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Forward Twiddle - Twiddle the hat off the head and back on. It's got comedy potential too! Allegedly.
Use a palm-up fork grip on both sides the hat, and lift it off the head. Remove the ring fingers from the brim and twist the hat between the fore and middle fingers. Stop the spin by gripping the brim between the fore fingers and thumb.
Reverse the process to return the hat to the head.
You can get an easy laugh by getting the return part wrong and pretending to hit yourself in the face.
Jon Lockwood (of Mushy Pea Juggling fame, now working as with "Company of Fools") did lots of hat workshops at juggling conventions in the mid to late 1990's and started Mike and LP out on the hat road. This was often the first trick he taught...so it's Jon and this trick that ultimately led to the creation of this site. Thanks Jon!
From the TricksWithHats archive
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15-03-2015
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Hold the hat with the crown to the outside in an outside grip. Bring it across the body, and cross the arms. Flick the hat over and drop it onto the thumb of the catching hand. Uncross the arms.
The hat is now held in an outside grip in the other hand, which suggests that the tumble would be a good next move.
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15-03-2015
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Just some things I've been working on recently, hope you enjoy :) I realize sponsored is spelled wrong in the video, not sure how I managed that!!
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28-03-2012
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Arm Roll - Rolling a hat along your arm.
Hold the hat in an inside grip, and from behind the head (duck a bit), release with a flick of the wrist.
The brim stays in front of the arm, whilst the crown rolls along it. The easy catch is palm-upwards. The hard, snazzy catch, which extends the roll a little bit, is palm downwards; let the brim roll over the thumb, and pinch-catch the brim between thumb & forefinger. Smile.
From the TricksWithHats archive
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04-12-2015
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Back catch - Throw the hat, bend over and catch it on your back.
Hold the hat crown up in an inside grip. Throw the hat as if you were doing a low throw to head, and at the last minute bend from the waist and duck under it so is lands flat on your back.
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04-12-2015
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Back Roll (One handed) - Rolling the hat across your back from one side to the other.
This trick is the one handed version of Back Rolls
Hold the had in an Inside grip, with the thumb in a straight line with the forearm.
Bend over at the waist, swing the arm across the body, and up under the armpit. Flick the wrist at the last moment to help with the spin. Look out to the side, and GRAB!
Haggis' Hot Tip: If you can get the hat to bounce
oll on the catching arm as it comes off of your back, this will slow things down a bit.
From the TricksWithHats archive
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1961
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04-12-2015
[0]
Back Rolls - Bend forward and roll the hat across the back.
Hold the hat with the crown facing backwards in an inside grip. Bend the body forward from the waist and swing the hat across the body tucking the hand into the arm pit.Let the hat roll across the back, aiming for the opposite shoulder.
Turn the head to the right and watch the hat as it drops off the shoulder. Catch it in an inside grip with the left hand.
If the hat is difficult to catch then you are probably throwing it too hard.
Learn this trick with both hands, as it looks nice if you roll the hat back and forth across the back.
From the TricksWithHats archive
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04-12-2015
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Backcross to head catch - Throw the hat behind your back, and catch it on your head.
Like most throwing moves, this is a variation on the Throw to head - so it's probably a good idea to learn that first!
Hold the hat in your right hand using an inside grip, spread your fingers out nice and wide as you would for a normal throw to the head.
Swing your arm out to the side, so that the crown of the hat is pointing downwards. Bring your arm behind your back and release the hat so that it does a nice, high, slow spin above your left shoulder.
As the hat descends, look up into it and catch it in the same way that you would for a standard throw to the head.
Top Tip: The catching part is easier if you turn your head towards your left shoulder just before the catch. Oh, and obviously learn this throw from both hands...
From the TricksWithHats archive
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04-12-2015
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Backseat - A pair of throws and catches that Mike discovered while sitting in the back of a car.
Grab the side of a hat in a pinch grip, and carry it down in front of you so the crown is downwards. Flick it up so it spins 360 degrees, and catch it in another pinch grip at the back of the hat. Quickly push it up and forward, spinning the hat 180 degrees and catch in a pinch grip once again.
Stick it back on your head.
To perform the trick most effectively aim for one slick movement rather than two separate parts.
From the TricksWithHats archive
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04-12-2015
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Big Circles - Swing the hat round at arms length - and make it look good.
Hold the hat crown forward in an inside grip and swing it at arms length - twisting the wrist to keep the crown forward. At the top of the swing let go of the hat, untwist your wrist and recatch the hat in an inside grip, continue the swing and repeat as many times as you like.
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04-12-2015
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Chest spin - Spin the hat down the arm, across the chest and out along the other arm.
Hold the hat crown down in a outside grip. Flick the wrist inwards as hard as you can so that the hat spins fast and strikes the inside of the wrist. Allow the spin of the hat to carry it across the body and along the other arm. Catch the crown as it reaches the other hand.
From the TricksWithHats archive
00:03
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04-12-2015
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Take a pinch grip at the front of the hat's crown and flick it up and forwards. Turn the hand round so the palm is facing forwards to catch the hat in another pinch grip at the back. After you've got a feel for this try doing it without looking at the hat.
Either place it straight back on the head or reverse the process to return it.
If you use a bowler hat make sure you take a really firm pinch to crease the top of the hat when removing it, otherwise you'll be left trying to catch the smooth round surface of the back of the hat.
Once you've mastered this one it's a trivial task to start by pinching the back of the hat and flicking it to a catch on the front.
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04-12-2015
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Hold the hat by the brim in an outside grip with the crown facing forwards.
Swing your arm up infront of you, until your hand is about eye level, with the hat tilting slightly upwards. If you let go at the top of the swing, the hat's momentum should carry it through, and it will roll down your arm.
The movement that follows is similar to the one arm tumble. Look down your arm, tuck your chin in, and raise your arm slightly so that the hat rolls downhill and on to your head.
Once you can do that, try throwing the hat from your left hand, and using the right hand to guide it into a dynamic arm tumble.
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04-12-2015
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Hold the hat out in front of you, in an inside grip so that the brim is horizontal, and the crown is on top.
Pull back on the hat as you throw it, so that it floats, without spinning and catch it on your head. Here's what it looks like from the inside.
The key to the trick seems to be to keep the hat level, and pull it towards you as you let go. That and luck, and/or practice.
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04-12-2015
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At some point, your hat will end up on the floor and you'll want it back in your hand. You could just bend down and pick it up (boring!), use a normal foot to head (less boring, but relatively easy) or you could use this little move... (Far more studly way to kick a hat :-)
Place the hat on the floor, to your left, crown downwards and the opening tilting slightly towards you.
Point your right toe, and bring it behind your left leg. Place your right toe into the opening of the hat, and give it a quick upwards flick. With luck (and practice :-) you can make the hat jump up into your left hand.
Top tip: If the hat isn't quite in the right position, you can use your right foot to move it around a bit before kicking.
Bonus points: Do it without falling over about 20 times whilst filming the damn clip for your website...
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04-12-2015
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Grip the front of the crown of the hat and remove it from the head. Hold the hat vertically and spin it outwards while pushing the hat up with the finger tips. After one spin catch the hat in an outside grip.
With a bit of extra practice you can do this with two or three spins or do it in "slow motion".
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04-12-2015
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Full arm roll - Roll the hat from hand to hand along outstretched arms
Hold the hat with the crown back in an outside grip in your outstretched right hand. Flick the hat so that it spins up onto the arm and rolls across the back of the neck (make sure the head is ducked forward out of the way) and down the other arm.
As the hat reaches the other wrist bend the hand up and catch it in a inside grip.
Make sure the arms are sloped so that the hat is always rolling "downhill", and practice, practice, practice - this is a difficult trick.
From the TricksWithHats archive
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04-12-2015
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Full arm roll (backhand release) - Roll the hat from hand to hand along outstretched arms
Hold the hat with the crown back in an inside grip in your outstretched right hand. Flick the hat so that it spins up out of the back of your hand onto the arm and rolls across the back of the neck (make sure the head is ducked forward out of the way) and down the other arm.
As the hat reaches the other wrist bend the hand up and catch it in a inside grip.
Make sure the arms are sloped so that the hat is always rolling "downhill", and practice, practice, practice - this is a difficult trick.
From the TricksWithHats archive
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2562
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06-12-2015
[0]
Hold the hat by the brim with your left hand so that the crown of the hat is facing away from you. Take the stick in your right hand.
With a flick of your wrist, throw the hat up slightly so that it starts spinning anti-clockwise. As the hat descends, hit the brim with the stick slightly to the right of center, such that the stick curves slightly upwards and outwards. This will cause the hat to spin as it rises into the air. As it descends again, repeat the hitting action.
The idea of the basic spin is to keep the hat in the air by hitting it repeatedly with the stick in this manner. I find it helps if you look at the top portion of the inside of the hat.
Adjusting the spin rate and direction:
Hitting the hat nearer the center will give you a slower spin and more height, nearer the edge will give you a faster spin but less height. Obviously striking the left side of the brim will reverse the spin and cause the hat to go clockwise.
From the TricksWithHats archive
00:05
2634
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24-01-2015
[1]
Use a palm-up fork grip at the back of the hat and remove it, straightening the arm. As the arm straightens twist the wrist and take the ring finger off the brim. Spin the hat so that it moves between the middle and forefingers, then transfer the grip to the forefinger and thumb and continue the spin for as far as you can.
Reverse the "twiddle" to place it back on the head.
The main video clip for this trick doesn't show the fingers in any great detail. See the closeup version (120K mpeg) for a better view. For best results you might want to set your video player to loop the clip.
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15-03-2015
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First learn the Screwdriver
When that move flows easily simply "twiddle" the hat as you learnt with that trick, and hold the hat as still as you can while you move your body around it.
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15-03-2015
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Steve Rawlings showed me this trick in Birmingham and said that he used to do it in every show, but now that he's older (and a little rounder :-) he can't get it every time any more. Steve uses a china plate for this trick, but it works with hats too which is why it's here! :-)
Take the hat in your right hand, using an inside grip and hold it so that the crown of the hat is facing to the left.
Throw the hat virtically with some spin, and then do the following while the hat is in the air...
Put your right hand between your legs
Take the hand around the back of the right leg
Stand on your left leg and move the right hand & foot behind the left leg
Then, catch the descending hat in your right hand, from that position. Without falling over.
Top Tips: Practice the "tangle yourself up" bit first without the catch. Keep your eye on the hat as it decends, practice loads...
Luke Burrage managed to get this on video within 30 minutes. I've been trying for weeks and can't do it. It's pretty hard.
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15-03-2015
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The hatstand made its debut at chocfest 7, where I was compering. After a period of prototyping and refining, I built the version that worked. I demoed this a couple of times then it broke. I replaced the elastic and set it up for the big day, used it on stage and it worked, then broke next time I used it.
Be prepared to spend significant tinkering time in between uses, and for frequent breakdowns. That said, it's never let me down when I've needed it.
All in all I've found it a great way to get chicks[1], if you don't count the long evenings spent honing the design and strewing the house with geeky construction equipment, and the fact you'll be laughed out of most nightclubs if you go in wearing a topper. But on stage it works, and it has drawn admiring glances from fellow jugglers and even won us a bag full of croissants on one occasion.
Sweavo, June 2003
[1] facts may vary
From the TricksWithHats archive
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3049
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24-01-2015
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