Walk like a newbie

hi all, thanks for looking. I started making my poi's last night (double loop made from hockey skate laces) so far ive gotten spinning (nothing behind the back yet) and a basic butterfly for my moves list. impressive i know lol. so im wondering what moves should i try for next? i was thinking a 2 beat weave isolation and possibly a low turn? let me knwo what you think and any tips would be great

turns would be great to learn, high, low fast and slow, butterfly and weave variations... if you can turn in any direction irrespective of where and how your poi are moving, your doing well. basic tangles and airwraps are fun to, also throws good luck

yup, sadly i've never learned how to turn and continue to head in straight lines

I think working on fountains might help that..

ack something else i still need to get down and make recognizable

turns, i figured someone would say that, im finding them really hard to get down, im going int he order they are listed in the lessons section. im going to work on the low turn tonight and a gaint butterfly, if i can get those next is a 2 or 3 beat weave

Just remeber that when you turn 180, the poi will be spinning in the other direction in relation to you. ie, the poi are always spinning in the same direction, you're just turning so that they feel they are going in the other direction than before. To do low turns, make sure both the poi sweep past your feet whilst you turn. To do a high turn they sweep over your head, make sure the poi stay together when you do this.

Once you've got turns in all 4 directions, try learning a 2 beat weave. Learn it forwards first. Notice which hand crosses over the top and try doing the 2 beat weave with the other hand over the top. Learning this will make the 3 beat weave a lot easier to learn.

Then try learning the 2 beat backwards, don't worry if you find this hard at first, it can take many people a while to get thier head round this.

Then try linking forwards weave into a backwards weave by doing a turn.

I strongly reccomend you find someone who can do poi to help you get the basics, it makes learning 5 times faster when you've got someone there, telling you whats going wrong and how to correct it.

Good luck, and stick with it. It can take a lot of practice to get some moves, but its worth the satisfaction when you start to link them together.

And don't forget to wiggle your hips!

If you get stuck on the turns, I found using 1 poi at a time helped when I was learning (and a couple of hours hard core practice )
Do the movement (example left hand) with 1 poi over and over for a bit. Get used to the way your arm moves. Then do the same with the other hand. Then put them together.
Dont' worry if you have to so this a few times you'll get there

pricklyleaf great advice, im printing that out right now. now i just wish i could find someone who does poi in london ontario.


fire, ill give that a try

only info i can find is for the 3 beat weave nothing on the 2beat, any tips?>

think figure eight either in front or behind you

Spin same time, same direction circles, then cross your arms so the circles are over the other side of your body and then bring them back.

Then try it with split time, same direction circles.

So yes, as Faith says, it's a figure 8, or a 2 beat weave. You'll find that you tend to have 1 hand leading both on the cross and the uncross, so practise with one hand leading, then the other.

lol now i feel dumb, but goos tips, ive almost got the low turn down now, thanks people

What I found helped me was once you've got a few basic moves, just try going into different moves, turning whenever, seeing what your poi do and trying to add something onto that, try add a wrap or something in between. Like butterfly then wrapping one poi on your arm making it change direction and going into weave then, (Was the only example i could think of)

Good luck

UPDATE: i have learned the 2 beat weave today at work, low turn is still causing me some troubles

i never really got that one

low turns are hell, any more tips on them? but i think i have the 3 beat now.

people always told me try one at a time

Have you checked out the free lessons provided on the site?

http://www.homeofpoi.com/lessons_all/teach/3_8_18

what worked 4 me was learning the basics first before starting with butterflies and 3 bt weaves. try to realice that 1 poi is been followed by the other poi, thats how i started to concentrate on my performance check out the free lessons.

i think you got to make your own style