Forums > Beginner Poi Moves > n00b question- i'm having difficulty with turns.
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NelleTheBanana
2 posts
Location: CRAPkansas, usa
NelleTheBanana
2 posts
Location: CRAPkansas, usa
Posted:
i've watched the instructional dvd i have over and over and over and i cant quite get it.
she says "the poi don't change direction, you do"
but do your wrist movements change directions?
i can do the mexican wave, would the movement that i use to get the poi behind my head the same movement i need for the high turn?
she says that there is a stall, but i dont get what she means by that.
i feel sheepish, but any advice would help. watching it over and over isn't quite getting through to me.
i've watched the instructional dvd i have over and over and over and i cant quite get it.
she says "the poi don't change direction, you do"
but do your wrist movements change directions?
i can do the mexican wave, would the movement that i use to get the poi behind my head the same movement i need for the high turn?
she says that there is a stall, but i dont get what she means by that.
i feel sheepish, but any advice would help. watching it over and over isn't quite getting through to me.
SILVER Member
Rampant whirler.
2,418 posts
Location: Geelong, Victoria, Australia!
Rampant whirler.
2,418 posts
Location: Geelong, Victoria, Australia!
Posted:
There is no stall, she's incorrectly used terminology. A stall is when the poi stop and then continue again, usually in the opposite direction to the one travelled.
Yes, the mexican wave movement would be the same movement needed for a high turn.
It took me a long time to be able to do the high and low turns, I first learned how to turn through the three beat weave.
My advice would be to forget about it and just keep coming back to it every now and then, you'll probably find that one day you'll just be able to do it without having to practice it too much.
There is no stall, she's incorrectly used terminology. A stall is when the poi stop and then continue again, usually in the opposite direction to the one travelled.
Yes, the mexican wave movement would be the same movement needed for a high turn.
It took me a long time to be able to do the high and low turns, I first learned how to turn through the three beat weave.
My advice would be to forget about it and just keep coming back to it every now and then, you'll probably find that one day you'll just be able to do it without having to practice it too much.
BRONZE Member
Classically British
5,689 posts
Location: Epsom, Surrey, England
Classically British
5,689 posts
Location: Epsom, Surrey, England
Posted:
The phrase "the poi don't change direction, you do" is slightly incomplete.
Relative to someone watching the poi, they don't change direction, you do - but obviously you're changing from forwards to backwards, wrist and all, so to you the poi are changing direction...
A Mexican wave is a high-turn, followed by a low carry turn done continuously, so in theory if you can MW, you can high turn.
BUT
Taking the movements bit by bit, it's not quite that simple due to the body/footwork involved.
A brief aside:
If you're turning from backwards to forwards (or vice versa) your body, specifically your torso, has to turn 180 degrees.
The longest (and therefore slowest) way to do this is to start off facing one way, feet facing the same directions as your upper body, and then step round 180 degrees.
If however you start with your torso twisted through 90 degrees; i.e. feet facing "North", body facing "East" as if looking down from on top, you can then simply rotate at the waist without moving your feet at all to make the body face "West".
(When you're doing a Mexican Wave, you're essentially at the midway point of this turn)
So, to high turns:
Starting with backwards spinning, take a step backwards with one of your feet. This twists your lower body round 90 degrees as described above, if you step back with your right foot, you'll be turning right.
Your hands (and poi) come up onto (or just over) their respective shoulders as your body starts to twist round, so when the poi are down behind your back you're now facing "forward".
As the poi start swinging up you push your hands up, off your shoulders and keep turning whilst bringing them down infront of you.
Ensure you've turned full 180 degree from where you've started and the poi should now be going forward.
High Turns can only be used to go bwd to fwd (until you get slightly more advanced...)
Hope that helps - turns are kinda tricky to explain with text
The phrase "the poi don't change direction, you do" is slightly incomplete.
Relative to someone watching the poi, they don't change direction, you do - but obviously you're changing from forwards to backwards, wrist and all, so to you the poi are changing direction...
A Mexican wave is a high-turn, followed by a low carry turn done continuously, so in theory if you can MW, you can high turn.
BUT
Taking the movements bit by bit, it's not quite that simple due to the body/footwork involved.
A brief aside:
If you're turning from backwards to forwards (or vice versa) your body, specifically your torso, has to turn 180 degrees.
The longest (and therefore slowest) way to do this is to start off facing one way, feet facing the same directions as your upper body, and then step round 180 degrees.
If however you start with your torso twisted through 90 degrees; i.e. feet facing "North", body facing "East" as if looking down from on top, you can then simply rotate at the waist without moving your feet at all to make the body face "West".
(When you're doing a Mexican Wave, you're essentially at the midway point of this turn)
So, to high turns:
Starting with backwards spinning, take a step backwards with one of your feet. This twists your lower body round 90 degrees as described above, if you step back with your right foot, you'll be turning right.
Your hands (and poi) come up onto (or just over) their respective shoulders as your body starts to twist round, so when the poi are down behind your back you're now facing "forward".
As the poi start swinging up you push your hands up, off your shoulders and keep turning whilst bringing them down infront of you.
Ensure you've turned full 180 degree from where you've started and the poi should now be going forward.
High Turns can only be used to go bwd to fwd (until you get slightly more advanced...)
Hope that helps - turns are kinda tricky to explain with text
Burner of Toast
Spinner of poi
Slacker of enormous magnitude
SILVER Member
we are the music makers, we are the dreamers of dreams
45 posts
Location: falls church, virginia, usa
we are the music makers, we are the dreamers of dreams
45 posts
Location: falls church, virginia, usa
Posted:
i've always liked the nathaniel everist tutorials best.
i've always liked the nathaniel everist tutorials best.
GOLD Member
Putting the "FUN" in fundamental since 1981
787 posts
Location: Dover, Delaware USA
Putting the "FUN" in fundamental since 1981
787 posts
Location: Dover, Delaware USA
Posted:
One turning point no one mentioned that I found helpful and use the concept a ton now with more advanced moves is you will always pick up where you left of in a mirror effect. At the sweet spot (for low turn when the poi are behind you in forward and the same in reverse for a high turn where it's easiest to pause and turn your body) in that brief moment when you turn naturally when motion is resumed it will want to invert it's self to maintain the momentum.
A nifty way to visualize this in a controlled manner is to shorten your poi and spin them in wall plane going the same direction and watch them reverse when you pivot. You'll learn a lot by feeling, watching, and doing all at the same time and can apply the lesson to every turn imaginable.
Everything else for the specifics is stated above, but I've found the method I just told you to help out with finding your place in all kinds of turning and when you start doing it in all directions and time signatures understanding the theory will come in handy throughout your technique building.
One turning point no one mentioned that I found helpful and use the concept a ton now with more advanced moves is you will always pick up where you left of in a mirror effect. At the sweet spot (for low turn when the poi are behind you in forward and the same in reverse for a high turn where it's easiest to pause and turn your body) in that brief moment when you turn naturally when motion is resumed it will want to invert it's self to maintain the momentum.
A nifty way to visualize this in a controlled manner is to shorten your poi and spin them in wall plane going the same direction and watch them reverse when you pivot. You'll learn a lot by feeling, watching, and doing all at the same time and can apply the lesson to every turn imaginable.
Everything else for the specifics is stated above, but I've found the method I just told you to help out with finding your place in all kinds of turning and when you start doing it in all directions and time signatures understanding the theory will come in handy throughout your technique building.
~Rock on!~
"As the pattern gets more intricate and subtle, being swept along is no longer enough"-Waking Life
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