Forums > Beginner Staff Moves > twirling staff

Posted: 10th Jan 2003
I'm not quite sure if you mean twirling between the fingers kinda like you do with a baton (finger roll?), but if that's what you mean, I woudn't worry about it too much. Work on spinning the staff around you, the behind the back moves, etc. IMO, it's more important to get the basics down. You can spin pretty nicely without doing anything too difficult. Once you get the basics down (without dropping it!) it's easier to add finger rolls once the staff has momentum. If you're trying to spin it between your fingers from a dead stop, it takes a lot of finger strength to get it moving. So the easy way around this is doing the finger rolls once it has momentum, so you're really just guiding it around....

Posted: 10th Jan 2003
Exactly, Toneman!

An easy way to learn finger spins is to spin the staff in a rotor in front of you with bith hands so that it is moving fairly quickly, and then try some finger spins.

I've taught hundreds of people staff and virtually everyone does finger spins differently.

One hint that soemtimes helps though, is to pich the staff between two fingers while it spinning and then push each finger up and down away frome ach other.

This should help to propel the staff around, but is much more useful when the staff already has momentum.

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Posted: 10th Jan 2003
thanks guys! kinda helped. hehe.

i guessed it'd be all about how i feel about it. hmmmm... got sumfin to practice now!

thanks again.

~SpArKiE~

And wherever you've gone and wherever we might go. It don't seem fair. Today just disappeared.

Posted: 11th Jan 2003
I learnt to fingerspin fluidly over the course of about a week. Just rolling it over my fingers whilst watching tv.

Make sure you practice both directions and in both hands.

You'll need to leave this til your slightly more advanced but, I find it also helps to try it on other planes too - as in not just in front of you. But over your head, palm facing down in front of you, behind your back etc. That way you can fingerspin any where around you at any point in your routine.
It really frees up what you can do.


hope this is of some help to you.

Meh

Posted: 11th Jan 2003
the other little things that may help in terms of actual technique (if you're still finding it hard) is to really use your thumb to give support and strength - that is what is going to push it through the fingers which can then just guide it back and forth through a few revolutions...

there are heaps of different ways to do it.. (some people don't even use the thumb, so if you're doing it that way, then what I said above won't help) - I use my thumb to push it back between my 4&3 finger and then let it roll over each finger in turn until it reaches my thumb again... other people let it roll up & back through all the fingers...

When you are starting it may help to use something thin & light and build up to your normal staff - you do have to develop little muscles between your fingers that you may not have used much before - I remember when I learnt this I ended up with really big red sore fingers when I was over-practising with a heavy staff - not fun!

and it does take a bit of time, so don't worry if you don't get it straight away - it will come...*

all the best,
Bec

Posted: 11th Jan 2003
Yes. Electroglo staffs are nice and light to practice with.

Meh

Posted: 11th Jan 2003
It's at times like these when i usually hype that book by those 2 aussie girls: Elke and what's her name.

But I'm not going to bother this time cos I don't think they need the publicity

[ 12. January 2003, 15:25: Message edited by: C@ntus ]

Meh

Posted: 11th Jan 2003
we might not need the publicity but we loooove the attention..

thanks C@ntus... .:*mwwwaa*:.

Posted: 12th Jan 2003
In that case it's called The staff twirling book by Bec & Elke McConnell and it costs $22.01 AUD.

There you go Mistress Bec; publicity and attention. How's that?

Meh

Posted: 12th Jan 2003
thanks, you sweet fraggle