cedradaBRONZE Member
member
10 posts
Location: Gloucester, United Kingdom


Posted:
I bought some poi (before finding this website which is cheeper frown ) and have been practicing for a few days. They are gourgeour Cobra Poi, I practice without tails on though.

I can forwards swing and backwards swing. Can't for the life of me manage to get the split time swing, my brain wont let it happen! Same gots for the low turn.

Any hints and tips would be apreciated. As well as any books/DVD's to work with (baring in mind i'm on a students budget).

I'm getting frustrated with myself because i'm finding it so difficult. I can't work inside as we have low ceilings and breakable objects. It's been blowing a gale making it difficult to spin outside.

Help!

If at first you don't succeed throw a temper tantrum.


spudmonkeyGOLD Member
Member
55 posts
Location: kildare, Ireland


Posted:
the online lessons r good same as the dvd they sell but free.just keep at it my brain was stupid at the poi for ages to but you just have to keep at it

buggleberry_fairySILVER Member
member
172 posts
Location: Wales


Posted:
for split swinging you could try forward swing then try and when they're both at the top pull one of them down quicker then the other. e.g. if you chose the left then you forward swing then counting 'one...two...one...two' pull the left down on one and the right down on two and see if that makes a rhythm.

hope that helps - and yes the lessons are great, and now they're updated so you got through step by step, hear what they say and see from different angles.

my first proper move i learnt was the butterfly - took me forever to learn and understand the logic of it in my head but is a great place to start - so many moves can be done from it.

for low turn:

if you do a forward swing

then when the poi are at the top of their circles - move your right over to your left so it follows it and you've now moved 90 degrees to your left

then as they come up move your left over to you left and keep the right on the same side as you move another 90 degrees left to get you looking in the opposite direction with the pois going backwards.

try moving your poi as slow as possible to work it out in your head.

hope that helps - tell me if you need it breaking down a bit more smile

nat

"Be the change you want to see in the world"


cedradaBRONZE Member
member
10 posts
Location: Gloucester, United Kingdom


Posted:
I'm bad at following things in my head.... I can follow it till you get both poi on one side of your body and turn 90 degrees... then what?

Sorry i'm being dimwitted....

If at first you don't succeed throw a temper tantrum.


BrokenLeavesSILVER Member
member
48 posts
Location: United Kingdom


Posted:
I find swaying my hips from side to side helped me with split time swinging when i first started....maybe I'm just odd.

buggleberry_fairySILVER Member
member
172 posts
Location: Wales


Posted:
then you have to move another 90 degrees whilst the poi are going up and move the left one over to the left

your half way there so go you!

good luck

nat

p.s. you're not dimwitted...you're normal smile

"Be the change you want to see in the world"


cedradaBRONZE Member
member
10 posts
Location: Gloucester, United Kingdom


Posted:
I vaguely understand.... but i'm still not sure....

I need to get out and beat myself around the back with some in practice I think.

Any suggestions for easy moves to get my confidence up?

If at first you don't succeed throw a temper tantrum.


_Clare_BRONZE Member
Still wiggling
5,967 posts
Location: Belfast, Northern Ireland (UK)


Posted:
Turns
Butterfly
Corkscrew

smile

Good luck, and have fun
Clare

Getting to the other side smile


zamiriiBRONZE Member
newbie
44 posts
Location: South Florida, USA


Posted:
I've got the Art of Poi Dvd and it helps alot but borrowed a copy of Poi Spinning Basics with Pele's Element and it was quite a bit easier to understand

Every Day I add another name to the list of people who piss me off


GeezaGOLD Member
addict
694 posts
Location: Leeds, United Kingdom


Posted:
exagerate everything and spend hours practicing. Dont stop if you hit yourself. Ive wacked my danglies many times, head, in the eye and trying to get split time over my head a nailed my temple quite hard with a glow ball poi quite hard. I neally blacked out but its worth it!

Swing to music aswell, it makes it easier as you think about it less. Tonight i have progressed quite a lot and even managed a combo from weave to hand wrap to windmill to an air wrap to butterfly. woo hoo, it feels great when you can finally link moves.

anyway just keep practicing, oh and buy scales of poi, i think its good for beginners aswell as advanced. i bought it after 2 or 3 weeks of spinning and its great.

buggleberry_fairySILVER Member
member
172 posts
Location: Wales


Posted:
my first proper move was the butterfly - took ages to work out, as it didnt seem to fit in my head, but was fab when i got it.

also, buzzsaw is good.

you can try doing a 2 beat weave so you do a forward swing (same time) then cross one hand over the other to do a forward swing on the other side of your body, then back and repeat. (the idea is to cross your hands when the poi are working their way to the bottom of the circle.

hope that helps smile

i still hit myself when doing most of these moves - so its completely normal lol

"Be the change you want to see in the world"


GeezaGOLD Member
addict
694 posts
Location: Leeds, United Kingdom


Posted:
easiest way i found to do the weave was to spin both poi in equal time then cross them over in front of me (so left is spinning on the right side and right is spinning on the left) then do 1 beat normal and 1 beat crossed. do this for a while then just do it in split time. Your brain will alter your hands after a while and it will just work smile

Sun_Puppymember
31 posts

Posted:
Definitely start by learning to cross your poi as Geeza says - it makes all the weave moves so much easier to pick up.

The Poi Spinning Basics DVD that Zamirii mentions is also very good - they explain everything really well, including split timing, right from the beginning.

kashGOLD Member
Dangerous cynic
166 posts
Location: United Kingdom


Posted:
 Written by: Broken_leaves


I find swaying my hips from side to side helped me with split time swinging when i first started....maybe I'm just odd.



If you are then so am i!

I still can't really split time without a bit of a wiggle. I shall use the excuse that it's my martial arts background, you have to put your whole body into it :P

You don't *need* to be able to split time to do : butterfly, high and low turns, chasing the sun, corkscrew. So rather than getting disheartened, have a go at a new move, as long as your forward swing is true there's no harm.
Butterfly is a great place to go now, and there are a load of variations to keep you busy. I finally cracked butterfly by doing a giant butterfly (which is very easy and slow) and then just bringing it in.
I do find with poi that the learning process isn't gradual. I do a move one hand at a time, get that smooth, then I try both and hit my self a lot. I can go for ages with no apparent progress, then something clicks in my brain (usually it's down to properly understanding the path the poi should take, and being able to visualise it - watching video in slow-mo helps). Once it's clicked I tend to have a move smooth and easy in about 10 mins - its the waiting for that point which is frustrating.

GeezaGOLD Member
addict
694 posts
Location: Leeds, United Kingdom


Posted:
i learned butterfly split time over my head before windmills but the reverse butterfly split time over head still hasnt clicked. frown

-that was about 6 weeks ago!

IntruderBRONZE Member
stranger
21 posts
Location: Sydney Australia


Posted:
The way I teach Split time, is to get the person to wiggle their derrier smile

wiggle it and your hands start to auto split time.


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