Difficulty: 3 - Intermediate Trick
Siteswap: 3
Prerequisite Skills: Cascade
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Chops is a cool looking trick where you swing your hands down fast with each catch. It's normally performed using clubs, which makes it look like you're chopping wood with an axe.
Instructions:
Some people find this trick easy, but I had a tough time with it. I didn't learn chops until well after I had mastered Mills Mess. Both tricks use a simular under-arm throw, so my chops kept morphing into Mills Mess.
Start by learning chops with one hand. The first step is practicing an under-arm throw. Just juggle a regular cascade pattern, then every once in a while reach under the other arm when making a throw. You may have to move the other arm out of the way slightly to make room for the under-arm throw.
Get to where you can do it on every throw (with one hand). Notice that the hand that is moving out of the way of the under-arm thow, is actually doing a little chop.
Now, just exaggerate the chop motion with the hand that is moving out of the way of the under-arm throw. You will also find that the effect works better if you catch that ball at a higher point, then chop it down from that location.
After practicing the one-handed chops with both the right and left hand, you can begin to put them together to form the final pattern. Again, it helps if you make your catchs up high, then just swoop down with your hand before you make the under-arm throw. This trick takes a lot of practice to get solid, so keep at it.
