As I'm sure many of you are aware, the Matrix is one of the most beloved and sought after tricks in the game. Of all the moves unique to Myachi, perhaps no family of tricks is as impressive as the Matrix, which makes the Myachis appear to defy gravity.
The trick has frustrated many an aspiring Myachi-er such that I get emails about it at least once or twice a month. In response to these repeated requests, I put the Matrix up as the Trick of the Day yesterday. This helped a lot of people, I'm sure, but I still got a few responses from people who want to learn the trick and still couldn't get it after watching the video.
I guess I can understand. The video is only 2 minutes long and it certainly took me a lot longer to learn than 2 minutes. I figured the best thing to do would be to tackle it here on the blog where I'm not really limited in time and I can just go back and fix my screw ups (as opposed to having to reshoot a whole video!).
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The Matrix is essentially a 2 Myachi version of the "Fu" or the "Stutter". It is a 2 Myachi exchange that includes both a Vert Drop and a Vert Catch. For a true Matrix, the higher hand should be completely inverted at the time of the catch.
There's no question that this is a tricky move and it can be extremely confusing when you get started. Before you beat your head into the wall trying to learn the Matrix, ask yourself if you're ready for such a challenging trick. If you can answer yes to the following questions, you're probably ready:
- Can you do the Vert Drop 100% of the time?
- Can you do the Vert Catch 100% of the time?
- Can you do a Vert 100% of the time?
- Can you do a Fu quickly without looking at the Myachi?
- Can you do a single exchange (as is a juggling exchange) on both hands?
- Do you own 2 Myachis?
If the answer to any of these questions is no, then either get back to work on some of the more basic moves or hop on Myachi.com and get yourself another Myachi. If the answer is yes on all counts, you're definitely ready to learn the Matrix. It will just be a matter of practice.
The key to the Matrix is centrifugal force. That's what makes the Myachi appear to float. Most of us first learned to manipulate this force to wow our audiences when we learned the "Vert". This ability of the Myachi to stay on the underside of the hand is what makes the Matrix such an awesome illusion.
Now, I'm assuming here that you already know what a Vert Drop and a Vert Catch are, but if you don't go back and take a look at the first video I linked. In that video, I demonstrate the two tricks before moving on to the Matrix. Both are relatively easy to learn and I don't mind waiting here until you've got them down pat.
Assuming that you do, let's look at some of the common problems people have when they learn the move. Along the way, we'll try to correct these problems as well.
#1) Timing
One of the most common issues is failure to time the throw properly. There is an exchange of both Myachi, but only one of them is thrown. The other one is dropped.
Now obviously, you can't time the drop. It's just going to drop when the centrifugal force wears out and gravity takes over. Once your hand is upside down, the Myachi will drop off as soon as it feels like it. The key, then, is to time the throw in response to the drop.
Ideally, the exchange should be simultaneous. The Myachi on your lower hand should be tossed at the same instant that the Myachi on your upper hand drops off. Of course, in practice, you're not going to get it exactly right, but as long as you're close you can hit the move and still pull off the illusion that makes this trick so cool.
Differen't players have different preferences here. Some will tell you to throw slightly before the Myachi drops and some will tell you to throw slightly after. In truth, it doesn't much matter what you do as long as you're consistent. If you start learning the move by throwing before the drop, then keep practicing the same way until you've nailed it. If you try something different every time it will take a long time to master the trick.
#2) Position
Once you get the timing down there's another problem that likes to pop up. Namely, the Myachis run into each other.
Nothing ends this move quicker than accidentally smacking the two Myachis together. The one moving up from the lower hand gets knocked off course and never makes it to the upper hand. Meanwhile, the one moving from the upper hand gets bumped away from the waiting hand and changes course in a hurry.
The key to solving this problem comes before you even start the move. When you're setting up for a Matrix, make sure that one hand has the Myachi toward the back (wrist) and the other hand has it settled toward the front (fingers). This way if your hands line up mirroring one another, the Myachis will pass without touching.
If you're even having this problem, it's a good sign. That means that you've already battled through the really tough stuff.
#3) Timing
Let's face it, the thing that really makes this move tough is the fact that it's confusing. Once the Myachis leave your hands it's pretty easy to lose track of what the heck is going on altogether. Your brain hiccups and you can't seem to remember which hand is supposed to do what.
There's a pretty easy solution to this one as well and it's going to sound crazy. Just let one of the Myachis fall. Do the whole trick, but don't worry about the vert catch at the end. Bring one hand up, do the Vert Drop, toss the Myachi from your lower hand, catch the one you dropped and just watch that 2nd Myachi arc and fall to the ground. That's the one that you should have been Vert Catching.
Okay, so what was the point of that? Well, the only reason your brain gets confused is because it's trying to keep track of two hands and two Myachis and everything is moving all at once. If you split things up like this it gets much less confusing. There's really not much going on and when you stop worrying about that final catch, it's pretty easy to see.
Remember, you can do a Matrix slowly. If your hands are far apart you have a lot more time to actually make the exchange. You can also wait on the final catch for an extra second. Let that Myachi peak in the air and start to fall before you make the Vert Catch. This doesn't look as impressive, but all the constituent parts of the trick are there.
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Remember, the important thing is to get the move. Worry about hitting first, then concern yourself with making it pretty. You'll have plenty of time to polish it up once you can hit it so don't expect to throw down a gorgeous Matrix right away. Like many moves, it starts ugly.
If you still find yourself confused by all that's going on, check the video below. This shows the move from 2 perspectives and it's slowed way down so that you can really see everything that happens.
If you're still having trouble, don't hesitate to shoot me an e-mail at crazyivan@myachi.com. I'd like to refine this article in the future so if you're still having trouble, perhaps you can help me figure out what else it needs. Thanks and good luck!
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