Pancakes

A pancake throw is a type of trick throw invented by Sergei Ignatov where a ring rotates in the air in a visible way, with the top rotating toward the juggler like a club.

5 ring pancake pirouette

5 ring pancake 360s by Anthony Gatto

Tips

• Hold the rings with your fingers spread wide for better control.
• Hold the rings horizontal, not tilted inward, so they won't wobble.
• Widen the pattern before transitioning into pancakes from the basic pattern.

World records

Pancake world records with publicly available video evidence:

• 3 rings: 12 minutes and 42 seconds by Kenshin Tomie in 2019 (video)
• 4 rings: 3 minutes and 48 seconds by Alexey Isamukhamedov in 2018 (video)
• 5 rings: 1 minute and 27 seconds by Spencer Androli in 2020 (video)
• 6 rings: 14 catches by Andreas Jordan in 2018 (video)
• 7 rings: 15 catches by Tony Pezzo in 2011 (video)

Unverified claims:

• 5 rings: 950 catches by Alexander Kulakov (claim)

Variations

• Flats - similar to pancakes, but the rings stay horizontal and don't rotate visibly. (video)
• Outside pancake throws - Outside throws done as pancakes, with the bottom of a ring rotating in the direction of the hand the ring is thrown from. (video)
• Helicopters - a ring stays vertical and rotates visibly around the vertical axis. (video)
• Pancake neck catch - a pancake throw caught around the neck. (video)
• Pancake pull down - a pull down with one of the rings thrown as a pancake and caught around the neck, normally landing after the rest of the rings are already around the neck. (video)
• Super pancake pull down - a pancake pull down with the pancake thrown before any rings are placed around the neck. (video)