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graphicvi0lencemember
21 posts
Location: Lake Dallas, TX


Posted:
Hmm. it falls under easy in the lessons, but it seems like a big step to me. I can do the forward swing, the backward swing, in equal and split timing. I can't do opposite directions yet..but the Butterfly, seems, a lil difficult. I guess I'm just missing something as usual..

The Welcome Mattmember
193 posts
Location: Manchester NH USA


Posted:
no not all.. I think its just there because its a basic move that springs off into learning other moves. When I first got the butterfly down I was psyched!!! I ran around and showed everyone I knew... Just keep at it.. it takes time and a lot of practice. I just (kinda) got a new move down and I have been trying to get it for the last 2 months (just one move)

Well.. hope this helps

Good luck!

I dreamt that I ate a 10 pound marshmellow and then when I woke up, my pillow was gone!


Paddyback from the dead...sort of
884 posts
Location: 43°41'N 79°38'W


Posted:
I agree, graphicviolence. It seems no matter how well you do the hand motions, there's still a chance the poi will hit each other. It's kind of a scary move because it's so unpredictable. That said, I've been practicing more recently, and it does help.

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


Posted:
yeah - I think it's "Basic" because once you've learnt it it takes you onto more advanced moves rather than actually being easy to learn.

The only advice I could give which has helped the people I've taught and is poached off the "Art of Poi" video is keep your palms facing upwards and your fingers pointing to the sky.
Also, when bringing the two hands together, I prefer to do it as quickly as possible (as in 1-3 swings) as it's hard to judge if one is in-front of the other when your hands are wide apart. Whereas if you wrists are touching you can easily make sure one hand is out in front.

Oh, and practice infront of a mirror/window to make sure they're going in a nice flat plane.

and wear a box/cup - 'nad shots hurt.

Burner of Toast
Spinner of poi
Slacker of enormous magnitude


Jelloambiguous
646 posts
Location: Mpls, MN, USA


Posted:
Yeah, practice makes perfect:) I used to despise the butterfly cause it went out of control alot, but now it's much more fluid. I mean it's no where perfect, but I can at least count on it and do it somewhat nicely.

What move are you doing Welcome Matt, I'm just trying the btb weave and I'm sure it could take me well over a month to actually get. Been working on it for 2 weeks so far. Best progress so far, actually did a btb cross twice without messing up

_________________________________
Fuzzy Dice.......................................


Paddyback from the dead...sort of
884 posts
Location: 43°41'N 79°38'W


Posted:
I second Durbs' cup advice. This is me when I do the butterfly:

whooshwhooshwhooshwhooshBANG -THWAP-
"AAAAAAAAAAAAHHH! OH GOD! MY LEFTICLE!"

Jelloambiguous
646 posts
Location: Mpls, MN, USA


Posted:
quote:
Originally posted by Paddy:
I second Durbs' cup advice. This is me when I do the butterfly:

whooshwhooshwhooshwhooshBANG -THWAP-
"AAAAAAAAAAAAHHH! OH GOD! MY LEFTICLE!"

hehehe sounds all too familular.

_________________________________
Fuzzy Dice.......................................


master sodiummember
536 posts
Location: carson city, nevada


Posted:
I understand what you're saying with the butterfly. when I first learned it, i did it with an offset beat, where they crossed at the left and right rather than top and bottom. it helped alot with learning the motion without the nad shots (and I always thought the ones that hit the tip were worse than the nad shots).

you can't have a war against terrorism because war IS terrorism.it's not about worshipping fire. its about making the fire want to worship you.


TopHatmember
34 posts
Location: Adelaide, South Australia, Australia


Posted:
I don't know if this will help you get it but it can't hurt right? I've been trying to break the Butterfly down so it's easier to learn and this might help. Put one hand above the other, facing your palms inwards and up on a bit of a diagonal, now draw little circles with your hands. Once you get the butterfly, you look at people who don't know how to do it and wonder why...

Hope I've helped in some way.

Ouch! Eep! Damn Leg Hair stop getting in the way!


xtremravr...was here..member
337 posts
Location: amsterdam..i wish


Posted:
just thoght i would agree with masternas opinion in

"and I always thought the ones that hit the tip were worse than the nad shots"

those ar ethe worst!! *cringes thinking of pain*

good luck with the bf..its all really simple once you get it...it is just the part of getting it!!

Peace Luv Uni-t Respect Responsa-what?!?! Xtrem


graphicvi0lencemember
21 posts
Location: Lake Dallas, TX


Posted:
I pretty much have it now, except for the fact...when my bottom hand is out further than the upper...the string from the upper hits my hand..whereas, if the top were out further, it works. But I don't want to be doing it wrong

DJ DantanaBRONZE Member
veteran
1,495 posts
Location: Stillwater, Ok. USA


Posted:
I sort of agree with Top Hat on this. when learning it you can keep one hand slightly high than the other (four inches?), you can even put one hand directly over the other. BUT I always have my palms facing horizontal...whatever works for you. And when you finaly get it down with both hands at the same level, you will notice that you are not actually swing the poi in the exact same time, one is always a few inches sooner than the other one. the problem most beginers have is that they do the butterfly too symetrical. perfectly symetrical butterflys hit nuts and eyes.... so keep you butterflys funky

and from the top perspective the butterfly looks like an X

once again, perfect symetry is not what you are striving for. From the audience perspective the butterfly LOOKS perfectly symetrical, but it isn't.

we eat and we drink and we smoke and we try!


Spoonerismmember
31 posts
Location: England


Posted:
Hellooo from England (4-0 last night)

IMVHO the advice from santantwo??? is very important, if ever Im showing someone a butterfly the first thing I try to make clear...is that from the top it looks like an X. Dont try to get it too flat and it will become nice and comfy. If your on an upward swing like me, the right hand POI is swinging at 10 o'clock and the left at 2 o'clock. To anyone stood directly in front it is flat and looks impossible. I am pretty sure that this is a technically correct butterfly. Please correct me if im wrong though...

Cheers

Spoonerism...

Paddyback from the dead...sort of
884 posts
Location: 43°41'N 79°38'W


Posted:
Actually, from what I understood the butterfly is supposed to be flat. It's tricky- I keep relapsing into an X- but I'm pretty sure it's supposed to be as flat as possible. Maybe I'm wrong though.

Spoonerismmember
31 posts
Location: England


Posted:
Yeh...your quite right coz when I think about it, thats when Im SHOWING someone, I exaggerate the move to aid with explanation. If Im doing it as a proper move its a lot flatter, in fact virtually flat, Im sure its still an X though or should I just shut up coz I dont know what Im on about???

ERM...

Paddyback from the dead...sort of
884 posts
Location: 43°41'N 79°38'W


Posted:
You know what you're talking about.
You're right- the butterfly, to a tiny degree, does always has to be an X from an overhead view...if the two were perfectly flat, one poi would have to wrap around the other hand's wrist. However, I think the aim is to get it as flat as possible as opposed to trying to get that X formation.

graphicvi0lencemember
21 posts
Location: Lake Dallas, TX


Posted:
Ok. I finally got it. I believe I even have an overhead butterfly..but since I can't see behind my head, I can't be sure

TaiGuymember
127 posts
Location: Yorktown, VA, USA


Posted:
in scope of everything else, the butterfly is peanuts xP

yea, the butterfly does resemble an X from above or from the side too. But i don't necessarily agree with the advice of mistiming it. I find it actually easier to just lock the hands side by side and go up and down in perfect unison. I think it has to do a lot with what you're using to spin with. Glowsticks are long and flat so i can pretty much get them spin on the same plane. Ball shape poi take a lil more room, but not that much more. just practice, cuz once u start getting the hang of it, confidence takes over and then you'll be able to do it without ever having to worry about ur nutz

The reason communism doesn't work is because people like to own stuff


fluffy napalm fairyCarpal \'Tunnel
3,638 posts
Location: Brum / Dorset / Fairy Land


Posted:
big congrats to graphic.....If you like getting new moves anywhere near as much as I do you'll have a huge grin plastered accross your face and won't be able to stop doing it! Once you got the butterfly you can work on all the variations and combinations that the movement enables - fun fun fun. Yay!

*does a little dance of joy*

Geologists do it in the dirt................ spank


nihemamember
5 posts
Location: Sydney, NSW, Australia


Posted:
butterfly is a tricky one, esp with the whole it's an x from above, but not....

i found the best way to explain butterfly (at least to girls) is to imitate double-douch(sic) like the skipping rope game?

they start out of sync, but anyone who has ever played double-douch will know that you can swing the ropes like you do in butterfly...

interesting eh?

anyone ever thought about skipping rope poi??

KyrianDreamer
4,308 posts
Location: York, England


Posted:
I actually saw someone skipping over tangled poi this weekend.... it was pretty funny.

and i just learned that i need to go back and work on my same-time butterfly some more... i got a little over confident that i could get away with doing everything in split time.... oops, oh well

Keep your dream alive
Dreamin is still how the strong survive

Shalom VeAhavah

New Hampshire has a point....


phantom ravermember
1 post
Location: Baton Rouge, LA


Posted:
I wouldnt call it a big step, but it is definately much harder than the site gives it credit for. As for me it was actually one of hte last tricks that i mastered. i could do many other much more difficult tricks but could still not do the butterfly consistantly. one of my friends just watched me one day and noticed that my hands were wrong......problem solved. i started facing my palms up and i havent had a problem since.

phantom raver


MikeGinnyGOLD Member
HOP Mad Doctor
13,925 posts
Location: San Francisco, CA, USA


Posted:
Some people have already said this, but I'll repeat it for emphasis.

If you are doing the butterfly, KEEP YOUR WRISTS AND PALMS FACING UP!

When I was learning the butterfly, I could not figure out why the pois kept hitting each-other (invariably followed by both speeding poi hitting either my face or groin) until I read on this very site to KEEP THE WRISTS AND PALMS FACING UP!

I don't know why it works, but just trust me that it works.

-Mike

Certified Mad Doctor and HoP High Priest of Nutella



A buckuht n a hooze! -Valura


Jelloambiguous
646 posts
Location: Mpls, MN, USA


Posted:
Yeah, the sites kind of decieving in that it shows the hands in a kind of bad position. I couldn't consistantly do a one handed butterfly until I realized I should do it palms up. Than it was fine. Plus I got my one handed butterfly to one handed behind the head butterfly somewhat down. It's not consistant, but it's getting there Now if only I could keep it behind my head.

Hey, nother question, I havn't heard this mentioned, but is it possible to do a 180 butterfly turn? Like turning as you bring the butterfly behind your head? Don't know if that makes sense, but it's something I want to try as my turns are weak.

_________________________________
Fuzzy Dice.......................................


glowshowmember
406 posts
Location: Charlotte, NC, USA


Posted:
Yes, you can, Jello. But that move is one of the better reasons to learn forward and reverse, split-time and same-time thread-the-needles. The vast majority of spinners get comfortable doing butterflies in one set way, i.e. forward bf: right hand slightly ahead and on top of the left, palms up, palms in, bobbing in unison, little circles, whatever. TTN teaches you to be comfortable doing a butterfly movement regardless of where your hands are. To do a lot of b-fly tricks and turns, you have to be constantly alternating which hand is on top, or be completely comfortable with doing them in any position. That allows you to do turns and all sorts of crazy variations of under the arm and between the legs and beside the neck where the poi are in completely different spaces, but from the right angle, it is still a B-fly.

But just for learning the B-fly, I would recommend finding out which hand is dominant. You want to teach yourself to be consistent so you can master the movement before you can learn al of the variations. Usually, one string or chain will always cross before the other one. That is a result of that hand being the lead hand.

My "default" hand position for a forward (overhand) b-fly is hands in a loose fist, palms facing vertical, facing inward, and touching, with the right hand slightly ahead and slightly infront of the left one. (By slightly, I mean no more than 1/2 inch, but my preference is for a nice clean bf) Once I get the bf going, I kind of lock my wrists and bob them up and down. However, when I was trying to teach myself the underhad b-fly, I had to keep my palms to the sky to get it to work. Eventually, I got to the point where my palms are together and bobbing for that one as well. And then I went through the awkward process of teaching myself the rev. TTN. It's just something you have to practice until you get comfortable with it. Then it comes naturally, and you start pulling b-fly variations out of your @ss. Hope that helped a little.

FREE TIBET!!! (with the purchase of a 44 oz. drink)What do you want to be when you grow up?I want to be a kid again!I know that you believe you understand what you think I said, but I am not sure you realize that what you heard is not what I meant.~~~J~~~


Morganemember
102 posts
Location: Austria


Posted:
is there a good way to chage directions when doing the butterfly?? spinning out and starting up again gets kinda lame...i treid going out of butt. and high and/or lowturn and get back in but that kinda takes sooo much time...i also tried changing from forward to backward by bouncing the balls of my amply padded buttocks...it works but i sincerely doubt it looks cool;)
Morgy

Out to Wrong Rights and Depress the Opressed.


phunkyold hand
877 posts
Location: Edmonton, AB


Posted:
Hmm, ok.

When doing a forward butterfly

1)take your right hand and bring it to the right side.

2)you should now be spinning with one hand forward spinning (left hand) and reverse spinning (right hand)

3)from here you have a choice of chaning the direction of either poi by wrapping, stalling etc etc.

4)when you change the direction of either poi depending on which one you decided to change it will both poi will be forward spinning or reverse spinning

5)if you go back to step two instead of wrapping or stalling one of the poi you can just bring your left hand to the right side and join up for a reverse butterfly.

6)or if you go back to step one instead of bringing your left hand over you can bring both hands over to the right side (or left it doesn't matter) and go instantly into a reverse butterfly.

7)blah blah blah

Morganemember
102 posts
Location: Austria


Posted:
thanx dear.....not that i understood a word mind but i will try to figure it out tomorow.
Morgy

Out to Wrong Rights and Depress the Opressed.


phunkyold hand
877 posts
Location: Edmonton, AB


Posted:
I put it in point form and everything

heh

phunkyold hand
877 posts
Location: Edmonton, AB


Posted:
Actually, what part did you not understand so i can explain in better detail?

nasumember
35 posts
Location: Chicago, IL, USA


Posted:
There is another thread in "Poi Moves" , a little further down from this one. Alot of talk about the moveing into a butterfly from a weave and visa versa.

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