How do you start off a spin?

How does everyone get there poi moving? Personally I start with a horizontal spin above my head with my right hand then do a wrap to get the left poi moving. Then I go into a few crosses. I ad-lib the rest from there.

Honestly, I try to not start spinning the same way each time. It feels stagnant to me, like a formula and the last thing I want is for things to look boring. Especially if you spin a lot for friends or the same group of people, they will notice that you do the same thing over and over. Keep it fresh.

the other nice thing about doing that is that you start to feel out how many ways you can initiate the movement. For me its just as much a part of the practice as doing a technically hard move or learning to dance about properly.

Wallplane or Wheel; sametime or split; opposite direction or same: Can you put them together then start with a giant butterfly? Can you kick them into motion? Can you throw them and begin? Can you go from a dead stop (arms at your side) straight into a spiral wrap? One that I find fun and silly is to jump up in a circle and see if I can get the poi into an immediate meltdown. I look like a right fool doing it, but it makes me giggle when it works. (and it hurts when it doesn't work)

I don't always start off with that but I do it a lot to be notice able. Im looking for a few new ways to start them moving that look nice.

To be honest I should do as squid says and try not to do the same thing every time but I am guilty for always starting off in pretty much the same way....

Right so imagining the 'audience' is standing in front of you. I then turn to the side and start with just forward split spins so that the circles face the audience. Then just move into whatever you guys call the split reel going all the way first round the bottom and then top and from there move into weaves/isolations etc....

Its a ridiculously easy way to start but for some reason not that many people seem to use it even though its one of the more visually striking moves and sets everything else up nicely.