Week 2

Warm Up Slow and Fast (15 minutes)

Players set up their cups in a 3-3-3.
Focus on alternating stacking slow on the upstack and fast on the downstack or fast on the upstack and slow on the downstack.
Complete this activity with all the stacks leaving more time to work on the Cycle.
Suggested time frame is 3 minutes on the 3-3-3, 4 minutes on the 3-6-3 and 5 minutes on the Cycle.
For the last 3 minutes, complete all stacks at maximum speed.

Discuss the warm up. What are the benefits of practicing slowly? How did the slow/fast patterns affect their fumbling? Was is less or more? Did they notice any improvement in their times when they went full speed?
Explain that today’s focus is on improving their Cycle stacks.
Demonstrate a Cycle that has good transitions. Tips include: using one hand to downstack the last 3 on the 3-6-3, when downstacking the first 6, keeping the cups in sets of 3 and using those cups to downstack the second 6, and picking up the “upside down” 1 so that it is ready to be used to downstack the 10.

Have club members go to their mats and timers and practice their Cycles.
Practice without the timers to focus on their technique.
Have them check their own skills and watch the others at their table to make sure everyone is using the most efficient techniques for completing the Cycle.
Once the practice without timers is complete, have players use timers to practice the Cycle.

Pair up stackers to practice doubles.
Explain that partners complete a Cycle with each person using their “outside” hand.
Explain that partners have to develop a system that’s efficient for their doubles team focusing on who is the faster lead hand, how cups will be placed on the 1-10-1 and more.
They should keep in mind all the discussions about efficiency that were discussed when they worked on the Cycle on their own.
Players practice with their partners both as the left hand and the right hand.
Partners at a table can then switch and work with different partners and complete again.
Have players try doubles with different partners and record their times. Suggested format is that each pair does two practices together to determine their system and then completes 3 attempts to determine their best time.