Oh F#@& Have I Been Doing Reels Wrong?

I've gotten pretty far into spinning. I can do a lot of things but in the course of my practice today I noticed that I might be doing reels wrong and trying to do them how I think would be normal causes me to be way off time and regularly let my poi go flying into [censored] in my room.

Let me explain.

When you're doing same direction split time there's one side that's driving "forward" (relative to facing its side) on the other side the hand is driving "reverse" (relative to its side) when I've been doing reels I've been, on the 'reverse' side been throwing it back and forth wrist up but wrist down flowy on the 'forward' side. I just realized today that I can do wrist down... no I guess the way to describe it is forarm up is the way i've been doing it so I open my wrist up on the front side with little twisting, but like forward you can do it so that it's twisted around like forward side.

Does anyone understand what I'm saying? Have I been doing it wrong? MUST I START OVER?!

It's really not that big of a deal, but I really could use some feedback if anyone is getting what I'm saying.

I don't know, I'm new to spinning myself. But I say if it flows good, then who cares if you're doing it 'right'?

If you flow different than the majority, you're not wrong, you're unique.

I think that the type of motion that it is will add fluidity to transitions. There's a certain way to treat your hand spinning behind your back and the new way seems better and if I can catch this sooner it'll be a lot better than catching it later.

Yeah, it is definitely easier to learn it right from the beginning rather than having to change it up later, done it a couple times.
What really sucks is after you relearn it the right way but occasionally revert back without even realizing it. Throws everything off, usually ends poorly... or painfully

Theres wrists facing to the body or away from the body... Theres not a right or wrong, but try learning it in as many different ways as you can.

Further than that I cannot say without a visual aid to extend my comment upon.

If i understand you right, that sounds kinda cool. I think about it more in terms of my elbow but the two are somewhat independent. Turning my elbow out gives me more range of motion below my shoulder and behind my back. Turning in gives me more range above my shoulder. Does that relate to what you are talking about?

Also not really following what you mean.

If it has been working, it is probably ok though.

Yes I'm pretty sure this is exactly what I'm trying to say.

That wasn't meant to end the thread. I still want feedback

With all technique, explore as many possibilities as you can. Discover your full range of motion and apply it to all of the movements you do. Explore every arm position, arm distance, arm twist at different places and which way it twists, relative speeds, how bent or how strait your arm is, how your independently your arms can move. Even explore what you fingers can do and what fingers can be engaged or relaxed to do a move and how that makes different things more comfortable. Play with using your thumb as the driving side, play with your pinky, play with your elbow, with your shoulder, your head. Imagine every possible movement you can and then try it.

to answer your original question, no you have not been doing it wrong and you don't need to start over. if anything, doing it wrong would be when you stop playing, but even that is opinion.

To me it depends on where I'm doing the reels: hip I turn my hand in both sides, shoulder I turn it out (more over the shoulder actually, but it's closer to out).

I agree that if it flows for you it's not wrong as such but be wary of turning your hand out for hip reels: it puts much more strain on your shoulder joint. I did that for the first few months I was learning and the resultant shoulder injury put me out of spinning for almost a year.

Someone posted a short video ages ago with where one has to change over. I think it was MNS. It is also fundamental in Tai Chi that at shoulder height you have to turn your hands over.

I don't think it was me, Aston. It was perhaps Nathaniel? I usually only did advanced or by request tutorials cos I'm so lazy.

Thanks for the welcome back in the other thread, by the way. ^_^ ^_^

May have been. Was really short, specifically for reels, but can not be bothered to look for it.