Basics / LESSON 08
R-types and chu-chus
Keep one staff orientation fixed while its hand moves, then combine that translation with shoulder and hip reels.
Prerequisites: Hip & shoulder reels · Isolations · Antispin · Hybrids
Video study
Use the source for this section’s grip changes, body position, and depth.
Schematic motion. Body proportions and finger contact are approximate; compare with the source. One cycle = 6 seconds at 1×.
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Source video
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All sections · 12
Steps
Before you begin
- Grip
- Hold near the staff center and keep track of the thumb-side and pinky-side ends.
- Stance
- Stand comfortably facing the practice plane. Drex keeps his feet planted while his shoulders and elbows accommodate the movement; exact foot width is not prescribed.
- Plane
- R-types move in the displayed vertical plane. Chu-chus include front/behind-body reel travel, which a flat view cannot fully represent.
Things to notice
- Rotating the supposedly fixed R-type shaft as the hand circles.
- Sending the R-type staff behind the body in a chu-chu.
- Following the wrong pair of ends: the linked relationship is upper pinky to lower thumb in the starting stack.
- Switching chu-chu roles before returning to the shared upright front-body position.
- Expecting one role-switching antispin/R-type pass to recover the starting hand orientation.