Fountain

• Show infobox for: 4
• (4,4)
• 6
• (6,6)

4
4 ball asynch fountain
Capacity	4
Period	1
Full period	4
Orbits	2
Composition	Prime
States	(Ground state) 1111 (4)
Ladder diagram
Stack notation	4
Dual	Self-dual

 

(4,4)
4 ball synch fountain
Capacity	4
Period	2
Full period	4
Orbits	2
Composition	Prime
States	(Ground state) (1,1)(1,1) (4,4)
Ladder diagram
Stack notation	(4,4)
Dual	Self-dual

 

6
6 ball asynch fountain
Capacity	6
Period	1
Full period	6
Orbits	2
Composition	Prime
States	(Ground state) 111111 (6)
Ladder diagram
Stack notation	6
Dual	Self-dual

 

(6,6)
6 ball synch fountain
Capacity	6
Period	2
Full period	6
Orbits	2
Composition	Prime
States	(Ground state) (1,1)(1,1)(1,1) (6,6)
Ladder diagram
Stack notation	(6,6)
Dual	Self-dual

 

The synch and asynch fountain patterns are two of the four basic patterns in solo juggling (cascade, asynch fountain, synch fountain, and wimpy), and can be done with any even number of objects. In the fountain pattern, two one-handed patterns are done at the same time, with each hand juggling half of the objects, so the objects never cross from one hand to the other. Each object is thrown at a slight angle away from the center of the body, so that it is caught on the outside of the pattern by the same hand that threw it. All the objects are thrown to the same height.

Fountains are the most common patterns for juggling even numbers of objects. In the asynch fountain, the hands throw one at a time, on an even, alternating rhythm. In the synch fountain, both hands throw at the same time.

An asynch fountain is represented in siteswap notation as a single even number. A synch fountain is written as two of the same even number, inside parentheses and separated with a comma.

Before learning a 4 ball fountain, you should already be good at 2 in one hand, 441, and 4 with a gap (starting each one from both sides).

Before learning a 6 ball fountain, you should already be good at 3 balls in one hand (with each hand), 4 ball high flashes, 6662 or (6,6)(6,2), and 6 with a gap (starting each one from both sides).

You can switch a fountain pattern from asynch to synch or synch to asynch, by throwing all or all but one of the objects on one side higher than the rest of the pattern (e.g. throwing 2 or 3 balls from the right hand at 7 ball height in a 6 ball fountain).

4 ball fountain transition animation

6 ball fountain transition animation

The highest number of objects that have been qualified (at least twice as many catches as objects) in a fountain is 10 (balls and rings, synch and asynch), and the highest number of objects that have been flashed (same number of throws and catches as objects) in a fountain is 14 balls (asynch, by Alex Barron).

Variations

• High flash
• High-low fountain
• Reverse fountain
• Mills mess
• Overhead throws
• Shoulder throws
• Pseudohalfshower