Stretch...

I know this couldn't be new but....extending your arms straight over your head in a normal helicopter/overhead butterfly, then turning it into the flip moves...alternate butterfly, wave, etc....At first it hurts the shouldrs and arms but after awhile you get used to it...and you can practice sitting down.
The flames comes close to the top of the head
and so it looks particularly pretty. I am also working on getting the moves to run smoothly down the body from there and back up so that it turns into a cascade of fire. Still trying to get it smooth though.
Any other suggestions or thoughts on this?
Thanks.

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Pele
Higher, higher burning fire...making music like a choir...

I've been working a lot with the alternating butterfly combo, where you go low-front/low-back/high-front/high-back, both doing it inward and outward. One variation I am pleased with is keeping one hand half a beat ahead of the other, which (I think) creates a different look and different body motion. Not sure if this is what you have in mind, but I like it. Doing it based on an outward butterfly you really reach up and back for the high-back part. This combo is also fun in that you can really vary your speed as you work through the steps.

Yeah Pele...thats cool.

I have a variation which encorporates a turn...ie as your turning through 180 or 360 degrees, you do low wave, mid butterfly, highwave, really stretched out b/h head butterfly, highwave, mid butterfly, low wave...as you finish your turn...

so it goes up turn down...sorta at the same time!

but yeah - I think moving through levels is another aspect of twirling that a lot of twirlers seem to neglect...

Josh

Thanks guys....I picked that one up as well Adam and it looks really cool if you keep them a partial beat apart and then move to simulatneous then back to staggard.
I am trying to get things going as far as I can reach towards the ceiling over my head, which is hard cause when I make a mistake, I can't really see what I am doing wrong...but it's great in the respect that I am beginning to *feel* what's right or not more than *see*. This is even more than when I swing blindfolded since then it is a natural pattern and my arms fall into a natural position. This is all new. And I completely agree Josh....I think that levels (we nicknamed them the chakra's of spinning )
can be very neglected, almost as much as planes of spinning.
Thanks again.

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Pele
Higher, higher burning fire...making music like a choir...

This is something I'm working on too.