How to do a Behind the Back

by Crazy Ivan

The first thing I do every morning is check my various in-boxes.  First I check my email, then I check my pms on the Myachi forum, then I check my messages on Facebook, then I check Myachi's messages on Facebook and our @mentions on Twitter, then I check my messages on YouTube then I check Myachi's messages on YouTube.  We get a lot of cool, unique comments and questions, but as you can imagine there are a lot of questions we hear over and over again. 

One of the things I hope to do with this blog is provide a good resource to direct people to when we hear those familiar inquiries.  I take pride in the fact that every message that gets sent our way gets read and almost all of them get answered, but I can't always be as detailed as I'd like when I return the message.  By addressing a few of these questions on the Myachi Blog, I can go into as much detail as I need to (complete with pics and video) and then refer people back to the blog when we hear those questions.

The questions I get usually fall into two categories: Tricks and Trades.  Over the next few weeks I plan to plump this blog up with several articles that hit the key questions in both categories and this blog will start things off.  There are a lot of tricks I get asked about quite often, but perhaps none is as common as the Behind the Back.

The Behind the Back:

This move is easy for some and drives others crazy.  Like many Myachi moves, the difficulty in this one is going to depend on your body type.  If you're thin and flexible (like me) you'll probably nail this one without much trouble.  If you're normal (like Animal or Monk), it will challenge you a little bit more.  Fear not, mesomorphs among the masses, for you too can learn to hit this move quickly and (relatively) painlessly.

The key to nailing the Behind the Back is in how you hold the Myachi.  If you're having trouble doing it from a Lotus position, you can try a little trick that Monk hit upon to make the toss much easier.  Start with the Myachi resting between your thumb and your index finger and then form your hand as though you were holding a book.

Is that a 5.0 Hound's Tooth?  I'm so jealous!

By holding your hand this way you'll be making the toss a lot easier because the reach behind your back will be far less awkward.  For many people who are having trouble with this move, simply changing to this hand position will solve the problem and they will hit it immediately afterwards.  Go ahead and give it a try.

Alright, so maybe you got it, maybe you didn't.  If you missed, I'm willing to wager it was because the Myachi hit your shoulder after you threw it.  That's a pretty common problem and it usually comes from not throwing high enough.  It can also be the byproduct of improper form.  For some reason, people's instinct when they go for a behind the back is to lean back, but in truth, that's the opposite of what you want to do.

See, when you lean back you are moving your shoulder into the path you want the Myachi to take.  Instead of leaning back (which is instinctual for most), you want to lean forward (see figure B).

See?  Figure B.

One of the big impediments to doing a Behind the Back is your other arm.  If you're throwing from your right hand, your left arm will get in the way.  If you're throwing from your left arm, it will be the right arm messing things up.  It's like you can't win.  But fear not, fair Maniac, because I wouldn't have brought up the problem if I didn't have a solution.

There are actually two ways you can go about getting your opposite arm out of the way as well.  The most common is what you see in the picture above.  Actually, more accurately what you don't see in the picture above.  You can't see the left arm at all because it is draped across the body where it can get the heck out of the way.  This is probably the best way to go when you're learning, but there is also another stance that works equally well.

Instead of moving your left arm to the right (or your right arm to the left), you can also lift it up like you see in the photo below.  If you lift your arm high and move it back you'll be able to get a Behind the Back to go through the voided space between your body and your arm.  This is easier for some people, but for a lot of Behind the Back variations it won't work very well.  It's perfect for things like the Musketeer but it won't work if you're trying to go from the Behind the Back to, say, a Melon Stall.

Only reach as far as you comfortably can.  Believe me, it's
not worth pulling a muscle just to do a Myachi trick.

The only other thing you'll need to master this move is practice.  You've got all the know-how you need.  Just pay particular attention to the height that you're throwing to.  If you're missing, ask yourself how you're missing.  Is the Myachi not going far enough behind you?  Is it coming in too fast?  Is your throw inconsistent?  By asking yourself these questions (and more importantly, by answering them) you'll be able to act as your own tutor and you'll master it in no time.

Remember the old Juggler's Rule as well: If you learn it on the right side, be sure to try it on the left side as well.  You don't have a move mastered until it's ambidextrous.