What are you working on now?

Yup, I mean... I'm getting better at meltdowns, so I figured that should help me a bit, nothing so far.

I really need to work on getting a practice space with a mirror.

Those eventually clicked for me when I realised that they were a possible transition between forward and reverse weaves.

I think Nathaniel did a tut looking at them that way. Which would have been helpful a few months before.

There's a tutorial that shows a meltdown is broken down into 2 smaller meltdowns. What I've normally heard what we normally call meltdowns is "mind meltdown" or "wallplane meltdown." I prefer "mind meltdown" if I' talking terminology because there are a lot of different meltdowns and wallplane meltdowns.
Here ye go: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K8tIgoUCbnk

Exuro's vid helped me a lot when I was learning the meltdown. I recommend it, especially since the wheel plane meltdown is relatively simple, and thinking of a wall plane meltdown as a wheel plane meltdown turn is a pretty logical way to approach the move.

You know, the same thought had crossed my mind earlier today.

Meltdowns getting easier...

Starting to work on random transitions to get the feel for them, mostly between same direction and opposite during different moves/stalls. My mind and arms hurt... need a break, and actually, I could use some time spent around other spinners sometime soon, to talk 'shop' as it were.

Just to clarify, I am talking about crossers, not metldowns.

I know.
I was intermittan...*grumbles about being too tired to spell* I was switching from talking about one to talking about the other. They are both things I'm trying to get down at the moment.

I've always heard the wall plane meltdown referred to as either a 'mind meltdown' or simply a 'meltdown', and the wheel plane meltdown as 'the gremlin'

I had an amazing practice session last night working on:

4 beat windmill
spiral wraps
spiral wrap weave
anti spin wheel plane flowers
in-spin wheel plane flowers
split time reels to this fountain type thing
reels to this fountain type thing
Tried to work on in-spin wall plane flowers but my arms got tired

Spiral wraps... they are annoying me. Watched tutorials, but it just doesn't feel right yet.

Got Iso vs Extention and Static vs Extension working today... I mean, they aren't pretty yet, and getting into the Iso version is awkward still, but it works.
Trying to get static vs antispin working but... that might take a little while longer.

Mesh, try doing same direction, same time in a front wall plane. Notice how with one in front and the other behind it draws two sets of planes in front of you.

Now look at which poi is in front and which is behind. Can you swap them fluidly? Try to do so. Try to continue doing so, it sort of feels like a same direction TTN.

Whats the point of this? Its all about planes in the front wall plane there. Spiral wraps are 99% about having nice, clean planes there.

Good luck, my friend!


Also, on static vs antispin, try making the static poi so short that you're holding onto it, then just make it a little longer on each rotation til its full length and hey presto! You're doing static vs antispin! Congrats!

Interesting wall plane exercise MNS.

Will have to give that a go.

Ok, I got spiral wraps, I like em, thanks for the tips fellas.

Today I was working on the same time and split time 3 beat butterfly weaves. I'm getting it, it just feels very weird still. If I don't concentrate my left hand starts to bend towards doing a normal 3 beat.

I threw in one or two same time 5 beat butterfly weaves, but can't figure where to throw the 2 extra beats in split time yet. Not sure how it looks to outsiders, but I think it looks cool. *shrug*.

I'm currently still working on better wall plane control in split time same direction so I can work on my spiral wraps. That's about it for the moment.

Belated advice(?), I started by doing wraps a poi-length apart and moving my hands closer together over time. Eventually they became full spiral wraps.

It's funny Aston, because only after finally learning to do a spiral wrap did I realize I could do that.... lol
Good times.

now try to learn transition from reverse butterfly to btb butterfly,
and butterfly weave,

hey all was going on. new to the forums. my names chris how are you guys? im pretty much working on every thing lol.starting to learn the basic weaves and butterfly's.

Well, welcome to the forums, now go post a lovely introduction. ^_^

Playing with "heart stalls" (continuous horizontal stalls with point isolation exits, so that the poi arc is always changing direction, but always stalling along the same line). Starting to work on horizontal cat-eyes some more because I'd really like to be able to do *all* the UC hybrids and not have to carefully avoid one of the driving styles. Polishing the little contact stuff I can do...

Otherwise, branching out a bit more seriously into contact juggling and double staff.

More under the leg variations and one handed work. I'm the only person in town who utilizes throw handles and I'm trying to make the most of this since it really sets me apart from the rest of the local talent.

Also trying to organize local meetings of performers but people only seem interested if drugs/alcohol/hook up possibility is involved. Tiem for false advertising??

Got some really winners contacting you eh? ^_^ I met someone like that once, it was kind of annoying.
I broke out the poi, they showed me their amazing really fast and angry 2 beat weave, and then tried to get me to do dirty things with them.... Some people have no respect.


Back on topic, right now I am working out getting my butt outside so I can raise my arms above head height while spinning... *sigh*

I have never had that problem for some reason. Although the standard of skill at Rhodes has dropped steadily. I think I was the only thing keeping the average vaguely high.

WE have a really good spinning scene here in Detroit thanks to the Detroit Fire Guild. Everyone that goes to the practices are real down to earth people and very respectful. Plenty of ravers to but they're all the real PLURR ravers. But at events I still meet those kind of people that Meshuderlay talks about, I've only met like 1 though but I think he got put in his place ;D hahahaha, after I showed him what you can really do with poi and showed/attempted to teach him in the loud environment, he just like changed into a respectful human being. I sometimes get very confused by people

just started spinning a month ago, so I'm working on pretty much everything. tonight, it's flowers for the first time - not true flowers since I'm doing them indoors (curse you, Minnesota weather) but practicing spinning poi in a wheel plane with my arms extended all the way from the back to the front. I will say, left arm (my weak arm) extended all the way back is pretty effing funny, the plane is perfect in my brain but so lopsided in reality that I just have to laugh.

oh and if anyone has tips on backwards thread the needle, I'd love to hear them. I stopped trying for now, it was too frustrating. I'll get it eventually - if I can do forward TTN, I can do it backward - but it's certainly giving me more trouble than anything else I've tried so far. not the most essential move but I like to learn everything I know in every direction and mode.

Morning all
Fire in the Park was on Wednesday and I had a poi lesson last night, so I'm all high on poi at the moment.
I'm trying to get Aston to Fire in the Park, if anyone has any ideas PLEASE let me know I'm contemplating kidnapping at this point

I'm also quite new to this and am working on just about everything at this point, BUT... we learned buzzsaw last night and oh my gosh... How do you guys do it with fire? It's terrifying on its own, let along adding two balls of fire to the mix!

Thirteen, I'm also struggling with backwards TTN, but the reason I can't do it is because I can't get my right hand ontop of my left hand backwards. It's easy as all hell going forwards, but backwards is just not happening. Try getting your backwards butterfly going smoothly with both your left hand and your right hand on top. Now, with forwards TTN you are bringing your bottom hand to the top, with backwards butterfly you take your top hand and move it to the bottom. If you can spin butterfly comfortably backwards with either hand on top, TTN should click after that I hope that is of some help!

As for the rest of the stuff that I'm working on, well... at this point I've got lots of little connecting moves and now I'm trying to piece them together so that they transition nicely between each other and at the same time, figure out how to stop doing the tree impression... ie... being rooted to one position. I'm trying to get my feet moving.

I got a huge dose of inspiration on Wednesday night in the form of the most amazing fire dancer I have yet to see. I have no idea what her name was, and she didn't do lots of little tricks which I see so often, but the way that she could move was out of this world. She took spinning circles to a whole new level for me. If I remember in two weeks and if she's there, I'll try get some video footage of her. No promises though, I'm a serious space cadet when it comes to remembering things.

Thirteen: Do the same thing you did to learn it forwards? (I prefer inwards and outwards, based on the direction of movement at the top, but that is another story.) One possible approach is work on swapping which hand is in top. If you can switch that at will, then a TTN should happen quite easily (almost by accident really).

Ash: Buzzsaw with fire is not too bad. Just remember to get the length of your chain correct. Once it is short enough (enough here means that it is not taking you in the face on every rotation) then adding fire makes no real difference, since you *know* you will not hit yourself. Still sounds scary.

Old drill (I think from bluecat) regarding transition practice: write down 10 or so moves at random. Go through them in order, as smoothly as possible, in about 30 seconds. Then reverse the list and do the same. Something that structured may not work for everyone, but it is a fun drill at times.

sounds like you're having a lot of fun ash, I love it! I want to be able to dance like that as well. I get bored watching people do trick after trick; it's the movement and the flow that make poi beautiful to me.

thanks to both of you for the tips - I will try that. I can do backward (or outward as it were) with either hand on bottom, but left hand on bottom in particular is difficult. I'll polish it with both hands on bottom until I'm comfortable and then try switching one hand at a time. it should be cake from there... although I will definitely be practicing this with beanbag poi.

I like the idea of practicing different sequences of moves too, I'll have to try that.

This week I'm learning flowers and lopsided butterflies and weaves. I'm also learning to not be afraid of fire and also not to hit myself with poi while spinning.

Just started spinning last week. I'm currently working on the butterfly, keeping my split time even, angel wings and a 3bt weave.

I did flag, rifle and saber in highschool (graduated in 96) then went back to teach and had planned on a pro career with Gaurd, THEN I got prego, LOL.

At any rate, this all seems VERY familiar to me and I am REALLY enjoying it!
However, here are some of the things I'm running into:

had the butterfly DOWN, then one morning I picked it up and blamo, my socks keep baning into one another?? WTH?

Angel wings is something i was REALLY good at with a flag, broomstick, basball bat, you name it, only it was ONE handed. for some reason doin it two handed with poi causes my right brain left brain to CRASH! lol

And the weave, I can FEEL it, but getting it from my head to my hands is a different story! havent gotten it once, yet.

As I stated earlier, I am using sock Poi and for some reason I have it in my head that when I get my chain Poi it will all be alot easier. For one, I like the way loops feel rather than holding onto that knot at the end of the sock!

Anywho, thats what I'm workin on.