Length of Poi

So I got my new Poi two or so weeks ago, and I read they were supposed to be the same length as your arm so that they reach your armpit if you hold them streched from your hand. Mine were too long so yesterday I finally made them shorter and tried them... and I thought they seemed too short. I could use some help here. Does it good to have them the same length as your arm? And what would be the advantage of having them taller, if there are any?

A way I have been shown to measure them is to get your arms straight by your side with your poi in your hands of course and dangle the poi to the ground if there is excess chain on it the chain will be slack try and get it so that the poi are just touching the ground.

Just in case no one else responds, I will impart to you the meager wisdom I have gleaned from elsewhere:

SHORTER CHAINS
Faster spin.
Can do full repertoire of moves.
Poi less likely to hit each other or tangle, so you won't learn to be as neat.

LONGER CHAINS
Slower spin.
Can be more visually impressive.
Certain moves (corkscrew, buzzsaw) are impossible to do with chains exceeding a certain length, but you can always wrap them around your hand to make them shorter.

The famous ideal length, from fingers to armpit, is ostensibly the best compromise.

Mine are measured from full arm-stretch to within 2" of my nose - just enough clearance to go inside my arms/buzzsaw things but only just

seems to work fairly nicely without losing too much length, only worked out as an inch or so less than the 'traditional' to-armpit length

And remember, you can always shorten your chains while spinning with hand wraps. I looooooove those.

So, longer chains let you do anything you like. (Not that I'm one to talk; my chains are only 15" long. Then again, I'm only 5'2".)

I've found the most comfortable length is to have them just under your ankles when you have them down by your side. I prefer longer chains though, 33" is my favourite length (I'm 5' 10") but it does restrict the moves you can do, taking a wrap is fine for the buzzsaw but I like to do one handed stuff too and wrapping it while doing a one handed corkscrew isn't an option.

Thank you all for replying... I feel much more comfortable with the legnth of my Poi now. When I held my arms straight by my sides they lightly touched the ground... They just seemed so short when I cut them that I almost panicked. But now it's all better

the longer the chains are, the more stable and cleaner your "discs" of rotation will be.

I guess I use extremely long chains... I know they're the longest of any spinner I've seen in person, but I didn't know they were THAT much longer! I just measured and they're a whopping 41 inches from finger loop to bottom of Electroglo. I have had a bit of trouble hitting the ground on some large extension moves, so I guess I'll take a bit of length off.

mmmmm......long chains..... i use my favourite 4 ft chains most of the time. but then again. most people just think im wierd.

8 foot chains are hard to use ! all you can do really is the over head butterfly unless you are on a platform or on stilts. my freind knagi cracked his one tooth with 12 foot chains.

The longest I ever used were 6 foot lengths - before i moved on to a truck i would spin on the roof of my car - truck roof is too wide for the clearances to work.

Youre all pretty long-chained spinners . My favourite chain lenght is from fingertip to elbow. It perfect for isolations buzzsaws and plane-movement.