Brain training

Are there any specific moves that will help 'unlock' other moves.

For example i have just tried moving my left arm forward not spinning the poi whilst my right arm moves backward with the poi spinning forward. Then tried switching arms. This in unbelievably hard to do.

Im sure once you have trained your brain to do things like this other moves will become easier.

Sort of like moving your foot clockwise whilst your arm draws an anticlockwise circle, which i can now do (but loads harder)

Well, I know what you mean. That foward and backward arm spinning is quite difficult. I used to practice it, and it comes naturally. The best way is to concentrate deeply on the movement of one of your arms, then adding the other very slowly.

There are many different brain teasers. But I guess that every move "unlocks" another. Only because of foward and reverse movements. If you get the foward down, it will unlock a new move if you reverse it.

As for the complexity of unlocking, I'm not sure where the unobvious kicks in. For example, when you're in the middle of spinning, stop, and see if you can spin in that same stance with balanced planes. I tried doing it on the windmill for my first try, it was surprisingly difficult for some reason. Try spinning one poi in the front of your head, and one in the back, and keep the planes completely even, and maintain your split time spinning. Its quite annoying at first.

That is probably the only way I think a poi move could unlock another. But I'm not too sure.. Just my thoughts though

I have to dissagre coz a move like the butterfly can be extended, hyperlooped, threaded, reverersed and there are so many other variations.

One trick does not lead to another trick but to many tricks.

I sugest that you work your way throught the online lessons hear at HoP and also learn to transition into and out of each move. Be sure to spend plenty of time on each trick so that it looks tidy. This way you will slowly build up your muscle memory (at lest this is what I think 'Brain Training' is) and as your skill improves you will be able to figure out your own style.

And yes learning certain tricks will help you to get more advanced tricks of the same style i.e.
Fig.8 to 3bt weave to 5bt weave.
or butterfly to thread the needle.
But you still need to put the time and the energy into learning each trick individually.

The fun really starts when you try combining moves!

raverepresent - your right, holding a windmill with one poi in front and one behind maintaining split time is annoying!

dizzy - how do you mean combining moves, like an isolated weave?

like a butterfly weave
or a butterfly hyperloop (butterfloop)
or antispun buzzsaw flowers
or an isolated hyperloop weave
or any other move that combines basic (or not so basic) moves together and ends up with a really technical name (untill it hits the mainstream and then somebody will give it a proper title).

Oh and by the way an Isolated weave is a good example.

It's not a specific move, but... I'd say just get good with your isolations. They give you such a good feel for the way things spin that most other moves start to become easier.

Plus, they help unlock the wonderful worlds of hybrids and polyrhythm.



For specific moves, I found low windmills were helpful. I'm learning meltdowns for the same reason...

not that you need iso's at all for polyrhythm though.

Nope.

But you have to admit, isos are great for learning how to change the speed you spin at.

I would disagree with 'brain training' being the buildup of muscle memory, In fact id say it is the opposite.

many new things in poi are made by taking old things and breaking them, i.e. anti-spin flowers. You must train yourself out of aquired muscle memory in order to do them.

All learning tends to be a process of finding a pattern, learning a pattern, then breaking that pattern.

The ease with wich you can do this depends on how many times you done it before, Id call that 'brain training' if it wasnt sucj a stupid term

T