This week's routine?

[David Bailey]

A catapult is always awkward after a return.

Damned sight more awkward if the leader has his hand in a sway-lead position, I suspect, which is the end point of a shoulder-slide.

It's always going to be awkward for a beginner to lead a catapult directly after a Manspin, because new Leads are not particularly comfortable moving (hell - even DavidB doesn't like doing it ) which is probably why DavidJamesfeels happier leading a return - it gives him some breathing space.

Shoulder-slide, actually, and I felt happier because the positioning was better handhold-wise, not because I needed the space.

But it does feel weird to the follower. It would be better if a Catapult followed a Yo-yo, for instance. It's the anti-clockwise turn of a return going into the anti-clockwise turn under the arm bit of the catapult that feels odd.

Absolutely - but in this case, it's the lesser of the two evils. The point of a return, of course, being that it's, as the saying goes, a "return and step back", which gives positioning.

You see, it'll work that way because the lady has just completed a CLOCKWISE turn, prior to the anti-clockwise Return

Yes, that's better. But, a Catapult requires a step back to start with, and you don't get that with the end point of a shoulder-slide; it's a step across and the positioning is not the same as for a return-and-step-back.