531

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This is a "Basic trick" for being an important introduction to site-swap patterns that everyone should try.
But this is not a beginner pattern.

This is 2-ball 501 with a '3' added. It is the first in a series of consecutive odd-value patterns.
Most do throw the '5' high, as shown, to gain time for the too-fast business below.
Timing is as important as time, and the '3' toss must follow the '5' so that they top together.

The common advice, as with 4-ball 53, is to "keep the '3's low" -- but don't let them get wide either.
It is best learned in sets of all three tosses, trying from the beginning for good form before adding more.
Hearing the peculiar rhythm of the catches will help you keep going.

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Contents 1 531 Mills Mess 1.1 531 Mills Mess 1.2 315 Mills Mess 1.3 153 Mills Mess 2 5313

[edit] 531 Mills Mess

There are three tosses in Mills Mess: Cross-arm, Outside, then Under-arm.
You can imagine fitting the three tosses of '531' into that pattern, three ways:

[edit] 531 Mills Mess

This has the '5' as the Cross-arm, the hardest for it to be:

The Outside toss is the '3', the '1' is trying to be an Under-arm toss but mostly needs to be out of the way.

[edit] 315 Mills Mess

This has the '3' as the Cross-arm, the way it is in the real pattern:

The '5' is now the Under-arm throw, easier for it to be.
The '1' is pretending to be an Outside toss.

[edit] 153 Mills Mess

Here the '5' is the Outside throw, the easiest for it to be:

The '3' is now the Under-arm throw, with the '1' serving as Cross-arm.

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[edit] 5313

Same as base pattern with a '3' added, making it four-period so not trading sides:

The '3-1' loop is half of a '31' 2-ball Shower, while the other two balls are doing half of 4-ball '53'.
For more variations, see 5313.

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