Forums > Beginner Staff Moves > Beginner Staffer Would Like Some pointers and help

Posted: 23rd Nov 2001
Umm.. Just one more question *grin* (yea right, I have millions of questions.. but I wont ask them now. What in the world is a Whirlie?(Saw it in the shop, but have no clue what it is.)

May the fire of God burn its impression on your heart.

Posted: 23rd Nov 2001
spongie, my double staffs are just<1meter and my single is one meter and 15 cm but i'm 6foot... many people are going to disagree with me ,but start with fire asap! only do moves you feel absolutly confident in doing dont be a fool. read the safety tips on this page somewhere. i did it with fire after practiing about ten minutes. i have a feeling my staff might get pretty hot nut i use bicicle tire innertubing for grip and i think it protects my hands.why are you in alberta??? come west, come west...

Posted: 23rd Nov 2001
If you want short staffs, just make sure they can clear your armpit easily when you spin them.. Phuzz mine are about the same length and i'm a bit shorter. Start with fire when you've read the safety and feel pretty confident you won't hit yourself (leads to interesting hair do's if you arn't wearing a beanie :P) Vik

vik... dreaming with 2 stars **

Posted: 23rd Nov 2001
My answers for your questions360 spin thing - eh?the only thing i can suggest is lots of practice. It's a trial and error kind of thing.about 1m is a nice length for doubles(I dont like longer staffs so I cant comment on the length of a longer one)If you think you're ready for fire then practice some more without for a bit. When you absolutely, positively can't go another minute without fire then light up.Buy Bec's book from the HOP shop. That's good. Has lots of cool advice in it. Like about when to light up and stuff.the staff doesn't get very hot. The fire bits are hot obviously.I, physically, get very hot. And usually end up with no shirt on.But I do that when I'm using my practice staffs (unlit) too. I was out training under the stars on a frosty night last light with no shirt on for a few hours Whirlies - https://www.homeofpoi.com/shop2/details.asp?prodid=250&cat=200&path=200
I hope I helped a bit......------------------C@ntusDance beneath the stars, we sound system, we the collective, with a open heart, we the solution - should be respected!

Meh

Posted: 23rd Nov 2001
THanks All.. you helped me out quite a bit. Guess if Im not doing my spin right, then I will just have my own unique spin eh? Phuzzz, why are you in British Columbia? Head over the mountains, head over the hills...

May the fire of God burn its impression on your heart.

Posted: 23rd Nov 2001
yeah start with fire, you cant go to wrong with a staff (look out for those poi though- ive wrapped my self up nicely once or twice) theres no reason why you shouldnt try two long staffs, experiment to find what your comfortable with. anything up to headheight can be used, but different lengths of staffs mean that there are different ways in which you have to walk to get some of the more contorted spins!

Posted: 25th Nov 2001
im on saltspring island... about a 45 minuite boat ride from victoria...i agree with morrison: the west is the besteveryone should come here... i need people to dance with.now to go play with stuff i got at the theatre suppy store... your supposed to be able to dip your finger in it and light your self on fire! we'll see...

Posted: 25th Nov 2001
How about if you dip your nose in it?

Meh

Posted: 25th Nov 2001
Speaking of theatrics, I found some neat stuff about fire color manipulation, and where to get the chemicals to do it... only thing now is I got to find out which are too poisonous to actually use for staffing. Anybody know some stuff about it?------------------May the fire of God burn its impression on your heart.

May the fire of God burn its impression on your heart.

Posted: 25th Nov 2001
I might actually have to agree with Cantus !!!Practice practice and more practice. That doesn't mean it will hurt to look at exactly what the staff is doing for your 360 spin. (BTW I think what you mean is a ROTOR, means a horizontal spin in the same airspace, usually in front of the body).If it is, look closely at the staff vids in the staff lessons section at the top of this page. One thing that may help is to grab the staff several spins earlier than you think you should, or to reach in directly above or below the hands that is holding it to keep the contact point as centred as possible.These suggestions are just ways for you to consciously try new ways of doing the ROTOR until you find one that is more confortable, if none of them are, stick with the technique you are using.Another tip that has helped me tremendously is to SLOW DOWN. The temptation to move fast is high, but in the beginning, the more precise and slow you do the moves, the faster the (or mine at least!) body learns the patterns and the better you will be able to pick up speed in the future.And just to disgree with Cantus , I prefer long staffs, 1.4 or 1.5 metres long, for both single and doubles. But, I think I am the exeption to the rule To sum up, listen to your body as much or more than other people...Happy spinning------------------Charles (INFERNO)newdolbel@hotmail.comhttps://juggling.co.nz

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Posted: 26th Nov 2001
I will take that in consideration.. maybe I should just practice more at a slower speed, and I will definitly try out defferent variations. Maybe I will pick up two longs, and two short, so that I have the option if I like it.------------------May the fire of God burn its impression on your heart.

May the fire of God burn its impression on your heart.

Posted: 25th Nov 2001
*didn't notice at what point Charles took a dislike to him*I have a long staff too. It's quite heavy. I use it to build up my endurance and stuff when I'm trying to commit a new trick to memory. ------------------C@ntusIn the past, the fools would pay, to see the freaks of the day. The contradictions of the norm. The bizarre, the wonderful and deformed.No need for the tents and the cages now. The wool is over our eyes. In front the TV circus - a freakshow in disguise.

Meh

AnonymousPLATINUM Member

Posted: 25th Nov 2001
erm - does anyone on this board think that two staffs are as versatile as two staves?AFAIK, there are a lot of moves you cant do if you cant get the staff inside...Josh

Posted: 25th Nov 2001
(I don't dislike anyone Cantus...In fact I don't dislike you more than anyone, ) But I do dislike don't disliking dislikable types.ANYWAYS.....Double Staves and Double Staffs.They are both versatile in different ways. There are a huge number of wraps and speed moves which are harder (i think impossible but just for me to achieve) with staves rather than staffs.The longer length staffs restrict clashing movements but allows for greater speed and a higher number of unorthodox moves (for the crowd).The shorter staves are great for doubles throws, twisty turny heli's, rotors, palms spins and heaps of other stuff I don't yet know about...Of course I'm biased, because I'm useless at staves.------------------Charles (INFERNO)newdolbel@hotmail.comhttps://juggling.co.nz[This message has been edited by Charles (edited 26 November 2001).]

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Posted: 25th Nov 2001
i got this steel rod from a hardware store and could barely lift it at first. thought i would build up my puny muscles. spun, spun, tried to stop, hit myself in head, bled. duckt taped two big pillows to the end for padding. spun, spun, hit myself in head, laughed, spun, spun, hit myself between legs. never using steel rod again.

Posted: 25th Nov 2001
When I first started out I had a real heavy wooden staff (basically the trunk of a small tree - literally).I figured if i learnt with that then when i used lighter staffs they would just seem to flow. It was a theory.Not sure about whether it was good theory or not.Anyway, it was all going well until I started doing the BTB rotor pass. I hit the elbow of my left arm every single time, every day, several times a day for a great many days.I quickly developed an enormous bruise that simply wouldn't/couldn't heal.But, as a result of it, that rotor btb pass is one of my most fluid moves. So it's all good.[This message has been edited by Cantus (edited 26 November 2001).]

Meh

Posted: 26th Nov 2001
To the steel rod guy... OUCH!!!To the Tree Trunk Man.. Cantus.. you are a funny man.I was thinking I would just start out with light, I got muscles enough to do it already, so I should be fine in that department. Though my endurance probably could use some tuning however I suppose.. oh well.. thats what exercize is for right?------------------May the fire of God burn its impression on your heart.

May the fire of God burn its impression on your heart.

Posted: 26th Nov 2001
LMAO Phuzzz! I have a light but large wooden stick, charles, I dont understand you, big sticks are slower, ive noticed that the weight dosnt matter much but the smaller the faster, I find anyway.As for length, I like a long thick one, specially for contact, but for doubles I have two staves, which are nice on thier own, very fast and malable.My friend has a very heavy wooden stick that makes the noise of darth vaders tie-fighter as it goes round (woompwoompwoomp, f##kin scary) and you really concentrate when using it, I think Im gonna get one for my next fire staff. Incidentally, my doubles are tubes and they sing as they spin, very nice, is it possable to make somekind of whistle do you think?Cantus, I go to the park in two jumpers and a big coat and come back bareback (humm, horsebackstick?) but its getting colder.Begginer boy, I not been at this long, but practicing every day for at least two hours is the shurest way... (and dont mind the bruises)Love,Nix

This is a post by tom, all spelling is deleberate
-><- Kallisti

Posted: 26th Nov 2001
could someone tell me what the difference between a stave and a staff is?cheers.------------------Flame on!

May your staff spin fast and your poi always miss your balls.

Posted: 26th Nov 2001
For the purpose of this thread, staves are short staffs and staffs are long staves. We don't really know much more than that, so please don't ask us Nix? - You can make staves do complete 360's as fast or faster than staffs. The difference is between actual speed at the ends of a staff and the number of turns it does. The longer something is, the faster the outer edges move when it rotates.You know, the old story about the outer edge of a vinyl going faster than the inner edge?For my style at least, this is defintely true. I can extinguish the flames of my doubles staffs quite regularly, but with staves, not matter how fast I think i'm spinning them, the little buggers only go out when THEY want to ------------------Charles (INFERNO)newdolbel@hotmail.comhttps://juggling.co.nz

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* Will it be Beneficial to all concerned?

Posted: 26th Nov 2001
If you have a really fast ugh.. "routine" .. and you want to use fire, what do you do so that you dont burn out too much? or is there anything you can do?Other than switch to glowsticks, hehAh.. A little pain doesnt bug me that much, course it really cold out here right now.. so I dont think Im going to be praticing in the snow... unless I get really desperate. lolI got a big church to practice in every Wed anyways, so at least I will be able to get some time in.

May the fire of God burn its impression on your heart.

Posted: 26th Nov 2001
Nother Question.. What do you all recommend for a Grip for Staff and what for Stave?If its different for Short and Long.. then please note both.I think Im getting my staffs tonite, so I would like to know what type of handles to put on them.. even if all it is is hockey tape for grip in the middle.------------------May the fire of God burn its impression on your heart.

May the fire of God burn its impression on your heart.

Posted: 26th Nov 2001
yoI dont use a grip. specially with a wooden staffcharlie boy, I see what you mean, but the staves actually spin faster, it may be that the ends always go at the same sorta speed whilst the stick speeds up or slows down depending on length. I also have no problem extinguishing wicks (sometimes just by dropping them )LoveNix

This is a post by tom, all spelling is deleberate
-><- Kallisti

Posted: 27th Nov 2001
Nix, Im using aluminum.. and remember that I live in Canada.. (Cold) so. i kinda need a grip of some sort.. if just to keep my hands from freezing to it. heh heh------------------May the fire of God burn its impression on your heart.

May the fire of God burn its impression on your heart.

Posted: 27th Nov 2001
howdyOn my aluminium staves I use a clear plastic tubing which I get from the local rubber supply place. I have to heat it up in hot water so that I can slide it down the aluminium. Once it cools it stays put though.TIP: 95% of moves can be done forwards and backwards, so practise doing all moves both ways. Also practise doing all moves with each hand.As for fast "routines" with fire, you shouldn't have a problem unless your wicks are too small or old and crappy. Once I have fueled up my wicks (50cm x 2.5inches each) no matter how fast I spin I can't put them out until they are almost dried up.Length? My staves are 80cm. Any longer than 1m I would find limiting.cheers

Posted: 26th Nov 2001
for godlovinsponge,practice doesn't make perfect, PERFECT practice makes perfect. Especially with new and difficult moves and combinations it helps to think "how slow can I go?" then as you get the hang of it start slowly speeding up untill you start screwing up then start slowing down again so the last thing your body remembers is doing the move correctly.Also, when practicing with fire I use kerosine. It burns for a while and it burns relitively cool so if you smack yourself in the face or drop your staff and bounce a wick of your hand or arm, or something involving breif contact, it won't burn you.And at some point every one gets hit by their own wicks, so still be careful. Also remember after soaking your wicks to spin your staff for a minute so you won't have little fire balls raining down on you from above.

Jesus helps me trick people.

Posted: 26th Nov 2001
And about the grip, hockey tape should be just fine. Mostly the grip helps you find the center/balence point of the staff with out having to actually see it. At least for me anyway

Jesus helps me trick people.

Posted: 26th Nov 2001
do noy use hockey tape! it melts to a sloppy mess when mixed with gas accidentally. try bycicle tire innertubing

AnonymousPLATINUM Member

Posted: 26th Nov 2001
well - I use tennis racket grip tape and it seems to work fine. Its really good for absorbing impact from those slightly messed up high throw catches.Josh

Posted: 26th Nov 2001
Yeah, fuzzzzzzz is probobly right I didn't think of that. I use leather anyway, sorry.

Jesus helps me trick people.