1 - Inside high, Outside over (IHOO)
2 - Inside high, Outside under (IHOU)
3 - Inside low, Outside over (ILOO)
4 - Inside low, Outside under (ILOU)
Description: The 2 club stack is very useful for 4 and 5 club tricks. It can also be very cool for passing tricks. It involves throwing two clubs from one hand at different heights (usually single/double or double/triple) and then catching them both in the same hand (although you can catch them as a split if you want).
Grips: Unlike the two club split, there are four different ways to hold the clubs for this throw. 1) Inside high, Outside over 2) Inside high, Outside under 3) Inside low, Outside over 4) Inside low, Outside under. Outside refers to the club farthest to the outside of your pattern. High means that the club is thrown higher than the other one (it sticks out farther). Over means that the knob of that club is on top of the other clubs knob. I tend to prefer the first grip for general purpose use (Inside high, Outside over), but I've met other people that prefer either the second or third grip. The fourth grip is a little weird in my opinion. It's usefulness is questionable.
1 - Inside high, Outside over (IHOO) |
2 - Inside high, Outside under (IHOU) |
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3 - Inside low, Outside over (ILOO) |
4 - Inside low, Outside under (ILOU) |
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The Throw: The throw is going to be a little different depending on which grip you use. The first grip involves locking the clubs together kind of like the 2 club split. The clubs tend to be very flush with each other using this alignment (more so than with the 2 club split), so they should lock together very nicely. Pay close attention to the spin on the higher club. That is the one that is most likely to cause you problems. If the high club has good height and spin, then the lower one will be more likely to fall in line. The second grip is a little bit different concept. The clubs do not need to be locked together at all. Use your finger tips to control the spin of the inside club while the outside club is controlled by your wrist. The third and forth grip I'll leave as an exercise to the reader to figure out.
The Collect*: The collect for the first grip is going to be very similar to the collect for the circus grip (see 2 club split). However, if you catch the second club on top, you have to make sure that you are holding the first club very low on the handle. That may involve a little bit of thinking ahead of time. The second grip would be similar to the european grip. You'll probably want to catch the high club second and if you accidentally catch it too high on the handle you can easily slide it down before the next throw. The third grip is basically the inverse of the first one. If you like to catch the second club on top, you can do so without setting up the first club by holding it low on the handle, however the second club has to be caught low on the handle, which can make things more difficult. If you like to catch the second club underneath, it's probably an easier catch than with the first grip, but you have to have the first club ready by holding it low on the handle.
Setup for underneath catch |
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* Note: The collect is only important if you want to use the 2 club stack in the middle of a pattern. If you just want to learn the 2 club stack as a "start," then it's not important.