The AJA Four Man Routine

Rick Purtee, Richard Huber, Jeff Kinnamon, and some others first put this routine together in the mid-1980s when we needed a simple passing routine that all of us could do on short notice. Since that time we've studied it off and on, and there's usually some folks around who remember it.

All patterns are done 3-3-6. That means three counts of six-count, three counts of four-count, and six counts of two-count. A classical 3-3-10 slows the pace of the routine to the point where it's boring. We usually insert three selfs between each pattern to allow plenty of time to walk between positions.

• Box pattern (two intersecting 2-man passing patterns)
• Y pattern (two folks side-by-side facing two folks one behind the other in a Y)
• Center man on Y pattern turns around and goes back to form a line and the bottom man starts a feed from Left
• After two sweeps of the feed, the feedee line starts a weave as the feeder passes clubs only to the center.

The weave usually brings down the house. None of these patterns are particularly difficult. The routine generally takes somewhere between two and five minutes, depending on how many times we drop and how confused we get.

We've discussed other routines involving two, three, and five folks. So far those routines have remained gleams in our eyes after a few beers.

-- CharlesShapiro - 12 Oct 2001