The Boy's Own Book of Indoor Games and Recreations / A Popular Encyclopædia for Boys

by C. Stansfeld Hicks; John Nevil Maskelyne; Gordon Stables

Fig. 9

Fig. 10

The Eighth Practice is entitled

The Triple Pass,

which must not be attempted until you have made perfect the last [exercise]. On referring to [Fig. 8], you will see that this practice is nothing more than a repetition of the last, with the addition of a third ball. This third ball, however, will seem to you at first to be quite an interloper, and the greatest care must be taken in throwing all the balls regularly, otherwise they will go into a ‘confusion worse confounded.’ The eyes and the hands, however, being by this time pretty well trained, increased vigilance in the former and increased agility in the latter are all that is required to enable you to master the increased difficulty of the performance. The dotted lines indicate the proper direction in which the balls should be thrown, showing how each ball should cross the course of the others without any of them coming into collision. We proceed at once to the Ninth Practice, which is called

The Triple Over and Under Pass.

This play is almost similar to the last, differing only in this—that, instead of the balls following each the course of the other, they are returned from the left to the right by the course indicated in the dotted lines in [Fig. 8], forming an inner fall while the others are passing over them. The effect of the change is very pretty, and though it will perhaps be found somewhat more difficult, you are now becoming so skilful that difficulties will no doubt serve only to stimulate you to fresh exertion. The Tenth Practice is

The Single Over and Double Under Pass.

This is another variation of the same play, in which the over ball is kept outside, whilst the under two are performing a double pass. In this practice you must keep the outside single ball well above the two that are passing underneath, as shown in the dotted lines in [Fig. 10]. Care must be taken, in this as in every other practice, to avoid collision between the balls. Practice, we know, makes perfect, and nothing but patient perseverance can be recommended to ensure success.