the history and development of begleri

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Traditional Begleri Beads from Greece

If you’ve searched online for information on the history of begleri, you’ll have found that there isn't very much documented--at least not in English. There are a few site discussing traditional komboloi, but basically nothing related directly to begleri. Aroundsquare has been very involved in the development of the begleri and the surrounding community since 2015, so we’ve taken it upon ourselves to do something about this lack of info. We’re slowly building it over on our new site—check it out if you’re interested, links below.. 

Begleri Main Page

Begleri History and Development

Begleri Configurations, Beads, String Length and more

Begleri Manipulation, Grips, and Tricks

2019 Single Grip Open

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Single Grip Open 2019

2019 Single Grip Open

Event Overview

The 2019 Single Grip Open Begleri Contest will run from November 28th to December 8th, 2019. This is our 4th annual event, and as in previous years, it will take place online, with contestants’ continuous clips showing off their best “single grip” begleri flow. 

Clips can be submitted via Instagram, Facebook, or Reddit (details below). 

This year’s event will mark a return to the original spirit of the event, with a stricter adherence to the “single grip” caveat. The single grip contest was originally devised as a way of levelling the playing field between players, and putting more emphasis on creativity and artistry than straight up technical skill, and as such, this year’s event, in its stricter definitely of “single grip” will be an open contest, with sponsored and unsponsored players competing alongside one another. There will, of course, be ample draw prizes, to encourage broad participation, even for players who don’t expect to take a spot on the podium. 

Scoring of clips will be based on the same criteria used last year (see below for the rubric). 

This year’s judges will be: 

  • Mitch @musclebones (bead legend)

  • Gary @jorgomli (discord boss and community pillar)

  • Loris @4lphaseed (2018 One Grip Wonder)

  • Brax @mkxarb (AO2 Crew)

  • And yours truly Matt @aroundsquare

Scoring Rubric

Single Grip Open Scoring Rubric

How to Participate

The 2019 Single Grip Open will run from November 28th to December 8th, 2019. All you have to do to participate is to prepare a “single grip” begleri clip or edit, compliant with the rules below, and post it publicly to one of the designated platforms, as below: 

All clips must be submitted prior to 11:59pm Pacific time on December 8th, 2019. Clips will be reviewed by the judges, and winners will be announced after the closing of the contest, likely during the following week. 

Draw prizes will be awarded on each day of the contest, from November 28th to December 8th, meaning that participants who submit a clip earlier will have more chances to win. There will be one draw prize winner per day, randomly selected from clips as of that day. 

Rules

  • Clip must be continuous, and must be 20s to 30s in length total (avoid long intros)

  • Please only submit one clip. Participants posting more than one clip will be disqualified (this includes deleting and reposting).

  • Clip may contain minimal editing, slow motion segments, zooming etc., provided the continuity of the clip is not interrupted (freeze frames are allowed, no reversal of clip direction)

  • Any begleri can be used (i.e., it does not need to be an AO2 set)

  • Clip must be performed from a single grip, with the following clarifications: 

    • A grip is defined by the position of the string between two fingers, regardless of whether the fingers are closed, extended, or scissored open. 

    • Players are allowed to switch between grip variants (i.e., standard to fakie or back, within the same grip).

    • “Additional” grips are only permitted if they are in addition to the primary grip (i.e., wraps, where the free bead is trapped in a secondary grip; tension grips, where the free bead is caught to create string tension). However, the secondary grip must be released before the primary grip, otherwise it will be considered a grip change, resulting in disqualification (i.e., no “spring to aerial” or the like)

      • Aerials are allowed, provided the begleri launches from and lands in the same grip:

      • Aerials may launch and land in a different variant of the same grip (i.e., launch from standard and catch in fakie etc.)

      • Aerials must not pass through another grip in the process of launching or landing (i.e., no spring to aerial, tension grip to aerial, landing in a roll etc.)

    • Rolling stops/ rolls are not allowed, since these pass through another grip, however, an aerial is allowed to pass through another grip provided it is not in contact with the finger. The path of motion may resemble a rolling stop, but without contacting the finger. 

    • Switching hands is considered a grip change, and is not allowed (i.e., high grip with the right hand considered a different grip from high grip with left hand); however, the other hand can be used in wraps, rebounds, and tension grips etc., as long as the use of the off hand is in line with the other rules and clarifications.

  • Notwithstanding the rules and clarifications above, the clip must reflect the intent of this contest as a “single grip” contest. If the judges feel there are excessive deviations from that intent, the clip may be disqualified at the judges sole discretion, regardless of whether they are explicitly breaking the rules. 

  • Anything not explicitly allowed in the rules, and anything falling into a grey area, will be subject to judges’ decision, which will be final. Feel free to innovate, but don’t make it about looking for loopholes in the rules. If you’re unsure of something you can contact AO2 for clarification prior to the competition. 

Prizes 

Lots of great prizes are planned for this year’s contest, including draw prizes that will go to randomly selected participants. There will be designated prizes for 1st, 2nd, and 3rd in the main contest. Draw prizes will be given to randomly selected participants from both the main and exhibition division. There will also be a “most innovative” award which will go to the most innovative entry from either of the divisions. 

Single Grip Open Prizes

Sling Slam 2019

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Sling Slam 2019

Sling Slam 2019 is slated to be the first ever full-fledged worldwide open begleri freestyle contest. The contest is scheduled to run August 11-17, in an online format modelled after the successful Single Grip Open (SGO) contest that we have run annually since 2016, but without the restrictions of “single grip” play. Participants will submit conforming freestyle clips online, showcasing their best tricks, flow, and video production skills. As with the SGO, the majority of the contest is expected to take place on Instagram, but contestants are welcome to submit clips on other platforms as well. Full details and rules are presented below.  

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2018 Single Grip Open

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2018 Single Grip Open

The 2018 Single Grip Open Begleri Contest will run next week, November 26th to December 2nd, 2018. The 2018 competition will closely resemble the 2017 one. The event will take place online, with contestants submitting continuous clips showing off their best “single grip” begleri flow. Clips can be submitted via Instagram, Facebook, or Reddit (details below). Like last year, the definition of “single grip” play is fairly open, but all entries must comply with the rules, and must be in the spirit of the event (i.e., don’t go looking for loopholes and grey areas.. focus on single grip). As with last year, the main focus of the event is participation—the whole point of this is to get the community involved. To encourage broad participation, the main contest will be for unsponsored players. Sponsored players and those representing begleri companies are invited participate in an exhibition division, and will still be eligible for some of the prizes up for grabs.

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kickin' it

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kickin' it

I've been interested in Kickstarter for long time, but I've never quite gotten around to putting together a campaign over there. Truth is, I've been kind of proud of being able to grow Aroundsquare fuelled only by organic community support. But all this time I've been looking side-eye over at Kickstarter, thinking heck, that's a good opportunity for a different kind of exposure. So, I decided to give it a crack, this is the result. We're kicking it off in style with three brand new kbones - clear acrylic, wenge wood, and mokume-gane. 

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2017 single grip open contest details

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2017 single grip open contest details

The 2017 Single Grip Open Begleri Contest will take place during the second full week of November (Nov. 13-19). Like the 2016 SGO, the 2017 competition will take place online, with contestants submitting continuous clips showing off their best “single grip” begleri flow. Clips can be submitted via Instagram, Facebook, or Reddit (details below).

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introducing Titan open source

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introducing Titan open source

Aroundsquare is proud to introduce the latest in the Titan begleri series, the Titan OS. This is a free-to-download 3D print file that will allow enthusiasts to cheaply and easily print their own set of Titan begleri, and even tweak the design to their own personal tastes. Aroundsquare is making this design available for free to the community, in the continued efforts to help grow the begleri community and put good quality, high performance begleri in the hands of as many players as possible.

The free download is available in the AO2 shop, and includes and includes .stl , .sat , and .dwg files, which should serve the purposes of most 3D print hobbiests, and should be workable

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the 2016 single grip open (updated)

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the 2016 single grip open (updated)

Aroundsquare is in the planning stages for a new begleri contest... the first of its kinds.. the 2016 Single Grip Open. The idea for the contest is single-grip freestyles.. combinations of moves where the begleri does not change its grip position. This means no transitions to other grips, and no aerials. The jury is still out on whether gap transfers will be allowed. There will be different "events" for different grips. There will be some kind of time limits. And submissions will be limited to single continuous clips. 

There are two main reasons for starting out with a single grip contest. The first, is that single grip is accessible, and equalizing. If we were

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#ao2hydras

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#ao2hydras

I've been lagging on getting blog content up, but there are definitely a number of things that have been going on at Aroundsquare that are worthy of a post or two. One of the big ones is the Hydra begleri. Like the Titans, these are available in both titanium and aluminum. The Hydra beads are actually just part of a bigger begleri project that we've been planning, but when we first got the prototype beads and started messing with them, we were super excited (and a little frustrated) with how fun they were just as they are. So we rolled with it and launched them as is, with more planned for the future.

 Here is the write-up from the product listing over at the shop. 

Aroundsquare's Hydra Begleri are a fun yet highly capable modern adaptation of the traditional Greek multi-bead begleri. All of the Hydra sets have multiple interchangeable beads, allowing for interesting colour combinations, and some customization of weight.

The titanium version comes with four beads, precision-machined from grade 5 titanium, weighing in at around 7g per bead, for a total of around 28g per set. The beads themselves are 16mm in diameter and 8mm thick, making for a 16x16mm stack at either end. While this dimension sounds small compared to the 19/20mm Titans, and the 22mm Wukongs, the more angular shape of the Hydras makes them feel and play larger than their measurement would suggest. 

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badass beadwork

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badass beadwork

I'm very excited to share the latest video from Kuma Films.. an incredible begleri edit, featuring some of the top slingers in the world... who (ahem) just happen to be sponsored by Aroundsquare. Extraordinary video and editing work, matched with incredible talents, and (ahem) some dynamite beads. Please check it out, and show your support to Kuma Films for making this happen. This video also marks the debut of our new Hydra begleri, which will be available Friday, October 15th, at 7pm Pacific time in our store. 

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concept drop

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concept drop

The Concept Deck is (finally) dropping on October 15th at 7pm Pacific time. The Concept Deck is a card deck designed purely for cardistry. The deck consists of 55 identical standard casino quality cards, with no faces, numbers, or pips. Instead, the deck is printed with a simple geometric pattern that produces interesting pattners when the deck is fanned, and striking contrast during cuts and other card flourishes. At least eight distinct single fans are possible with this deck design, and many more variations are possible. The cards have a linen finish and are well polished for easy fanning.

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Titan begleri

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Titan begleri

One of the main goals I had when I first set out designing begleri was to establish some standard forms and models. There were already a lot of begleri out there, but they were mostly being developed as one-off or small batch works of art. When I started playing, I looked around online and didn't know what made a good set... what weight, what size, what materials, what shape. When I looked online for videos, I noticed that different players were all playing with different string lengths, and that added to my confusion. It seemed a bit like the wild west. I wanted a set and setup that I could be confident investing my time in, with the expectation of being able to do a good range of tricks. I did a bit of research and went straight to the foundations... I bought a bunch of sets of the standard issue Greek metal begleri, from different sellers. This seemed to be the best standard available to work from. After talking to a few of the best players I could find online, I got some solid tips for string length, and I was completely hooked on the toy. 

My first real begleri design was the set I called the Little Bosses. They were small, round, and stainless steel. I loved those heavy little monsters, and ended up doing a few different versions of them in small batches. After gaining some skills and some confidence, I felt like I was ready to design something a bit more bold.. a set of begleri optimized for the skill toy market. I wanted it to be bigger and brighter than what was

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the AO2 Crew

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the AO2 Crew

The AO2 Crew is a Aroundsquare's official team. They're a ragtag bunch of insanely talented object manipulators, from the far corners of the internet. They are also, hands down, some of the most creative, skilled, and dedicated enthusiasts we've ever seen. They are all multi-talented individuals, and they bring together crazy skills with begleri slinging, balisong flipping, cardistry, magic, kendama, and more. With these skills in the mix, they are quite literally defining the world of modern begleri play. Check these guys out, give them some love, and follow our social media to check out the latest from the team.

 

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    the Titans are coming

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    the Titans are coming

    If you're looking for the forthcoming Titan begleri, you've come to the right place. If you're following Aroundsquare on Instagram, you have probably seen glimpses of the Titans--a titanium begleri set with a completely new bead design that has been refined based on all the experience and feedback since the Wukongs. They are extremely durable and very well weighted, and the bead design plays, feels, and looks amazing. 

    When Aroundsquare launched with Wukongs in collaboration with MonkeyfingeR, we presented something quite unique--an over-sized round begleri bead, unlike anything else on the market. The Wukongs quickly set a new standard for playability, and the design has inspired many of the

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    concept deck - proof of concept

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    concept deck - proof of concept

    A good while back, Aroundsquare started to take an interest in the art of cardistry. We observed, we dabbled a little, and mostly we wondered.. We wondered about the potential for new visual elements that could be incorporated into cardistry work if we threw out a lot of the assumptions that go into conventional card design. The result is The Concept. It's a deck of cards designed only for card flourishing, and nothing else. There are no numbers, no suits, no faces. The entire visual field is designed around possible visual effects. 

    These aren't for sale quite yet, but we've done up a test run of them, and we feel pretty good about how they turned out. Let's call it a "proof of concept". We've added a little write-up to our Goods page, but to save you clicking over, here it is below..

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    Wukong Begleri Pre-Orders

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    Wukong Begleri Pre-Orders

    If you're following Aroundsquare on Facebook or Instagram, you probably already know about the Wukong Begleri project.. If you don't, check out the video below to see what it's all about. 

    This is a collaboration with MonkeyfingeR Design, which is known for their high end custom anodized yo-yo. During the early stages of development, we had a lot of people come to us interested in picking up the Wukongs, and we finally decided to run a small, unannounced pre-release offer for those early supporters. It sold out. Quickly. And when other

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    begleri - worlds on a string

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    begleri - worlds on a string

    Aroundsquare has been working on a little project behind the scenes for a few months, and it's time to post a little teaser. I've got okay focus when I need it, but I've never been a fan of just sitting still, and I've always liked having something to fidget with, and better still if there are tricks to learn. I grew up on yo-yos, but I would get in trouble for playing them in class. I spun pens, I doodled, I kept busy however I could. I wish I had known about begleri back in my school days.

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    abstract order and the tyranny of structurelessness

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    abstract order and the tyranny of structurelessness

    I've received a few inquiries recently regarding the artwork seen around this website and Aroundsquare's social media. Although it might look like a completely independent line of activity, it's actually closely related to the other works and ramblings of Aroundsquare. Basically it involves the idea of using simple structures to support a creative or constructive process. 

    In this case, the structure is a simple rule--vertical lines of even width. While one could make the argument that this structure constrains the work, the opposite proved true in my case. While I abide by the structure, and

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