Helicopter staff moves (horizontal spins)...

I've finally admitted a big gap in my repoitre which is that of using HELICOPTER spins more often. Normally, I need to be thinking about HELICOPTERS to put them into a routine, as when on autopilot, I regress back to ROTORS (vertical spins) and find it hard to break out of them again.

I have a couple of helicopter moves, one is like the CORKSCREW. By HELICOPTERING above my head, then bring it down in front of me and lift up over my head again. I exaggerate how dangerous it is by pulling my abs in (well, stomach really) and jumping backwards when it spins in front of me. Tends to get a few gasps and murmurs from the crowd, coz they think I almost burnt myself (hee hee). Been working on the HEADSPIN for a long time now and can still only do three spins max, one on average.

Does anyone have any HELICOPTER moves they would like to share, or hints on learning new ones (especially headspins)?

------------------
Charles (INFERNO)

newdolbel@hotmail.com
http://juggling.co.nz

I have one that the crowd seems to like. Now, let's try to explain it. Start off spinning horizontal above your head, then bring it down to spin on the outside of your left leg (will use your left leg as the center of rotation) out between your legs, up over your head again, then in between your legs and around your right leg. Make sense? Essentially, it is up above your head, then you go around your left leg instead of around the whole body, then up high again, then around your right leg instead of whole body.

Thanks Spritie, good to hear fromy ou again too, haven't seen you post in a while...

Still a little confused, I'm guessing you swap hands during this as well?

So, do a HELICOPTER in left hand above head, bring it down and through your legs to circle the left leg and then up above your head again, is that right?

------------------
Charles (INFERNO)

newdolbel@hotmail.com
http://juggling.co.nz

yeah. I forgot to mention that I do swap hands right before I bring it back above my head. You can also do the same thing without bringing the staff above your head. In that case you swap hands in between your legs (you need to have them spread out so your body looks like a peace sign to do this) and sort of do a half spin in between your legs before going on to the next leg. It also helps if you bend your knee and do a slight lunge when going around each leg if you choose not to go above your head.

There is also a helicopter toss where I spin it around my body and then toss it into the air with my right hand and catch with the same hand.

heli moves I know (prepare to be so NOT blown away Cantus )

1) BTB Waist pass
From Heli pass above head bring down to waist level in less than 1/2 a turn (otherwise you cant do it with the staff centre close to your body the whole time ) pass behind back in 1/2 a turn and then back up to heli in less than 1/2 turn. Looks best with PIROETTEs in there to maintain the staffs speed.

2)BTB ground level pass
same as above but pass behind the calves

3) fwd BTL pass
same as above but lift one leg and pass under that one and around the planted leg much easier with PIROETTEs as the move doesnt need to be done as quickly.

3a) rvs BTL pass
same as above but while turning in the same direction lift the other leg and pass under - this will feel a bit like a reverse version of the last one. These two are really nice when used in combination.

4) Palm spin
From helicopter pass overhead open your hand and let the staff spin on your opened hand. You can keep it going by kinda doing a drumming action with your fingers

5) Straight arm BTB pass
From heli, bend at the waist till your upper body is level with the ground, then pass with straightened arms behind you.

6) Heli toss
From Heli do a above head pass then push straight up to make the staff fly up in the air in a flat spin. Catch with the same or the other hand. Catching can be a bit tricky with fast spins I find.

7) Heli Behind the Head Pass (Neck wrap)
From Heli pull the staff down onto the opposite shoulder of the arm thats holding it reach up and around the otherside of your neck with the other hand (so both hands are crossing to the opposite side of your neck and reaching around aka Full Nelson position) grasp the staff with the second hand and complete the pass.

8) Heli Neck hold(?)
From Heli place the staff on the back of the neck and then PIROETTE at the rate of spin that the staff WAS maintaining in order to cancel its rotation relative to you. Piroette til you get bored, stop, and the staff will start spinning off the back of your neck at the same rate your body WAS spinning at.

9) Heli Neck hold chin catch reversal
**Dangerous if attempted with heavy staff**
From the Neck hold, stop your piroette so the staff starts to rotate off the back of your neck, as it comes over your shoulder on its way to the ground pin it down with your chin, and absorb the spin with some body TWISTING. TWIST back the other way, thus reversing the direction of the spin of the staff, release the chin pin and let the staff spin back over the back of your neck. Stopping a fast spinning staff with a chin catch MAY hurt your neck. Also - if it slides while in the chin pin, you will get a flaming new hair style

Thats about all I can think of at the mo. Hope this helps.

Josh

[This message has been edited by [Josh] (edited 07 November 2001).]

Also -

you know how you can do a kind of shoulder roll thing to get an extra turn out of the staff on either side without using fingerspins? I think the technicque is in Bec and elke's book. Anyhow - you can apply that with Heli's too. makes your arm feel like its rubber tho..and you need flexible thumbs to get it smooth and relatively pain free

Josh

did you want doubles heli moves too?

Josh

I've been doing some double heli stuff in the last few days.
Including a double BTB pass.

------------------
C@ntus

Cantus, descriptions please!

Josh

Erm why would I be blown away Josh? It's the wraps I cant do. Passes are easy.

Right. Details.
Double BTB waist pass.

------------------
C@ntus

um - I meant you wouldnt be blown away...cuz its basic stuff.

tis all tis all.

Josh

Ok Josh, then am I to take it that you're under the impression that I'm any good?

sorry man - too many semantic switches in there, I cant justify spending the brain power figuring them out.

I'd like a detailed description of how you do a double staff BTB waist pass without having 4 arms. Please.

yep boring - but On topic

Josh

Erm I have one in each hand. I drop the LH one. Pass the RH one to my LH. Then catch the dropped one in my RH.

At least that's the theory.
I've only managed it a few times.
It'll look slick in a few days tho.

------------------
C@ntus

Or at least i would get better if it wasn't for this sodding rain

okay, this is my first attempt at explaining a staff move. probably pretty simple for some of you, but i thought it looked cool.

lets use josh and charles terminology,
doing the helicopter, go int to a straight arm BTB pass but do a palm spin(i have to use my left hand) then pass to a right hand palm spin, and then toss it up over your head to an above the head left hand palm spin.

needs a lot of momentum to keep spinnig.

And long arms.
How long are your staffs?

------------------
C@ntus

We are old, we are young, we are in this together, vagabonds and children, we're prisoners forever, with pulses raging and eyes full of wonder, Kicking out behind us again.

hi abolutly brand new to this site, but just had to reply.
a heli move that i love trancing out on is this: heli over head, then bringing it infront of you(like charles describbesin the topic opener)but righdownto inches above the ground. sp8inning horozontally to the ground then rocketing back above my head and, turningaround just a little bit, down to another spot inces above the ground. doing fluently and rhythmically to music, it can appear and feel like your spinning staff is bouncing over you and over you again. looks stunning.
another:
going from helli to one handed weed wacker and staying in weed wacker while you bring it to your side and then behind you so... the staff is goin paralellto the ground behind tou. remember in gymnastics they alwayse made you arch you back so your hands and feet were touching the ground and your belly was facing up? samearching of the back idea only different.

does any one khow what im talking about?

Yes