I think about whole pulls in basically all of my ringing, but there are some methods or parts of methods where I find it even more useful to break the line down into whole pulls.
Plain hunt on four has a whole pull hunting up, a whole pull lying at the back, a whole pull hunting down, and a whole pull leading.
| 2 | 1 | 4 | 3 |
| 2 | 4 | 1 | 3 |
| 4 | 2 | 3 | 1 |
| 4 | 3 | 2 | 1 |
| 3 | 4 | 1 | 2 |
| 3 | 1 | 4 | 2 |
| 1 | 3 | 2 | 4 |
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 |
This makes it very simple to ring by where the treble is in plain minimus methods and in Little Bob on any stage. The sequence of whole pulls becomes: hunt, half lead, hunt, lead end.
Treble bob hunting involves whole pulls alternating between hunting and dodging. Since Kent is mostly treble bobbing, this alternating pattern can also be useful to stay oriented in Kent. The hunting happens when the slow bell leads and the dodging happens when the slow bell makes 2nds.
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 |
| 2 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 6 | 5 |
| 1 | 2 | 4 | 3 | 5 | 6 |
| 2 | 1 | 4 | 3 | 6 | 5 |
| 2 | 4 | 1 | 6 | 3 | 5 |
| 4 | 2 | 6 | 1 | 5 | 3 |
| 4 | 2 | 1 | 6 | 3 | 5 |
| 2 | 4 | 6 | 1 | 5 | 3 |
| 2 | 6 | 4 | 5 | 1 | 3 |
| 6 | 2 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 1 |
| 6 | 2 | 4 | 5 | 1 | 3 |
| 2 | 6 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 1 |
| 2 | 5 | 6 | 3 | 4 | 1 |
| 5 | 2 | 3 | 6 | 1 | 4 |
| 5 | 2 | 6 | 3 | 4 | 1 |
| 2 | 5 | 3 | 6 | 1 | 4 |
| 2 | 3 | 5 | 1 | 6 | 4 |
| 3 | 2 | 1 | 5 | 4 | 6 |
| 3 | 2 | 5 | 1 | 6 | 4 |
| 2 | 3 | 1 | 5 | 4 | 6 |
| 2 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 |
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 6 | 5 |
| 2 | 1 | 4 | 3 | 5 | 6 |
| 1 | 2 | 4 | 3 | 6 | 5 |
| 1 | 4 | 2 | 6 | 3 | 5 |
Stedman and Grandsire
The double dodges in Stedman also break down neatly into whole pulls—in a plain course, you spend three whole pulls in each dodging position before moving on to the next. Technically the first whole pull is hunting and the next two are the dodges, but I personally find it simpler to just count to three. The direction I’m going within the whole pull (e.g. 4th place at hand, 5th place at back is going “up”) is the direction I’m going overall, or the direction I’m dodging. If I’m going up from handstroke to backstroke, after my three whole pulls I’m going to continue going up to the next dodging position, or if I’m at the back I’ll turn around and begin going down.
The three whole pulls in each dodging position also make up a “six” (six rows) which is the fundamental building block of Stedman. (For more about this check out my explanation at https://www.changeringing.net/stedman.) Thinking of the dodges in chunks of three whole pulls gives a useful framework for calling Stedman or understanding what to do when calls are made. In Stedman Triples and above, calls are made at the beginning of the third whole pull of a six and affect what you do in the next six. If I’m dodging at the back and a bob is called, I finish the whole pull, then repeat it starting my count over again at one.
Because Stedman is an odd-bell method, lying at the back is done “wrong” and isn’t really noticed in this strategy of ringing by whole pulls. This might actually be helpful to know when doing singles in Stedman Doubles. The bell doing coat hangers or anti-cat’s ears will lie at the back right for the single, then lie wrong as usual to begin dodging down.
The following table shows the sequence of places bells will ring in Stedman doubles grouped into whole pulls, under four different conditions. Each column contains the places for one condition. From left to right, these are dodging 4-5 up, the same when a single is called so that cat’s ears are made, dodging 4-5 down, and the same with a single so that coat hangers or anti-cat’s ears are made.
| Plain | Single | Plain | Single | |
| 4 | 4 | 5 | 5 | |
| 5 | 5 | 4 | 4 | |
| 4 | 4 | 5 | 5 | |
| 5 | 4 | 4 | 5 | |
| 4 | 5 | 5 | 4 | |
| 5 | 4 | 4 | 5 | |
In touches of Grandsire, I use my counting-to-three skills cultivated through ringing Stedman! Calls are supposed to be made at a handstroke. If I’m in 4th place or above, that whole pull gets counted as “one” and I simply repeat that whole pull counting to three. Again, the direction within the whole pull is the direction I continue in after the dodges.
Practicing Chunking Whole Pulls
My tower simulator tool at https://www.changeringing.net has an option intended to help practice grouping your places into whole pulls. This option is the “length of handstroke gap”. The default setting is 1, so that the handstroke gap is essentially one extra silent bell. Increasing the gap will literally separate the whole pulls more, perhaps helping you to hear the whole pulls and conceptualize them as groups. This is a highly experimental feature on my part, so I’d be eager to hear if anyone finds it useful!
Among Sallies and Bobs 