Forums > Social Chat > Poi have a sexist learning curve...

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DurbsBRONZE Member
Classically British
5,689 posts
Location: Epsom, Surrey, England


Posted:
Ok, is it just me or do women have an unfair advantage when it comes to learning new moves? Firstly, due to life being unfair, most women can dance, or at least wobble competently whilst the majority of blokes are left standing rigid or look like they've got a wasp climbing up their arse, thus giving girls the advantage of looking kewl even by doing a 3bt Weave. Secondly, men have a REALLY painful target area which invariably gets twatted at full pelt whilst trying to learn new moves - most notably for me the 5bt weave and (more comically) a sort of upper thigh wrap where both pois looped round my legs and slammed into my groin at the same time (ohhh, how I laughed...) Finally, and I admit this is lame, but I was told once that all arguements should have 3 points, women are more slightly built and so can get away with using lighter poi (which don't hurt as much) and get hit less often...Are these fair points or is this just the grumbling of a poi-er who has had one-too-many child threatening moments?Oh and girls, before you complain, you have NO idea what 'nad pain feels like------------------I have only one burning desire....let me stand next to your fire

Burner of Toast
Spinner of poi
Slacker of enormous magnitude


Blackbirdmember
337 posts
Location: London UK


Posted:
ah but they have certain bags of fat which not only restrict their arm movement but are apparently fairly painful when struck. Or so they tell me.and the thing about girls dancing is so not true of all girls.

x X x ß £ Å Ĉ К ß î я Ð x X x


Shouden-CrDSILVER Member
Veteran Member
495 posts
Location: Tampa, FL, USA


Posted:
Durbs,I acutally know some women who spin poi, who are well-provided for. This actually makes things significantly harder. Not only for forward moves such as the corkscrew. But also, behind the back moves are next to impossible due to her build. (cant get hand all the way behind back) I would have to say, that more women know how to shake their asses than men. :P However, I'm sure crotch shots for women hurt as well. :P And they have the frontal region that hurts as well when hit(AND they stick out!). Those who have a smaller build have more movement. Durbs, Why dont you try some of the fluffy poi in the shop. They are rather light. (: Good for practicing.------------------ [PLUR]-=Crazy Raver Dude=-

-=ÇrazyRaverÐude=-


NYCNYC
9,232 posts
Location: NYC, NY, USA


Posted:
As we all know, women are much smarter than us as well. wink

Well, shall we go?
Yes, let's go.
[They do not move.]


Sachamember
15 posts
Location: Key West, Florida, USA


Posted:
How funny that only guys answered this message, haahaaahaa...I agree that we are equally advantaged and disadvantaged, I have a gig every sunday and have to twirl for 2 1/2 hours and by the end when I am getting tired, I always end up with a million tiny bruises on my ass, so actually, maybe we look like we are dancing much more, because we have to move that ass out of the way!!!! haahaa.I just have to say that when you hit yourself hard, it hurts, whether it is in the nads or in the boobs!Anyhow, it's not a competition is it??Peace out,Sacha

SorchaTheFlamingmember
235 posts
Location: Calgary alberta Canada


Posted:
I think it hurts just as much to get crotched buy a poi being female or male.being female i have witnessed another fellow female "crotch" her self with some poi not unlike beaming poi (but they werent beaming poi) she got some nasty cuts in side her.. which caused internal bleeding. yoweee..ive seen many a guy be crotched as well. yoweee too. as for the boobie thing.. sometimes they get in the way but girls also learn to manuever around them as they learn poi.. id love to see an expeariances boy poier strap on some fake jugs and spin.. with them (perhaps a good idea for a halloween costume?) also i was told buy a medical docter that girls elbows are shaped differently then boys elbows ours kinda come in more... which causes girls to "throw like girls" "punch like girls" "throw a sword like a girl" (btw if your a girl and you want a clear head shot with a sword bat or other long weapon it helps the aim slightly to the left on your target (if your right handed).... any how back to poi.. this elbow thing helps to get the initial spin better... ------------------A Faeries Heart Beats Fierce and Free!!!!!

Teach tolerance, not competition.
Send food, not bombs.


AnonymousPLATINUM Member


Posted:
I dont agree. I think boys are *still* grown these days to think about things more scientifically, and thus are able to break down the movements and learn them faster. I'm not talking about the dancy stuff - just the 'moves'.When it comes to dancy stuff - I think the opposite is true. Guys tend to be more 'unco' dancers, and girls tend to seem more naturally fluid - but I dont actually think its physical, its just the way ppl are socialised as they grow up.I think the above stereotypes are dissolving, but I think it would be difficult to attack their validity as applied to the general population in the western 'civilised' world.Joshdisclaimer; I do *not* support the sexism inherent in these stereotypes.

AnonymousPLATINUM Member


Posted:
bah! i have to shorten my chains, i think thats the only way ill stop hitting my cleavage.and im pretty sure, after my ex told me to stop twirlin in public till id learnt coordination that i dont have rhythm and movement.guys, however, are genreally stronger, and more movement minded.i reckon it equals out

s-p-l-a-tmember
383 posts
Location: Brisbane, Qld, Australia


Posted:
hmmm... I agree that we all have equally painful spots when it comes to whacking ourselves super hard with poi. But then again, I don't believe guys tend to think more "scientifically" than girls at all. And if they do... I am certainly not the only exception. Sure most girls understand how a 'wiggle' works.. and I can 'wiggle' with the best of em... but I have yet to *meet* (or see in real life).. a guy (or girl) who can do more technical things than I can with poi.. and this is coming from seeing and meeting loads of people in a very well established fire twirling city.All hail Jo Derry and these people across the world that inspire me smileOh and this girl I could finally do some trick swapping with who was from outta town and dropped in for a festival I was at smileSo when's everyone on here dropping in? I'd love to have a hardcore trick swapping sesh with 28346346345325454635219 ppl.

The beautiful thing about learning is that no one can take it away from you.- B.B.King


Insatiable fire-faerie (Angie)BRONZE Member
member
150 posts
Location: Dunoon, Argyll, Scotland,U.K


Posted:
Maybe twatting yourself in the balls a few times will help you with your hip gyration as you learn to move your nads out of the way when you are doing certain moves and in effect make you look like a really funky groover!but maybe its time to accept us girls are better at shakin our thang and learning new moves than you guys.....Why? Cos we are just too damn good at everything!! Its a hard life smile------------------"If you alway do what youve always done, youll always get what youve always got".....by 'someone wiser than me'

"You've got red on you!" Shaun of the Dead


Auspoiboymember
219 posts
Location: Melbourne Australia


Posted:
Well personally speaking, i think that learning new moves really depends on the individual.I know girls who have been twirling for nearly twice the time guys have to pick up half the moves, and the same goes for some guys i know. I think that it just depends on how you wrap your brain around the poi, not how the poi wraps itself about certain areas of the body. grinI also think that its really interesting all the names people come up with for testicles and breasts. winkCheers APB

Good on usGood on us all


MissyZmember
2 posts
Location: Sheffield, UK


Posted:
don't ask me how, but I always manage to whack myself in the jaw if I'm learning something new..?

NYCNYC
9,232 posts
Location: NYC, NY, USA


Posted:
I've been teaching a few people lately and found that there does seem to be an innate ability. If a newbie can spin in split time and in time at the start, it's going to be a fast learning curve. If they really need to concentrate to get them split or even, it's going to go slowly.

Well, shall we go?
Yes, let's go.
[They do not move.]


tonemanmember
195 posts

Posted:
Rule number one for Poi club for men... buy a cupRule number two for Poi club for men... WEAR IT!!Rule number three for Poi club for men...Laugh like a hyena when hit in the cup and play it off like you have POI (read balls) of steel... I have found that regardless of sex- effort put in, relates to showmanship and quality of performance... y'all can take that how ya want!! ;0)

alleykatmember
49 posts
Location: Brooklyn, NY


Posted:
The only real advantage that I can see girls having, when it comes to learning new moves, is all the boi poi-ers who like to use "teaching her new moves" as an excuse for putting the moves on her. wink

this little light of minei'm gonna let it shine...


Marlboromember
180 posts
Location: St.Annes, Lancashire, England


Posted:
I agree that there's adv and disadv for both sides, in a recent attempt to steer my glowsticks (on chains) away from my Family Jewels in managed to thwack my thumb with the metal clip. Now I think I've trapped a nerve coz it's gone numb, thank @#!£ I moved!!M
Non-Https Image Link
------------------"To seek the perfection of the warrior's spirit is the only task worthy of our temporariness, and our manhood" Carlos Castenada

We were somewhere around Barstow on the edge of the desert when the drugs began to take hold.


DurbsBRONZE Member
Classically British
5,689 posts
Location: Epsom, Surrey, England


Posted:
Hmmm, well I'll admit I'm wrong about pain spots but I still reckon that on average, girls are better "movers" than guys, which adds to the whole fluid aspect of poi. As to speed of learning - I fully agree that being able to switch from split to sync'd from the start is a great sign of a quick learner. I'm a drummer and as soon as I picked them up I was off and learnt the whole of the "Art of Poi" video in about 2 weeks, the 5bt Weave in an evening (With instruction) yet some friends (including jugglers, and other stuff) really can't get the hang of poi. And from my personal experience, if a girl can't do it - she REALLY can't do it, yet most guys can get a basic spin going. Oh, and a quick poll; what's the view on girls are better dancers than blokes?------------------I have only one burning desire....let me stand next to your fire

Burner of Toast
Spinner of poi
Slacker of enormous magnitude


CharlesBRONZE Member
Corporate Circus Arts Entertainer
3,989 posts
Location: Auckland, New Zealand


Posted:
*sexist statement looming*...Well, yes, ladies are definitely more flexible (on average) than guys. Yes, they are easier on the eye even when they aren't being amazingly flexible (on average).But NO, this does not give them an advantage.I'm about as inflexible as a piece of concrete. Whenever I have a flexibility test, they measure the gap betwenn my fingers and the thing I'm supposed to push and write down that figure in NEGATIVE NUMBERS!As far as touching my toes, i can do that with a stick or something, but no chance at all.So I'm a male, completely inflexible and a professional performer to boot. How does all this fit in?I have a large number of moves where people have commented that I "look like you're made out of rubber" blush and these don't rely on flexibility as much as a knowledge of how non-firies perceive things.EG Swiveling your feet in the opposite direction to the passing of a staff, people will look more at the fire than at you, and consequently, they see you twisting one direction and the staff going in another. They view your body and the staff as one and can easily be impressed by a whole gamut of different tricks that looks like you are flexible and entertains them (the whole reason for the performance).Going off on a little tangent, but the advantage to performers (and I know not all firies are performers) is the ability to think and see like the crowd, much more than any physical ability...IMHO grin grin grin------------------Charles (INFERNO)newdolbel@hotmail.comhttps://juggling.co.nz

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AjtagThe occasional one...
445 posts
Location: nottingham


Posted:
i see myself as scientificially minde and so after considerable pain i brought a box good idea when worn as toneman says ... BALLS A STEEL..and i can do reasonabally techinacal moves but im buggered if i can make them look good. this is cos i run around alot.. dont askso there may be some truth in the statement. hmmm

There are 10 types of people, those who understand binary and those who dont.
Enjoy - A


Plazmamember
73 posts
Location: The Land of Tokomak


Posted:
ok, let's just say it, girls got boobs that get in the way, just as guy's got a d%#@ that gets in the way...equal...yeah i think so. True, i do belive girls tend to be more flexible than guys, on average, and overall they can wiggle better than us...but how can wiggling even come close to a d#$@ wrap! see that's were we have the advantage! talk about inovation, maby guys are more scientific!? wink grin Because if they try boob wraps they'll only hit themselves in the face...Like Toneman said, break out the cups! grin wow, my post was pointless! tongue------------------My World is a world of one, and in being one they Rave! My World is a Godly World and I am its master!

My World is a world of one, and in being one they Rave! My World is a Godly World and I am its master!


hexonlegsmember
12 posts
Location: Newcastle,Tyne & Wear, UK


Posted:
I can't say that i've noticed any differences that are gender related in relation to poi, some move better than others, some are more motivated, some mind the pain others barely notice.I have to add that of the people I know, the X,X's are harder working and more motivated whilst a lot of guys seem to think that poi practice involves an inordinate quantity of 'Pocket Billiards!'[This message has been edited by hexonlegs (edited 25 October 2001).]

Jezaddict
642 posts
Location: UK, London


Posted:
I have noticed that Guys do tend to be more technical in their spinning, they do in that respect learn things much quicker, however Women learn how to be more fluid in their moves quicker than guys IMHO.

'Happiness is liking peeing on yourself. Everyone can see it, but only you can feel the warmth.'

'If *I* had a hammer, there'd be no more folk singers.'


PsyriSILVER Member
artisan
1,576 posts
Location: Berkshire, UK


Posted:
Well I have to say I havent learnt how to corkscrew yet becauswe of the boobs situation... the odd thwacking has been painful and a lousy attempt at a 5bt weave causeded further thwacking to the clit.... not very nice... that woild probably be the equivalent to gonad thwacking... it explains y girls arent always so keen to climb fences in high heels... lol Anyways I think this is even... guys are prone to bollock wraps...

DurbsBRONZE Member
Classically British
5,689 posts
Location: Epsom, Surrey, England


Posted:
Gosh, what an old thread, makes you feel all warm and fuzzy like discovering you've actually got a 2 year old son you forgot about...

Perhaps

Oh, and I still think I'm right

Burner of Toast
Spinner of poi
Slacker of enormous magnitude


SmallBoy - xCarpal \'Tunnel
2,737 posts
Location: London


Posted:
(Was someone bored again there???)

I think girls (in london at least) tend to go more in the direction of dance, and learn transitions and making pretty patterns (which is the only type of poi I do now) whereas guys tend to learn "moves" without a lot of thought to where their feet are going......so from a performance / my personal point of view "them girl things" look heaps more interesting far quicker......but if you develop a severe compulsive disorder you can almost keep up with them.....well nearly almost.....

Small Lardy Person In Disguise


Jezaddict
642 posts
Location: UK, London


Posted:
Yeah sorry was bored.

I am not sure that I agree with girls concern themselves with patterns and guys moves. I think I concentrate a lot on patterns when I can. In fact the whole tic tac phenomena and gilligans etc.. are based on this. Girls do tend to stick with what they know for longer and are not so much concerned with learning new moves as guys are because you will find that they use the moves they know to dance with and as long as they feel they can dance fluidly they are not too concerned about new moves. IMHO.

Girls let us know what you think.

'Happiness is liking peeing on yourself. Everyone can see it, but only you can feel the warmth.'

'If *I* had a hammer, there'd be no more folk singers.'


telicI don't want a title.
940 posts

Posted:
I wish it were true. But I'm female, and I have no grace and no wiggle. I can't dance. I have trouble with fluidity, and I tend to obsess over a move until I can do it every which way, then switch to the next. Since I know I don't really have much grace, I try to focus on the technical aspects instead. They're so much more interesting to me, too.

Women get hit, too. At least I do. Breasts are very inconvenient when learning corkscrews, windmills, buzzsaws, etc. And although I can't wiggle with grace, I have to move my big hips out of the way all the time.

Disclaimer 1: I'm really not very good at being a typical girl, so none of this should be surprising.

Disclaimer 2: I'm also a slow learner with poi. I had trouble with split time at first. But it came eventually, and everything gets easier and easier now! I make up for ineptitude with obsessiveness.

E pluribus unum, baby.


Stubbsmember
31 posts
Location: Kingston


Posted:
Man, there's no way getting hit in the vag is anywhere near as bad as getting hit in the balls. When people talk about the former, they're all like, "oh, yeah, that wasn't fun at all." So, okay, it hurts. But let me tell you, when a guy gets hit squarely in the balls, it's the kind of pain that makes fall to the ground, curl up in a ball, and wish you were dead. It spreads all the way into your gut, and oftentimes there's even a strong component of nausea to it! So, ladies, I beg of you: don't even try to draw a comparison!

mechBRONZE Member
Carpal \'Tunnel
6,207 posts
Location: "In your ear", United Kingdom


Posted:
its the phenominon of poithread all over again!

Step (el-nombrie)


DentrassiGOLD Member
ZORT!
3,045 posts
Location: Brisbane, Australia


Posted:
guys,
if you dont have a protector thing, shove a book down your underpants (talking paperback size, rather than encyclopedia...although that depends ) trust me - it works! just dont tell the owner of the book

women tend to be able to move their shoulders and hips more separately than guys, who are generally less flexible in that respect. because of that, i think they may look more like fire 'dancing' - but thats a very vague generalisation.

if you want to look cool [or kewl] - practice - i learnt many moves in the first 4-5 months of poi. but then didnt learn a new move for about 8 months cos of other interests - but learnt to move with the moves i knew, and to make smooth transitions with moves and...dance. im not the best, but i can move.

theres no barrier to dancing with poi - you just gotta practice - just like poi itself [do a search, dancing has been discussed before]

the point about being able to use lighter poi as a woman i dont get. you can spin with any weight. i prefer heavy equipment cos it gives be a better workout and increases endurance, and cos of the bigger flame!! [2.5inch cathedrals, soaked in kero, at the end of 4ft chains is pretty tiring]

cheers,

"Here kitty kitty...." - Schroedinger.


spideymember
46 posts
Location: east london


Posted:
Jeeze, I'm holding out hope that Charles is right about learning moves that make one look flexible!! I was definitely passed over when the "grace and elegance" brush was going around... but then, neither do I have too much of a problem with breasts getting in the way!!


Not sure I can agree with this:
quote:
I have noticed that Guys do tend to be more technical in their spinning, they do in that respect learn things much quicker, however Women learn how to be more fluid in their moves quicker than guys IMHO.
What makes me me laugh is seeing (some) men try Poi for the first time... Turn them through 90 degrees, and they'd take off! (No wonder it's painful! ) Seems to me that the girls are far more interested in learning a few moves and getting things "right"!

- S

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