I Need Help with Meteor!

So I have been playing with meteor for a few months now, and no one in my town spins meteor (that I know or have seen) so I am on my own techniques-wise.

I am currently spinning 7 feet of 1/4 inch aircraft cable with weighted tennis balls on either end. I bought "The Meteor Book" but I'm having problems, with no one to turn to.

Namely, my meteor folds up when I start doing helicopter style spins or trying to do the one-handed figure 8, or the windmill (tilting the helicopter down onto the vertical plane)...

The problem is that I am rather small and slight (5 ft 105 lb woman) and I dont have the arm or wrist strength to spin heavy-weighted meteor ends. I am wondering if my folding in half problem (which turns into one-handed poi tricks right fast) is due to me not having enough weight on the ends of my cable, to create the tension that makes it perform staff-like tricks.

I tried adding more weight to the tennis balls, but then it tweaked out my wrists when I did poi-style moves...

Any ideas anyone??? How heavy a weight should I use on the ends of a meteor to really get it to behave like a staff??

Also, Im trying to think of a way to attach poi-handles (double loop variety) to my meteor so I can have handles for poi-moves and not have accidental releases..

Thanks, any ideas would be much appreciated!!!

PS. Anyone going to Burningman this year who spins meteor???? Lets talk!

id definatly go for a shorter metior to learn the staff-form stuff. Im 6'2" and use about a 5.5' metior.

for one hand figure eight hold the metior slightly toward the leading end, ie for forwards you hold the metior nearer the end coming from finger and thumb.

for practice metior, two long socks tied together are good and can be broken down into poi.

try upping the weight on the ends, you dont nesecarrily kneed it, but it makes the metior more rigid and easier to use staff-form. also more scary, but thems the breaks (or thwacks, or crunches, or just blackouts).

getting the helecopter is about timeing and hand movements, untill you get that sorted (which will take a while) it will fold up on you.

there are two other fairly extensive metior threads, look in there for ideas.

L8r,

N?

I'm 5'10" and use a meteor that's 7'5" with tennis ball heads. Each tennis ball has about a dollars worth of pennies in them. The rope is slower turning then thinner material, but is softer and more friendly on the hands. Hope that helps.

[ 01. May 2003, 09:08: Message edited by: Mr.Gone ]

Super, thanks for the input, I will definitely try spinning a shorter length.

I am making a my first fire-meteor, anI was wondering what kind of material to construct it out of...nylon rope would melt, chain is too heavy kevlar rope is good but $$$...I think I need something thicker than 1/4 aircraft cable...

Any ideas? What do other people use?

Bigt Assed Heavy Chain.

tho im thinking of re-desiging. huge heavy iron tubes onna heads too, dangerous fukka.

N

I recently found a carabeener (sp?) and plan to make my fire chains into a meteor, I heard some people on here had experimented with this and I'm interested to see how it works. I tried it a bit in my room, but I don't really have much space to really give it a go.

dont do the beaner thing its not cool
it gets caught in ur fingers and depending on how much weight ur using it can really hurt
on the whole length thing the shorter the cord the faster you can go but u dont get the really big effects
now if u want a really cool performance then use shoe strings
put one end through a glowstick then tie an overhand knot at top
then take the other shoe string tie it the same way
then tie a slip between the 2
another thing you can do is put a half overhand about 6-8 inches above the glowstick at the bottem
then put on another glowstic
then tie the top off
and put the 2 together
you can do alot w\this combination
like you can change how many rings of light people see
you can take it back to 2 - 3 or just spin it normally and u get 4
so yeah........
any questions, comments???

as another note iuse a cable about as long as me arms when i stick them straight out
this makes a comfortable working length
once you get used to that then start going longer
but the longer you go ull eventually start needing some more weight on the ends

I think a good length to start with is from your feet to your chin or shoulder.
I've made a lot of sets of meteors varying the material, length and end weights.

A nice set light set is to use lightweight chain with tennis balls on the end- for chain it's a really good idea to wrap some material round the central part otherwise they'll tend to slip through your grip. These may be good for you Catastrophic if your existing set are too heavy.

I've also made a heavier, slower set out of doubled up climbing rope with tennis balls weighted with money on the end.

Although they are quite different I've adapted to the point where I can do the same stuff with either pair.

agree with one wheel

also, I have had an idea making metior that have not just single block weights but club-like batons at the end, got the idea from messing around with diabalo strings/stick things.

This means on fire that you can catch either end and use them both as clubs, or as a rope dart (always bugged me that you have to decide between doing metior or rope dart stuff.) and i bet you can configure it to go to nunchukka if you want, this could be the super toy.

gonna hafta get onnit.

L*r

T