying to flip all three boxes together, break it down to practice each one separately, then do combinations of two at a time.

 

When I flip all three at once, I set 2 an inch higher than the others for more leverage. Then as I flip the end boxes CCW (I do the more difficult reverse spin with the right hand), I push up with the right side of 1 against the bottom left edge of 2 as I push down with the top left edge of 3 against the side of 2. Like gears, they rotate against each other as you release them; then it's just a matter of grabbing the end boxes out of the air when they have rotated enough and pinning the middle box back at Home!

 

Of course, you can do End Flips in the other two axes - for the easier Y-flip you'll pull the top edge towards yourself, and for the challenging Z-flip, spot the boxes from the top for the best view. I haven't yet flipped all three boxes on three different axes at once, but you're welcome to try if you're up to the challenge!

 

Permutations

Here is a tool that I used to develop new tricks when no one was around to teach me, and you can use it to learn tricks no matter what your level. Simply put, you can use permutations toJind how many ways you can rearrange 3 boxes after starting from Home position (Fig. 1).

 

First, there are six possible orders of three boxes numbered 1, 2 and 3: 123, 132, 213, 231, 312 and 321. These are all of the different ways that the boxes could end after Take Outs or End Outs. For example, 132 is the end position after the Take Out shown in Fig. 3; 231 is the End Out in Fig. 7; and 321 is a Double End Out. 123 is a trick where the boxes end in the same order that they started in, for example to release the boxes, clap, then grab them again.

 

Next, for each of the six orders, there are eight different ways that some or all (or none) of the three boxes could have been turned upside down: