Fishtails

quote:

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Originally posted by Morkai:
I may have got the 'Wrong end of the stick'

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think it just depends on what you're used to.

R

Written by:

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Fishtails: Forward

Path of the staff

The path that the staff travels is like when you kayak, each end of the staff stays on its side. As a starting point it is helpful to hold the staff like a paddle as if you where kayaking with both hands on the staff. I find fishtails are easier to do on the side of your body as the hand movements to stop the staff from hitting yourself are smaller. After having paddled infront of yourself try paddling on the side of your body.

Hand movement

Now that you have an idea as to where the staff has to move you can practise the hand movement. with your palm facing down move your hand in a halfpipe shape. When your palm is facing directly down to the ground this should coincide with when the staff is parallel (well close to) with the ground. When your hand is coming from the right hand side to the left hand side the staff end on the right side of your body with be furthest away from you as visa versa.

If the staff is parallel to the ground and your hand is not the staff will go sliding off, be aware it will do so quite quickly and if you have a grippy grip its like carpet burn without the carpet.

You want the middle of the staff to be as close possible to the middle of the back of your hand/wrist to make the movement as balenced as possible.

Speed

Try to do the move as slowly as you can as it is very easy to hit yourself with this movement. There is a rhythem to the movement, just remember that if you do it fast you will have to move your hand very fast to keep up. If you do it to slow the staff will stall.

Starting the fishtail

The way shown in the video is roll the staff over the back of the hand, so that the staff rolls from your little finger end of the hand to the thumb.

I find that doing a figure 8 to the side of the body holding the staff with both hands flows into the fishtail nicely. Make sure that you position your hands so that when you do the back hand roll the middle of the staff will be close to in the middle of your wrist.

Steps to learning the move

1. Practise the kayaking motion

2. Practise just the hand motion

3. Do the hand motion and hold the staff on your hand using your other hand

4. Practise doing the palm roll and taking the staff to the opposite side of your body on the back of your hand

5. Practise the palm roll over to the other side and back again in the fishtail

6. Do 5. and repeat without the palm roll

two handed fishtails.

a beautiful slow move that has helped me enormously in smoothing out my fishtails.

put the staff on the backs of both hands to your right side.the hands should be approx 40cm apart on a 150cm staff... the hands will not move from this position with regards to the staff, so i will refer to the staff ends as the left hand end and right hand end...

so the left hand end is pointing in front of you.
lift the right hand end and drop the left hand end making 1/2 a revolution and moving both hands to the other side. this should end with the staff is the start position but on the other side of your body.... repeat but the other way.

the second hand stabilises and makes fishtails easy... the movement of both hands is veryvery similar to the movemnet on one hand fishtails, hence why i use it as a practise.

for backwards you use the same start position...only you lift the left hand end and drop the right hand end. make the half revolution. and tadaaa! you should be there or thereabouts.

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