Difficulty: 2 - Simple Trick
Siteswap: 423
Prerequisite Skills: Cascade, Fake Columns
Watch Video - WMV - 0.6 MB
This trick is just a simple 423 pattern with an exaggerated arm movement of the 2 siteswap ball. It's called Fake Mess because at first glance, it looks like Mills Mess, because the arms are continuously crossing and uncrossing. The difference is that the arm crossing is just for show. Look closely, and you'll see that there are no under-arm throws made in this pattern. I read about one guy who learned this pattern and thought he was doing Mills Mess for years, until someone showed him what he was doing it wrong.
Instructions:
First you must be able to juggle the 423 pattern. If you don't know how to do this, just think of it as alternating the cascade pattern and columns. Start with two balls in your right hand, then throw one of them straight up (siteswap 4). Before that ball lands back in the right hand, throw the other ball from the same hand (this time across to the left hand, siteswap 3). Now, before that ball lands in your left hand, throw the ball sitting in your left hand straight up (siteswap 4), and continue the pattern. You won't notice the 2 siteswap, because a 2 just represents a held ball for one beat (while the other hand is doing the 4 throw).
Just move the held ball (2 siteswap) under the other hand while it's doing the straight-up throw (4 siteswap). You can start out by just barely making the arm movement.
Then gradually extend the "fake" hand further and further under the pattern until it's all the way underneath the other hand. You will also start to throw exaggerate your 3 siteswap ball, by throwing and catching it from the cross-armed position.
When you do it just right, the fake under arm hand motion will reach it's turn-around point just as the straight-up throw in the other hand reaches its apex in the air. The final pattern looks like you're winding and unwinding a steering wheel.
