Forums > Social Chat > Poi - Good or bad for our bodies?

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DJ Poimember
4 posts
Location: Canberra, ACT, Australia


Posted:
My girlfriend and I were talking about this last night, and wondered if you lot could maybe shed some light on this question. We were wondering if spinning (Poi in particular) is good, bad or indifferant to your shoulders and wrists?On one hand it puts a fair bit of stress on your poor wrists (and shoulders with heavier equipment) when spinning. On the other the exercise has to be doing some good for the same joints, yes?Anyone who has been spinning for a long time want to let us know one way or the other?Ta--DJ Poi

--I refuse to have a signature.


ellieBRONZE Member
member
38 posts
Location: England


Posted:
Hi DJ Poi,I've not been spinning all that long or anything, but I don't reckon it's a bad thing. I've had some real problems with my wrist in the passt, just seizing up for no real reason and causing immense pain for about 3 weeks ten going again. Strange! But I haven't had any problems since I've been twirling. I don't know if that's because of the twirling, or just coz it hasn't happened, but I guess if it wasn't good then I'd be feeling the pain again. Dunno really. smile e*

CharlesBRONZE Member
Corporate Circus Arts Entertainer
3,989 posts
Location: Auckland, New Zealand


Posted:
DJ Poi - Unfortunately, that question is similar to asking "is exercise good for your body"It's all a matter of your technique and how long you do it and how much your poi weigh and how much you use your wrists and what you do during the day and whether you take recreation chems and whether you have access to other exercise etc etc etc.Some people's styles are so different from each other that the whole exercise has a different effect.And ditto with people's bodies, some don't like doing certain moves and some benefit greatly from the same moves.This is basically a long-winded way of saying"I don't know and I don't think anyone elses comments on how the way THEY do poi and how it affects THEM will not necessarily have any bearing on how YOU do poi and how it affects you"It's not as straightforward as rowing or weightlifting where the motions actions and training are nmore streamlined and each participants style is more likely to have a narrow series of moves and responses...(Bloody 'ell, this guy Charles can rant on can't e'!!!!!!!!!)------------------Charles (AKA INFERNO)newdolbel@hotmail.comhttps://juggle.co.nz/fire/fire.html

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RoziSILVER Member
100 characters max...
2,996 posts
Location: Sydney, NSW, Australia


Posted:
Poi & staff works different muscles. I have found that staff gives you great upper arms, whereas poi works the shoulders & upper back muscles.Basically it is all good, unless you overdo it...R.

It was a day for screaming at inanimate objects.

What this calls for is a special mix of psychology and extreme violence...


Organized Kaosmember
238 posts
Location: Thornhill, Ontario Canada


Posted:
ever been smacked reallly hard by a mad out of control poi ball?thats not so healthy...------------------Do You ever Question Your life? Do You ever wonder Why? Do you ever see in Your dreams, All the castles in the Sky??

Every morning I wake up and hit the ground yawning...


KyrianDreamer
4,308 posts
Location: York, England


Posted:
I had actually been thinking about a thread on this very subject, cause i have a lot of muscle issues, and i wanted to know if this was better or worse for them. I know even just in the first four daysafter i started my physical therapist said my shoulders were loosening up a lot (not that they were loose or anything, just "less horrible") and only taht i might be a little bit off balance so i had to try and work them more equally, even though my left hand is retarded. Other than that i have no idea.

Keep your dream alive
Dreamin is still how the strong survive

Shalom VeAhavah

New Hampshire has a point....


SickpuPpyNinja Rockstar!
1,100 posts
Location: Denver, Co. U.S.A.


Posted:
My friend, Indigo, was in a motorcycle accident a few years ago and he hurt his wrists really bad. He swears by poi as the best physical therapy for wrist injuries.------------------If you love something, set it on fire.

Jesus helps me trick people.


CantusSILVER Member
Tantamount to fatuity
15,966 posts
Location: Down the road, United Kingdom


Posted:
I often swear at poi....

Meh


Tailsmember
16 posts
Location: Tahoe City


Posted:
i only swear at my kitten poi when they scratch me... (usually when i try and stop)-Tails

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


Posted:
Don't know about the joints, but it's certainly not healthy for the face (which, right now, is horribly, horribly bruised). Nor is it terribly good for the ol' sperm count. shocked

Bender_the_OffenderGOLD Member
still can't believe it's not butter
6,978 posts
Location: Melbourne, Australia


Posted:
Like most sports, mr DJ, firetwirling although dangerous, benefits the chi, not just the body. think of it as you're not gaining a son but losing a daugther, just don't overcook the tortillas.

Laugh Often, Smile Much, Post lolcats Always


RoziSILVER Member
100 characters max...
2,996 posts
Location: Sydney, NSW, Australia


Posted:
Or lie down with dogs, cos you'll wake up with puppies...Arrgh!! Help!!! Bender madness is infectious!!! winkR.[This message has been edited by Rozi (edited 27 March 2002).]

It was a day for screaming at inanimate objects.

What this calls for is a special mix of psychology and extreme violence...


SaggyD2034member
10 posts
Location: Washington USA


Posted:
Personally i think it is good, it's just like excersize. I haven't noticed poi working my back muscles very much but boy are my fore-arms starting to get like popeye, so it's cool with me! Plus who really gives a damn it's fun to do!

CantusSILVER Member
Tantamount to fatuity
15,966 posts
Location: Down the road, United Kingdom


Posted:
do your forearms eat spinach?

Meh


maeonmember
40 posts
Location: brisbane, queensland, australia?


Posted:
As far as exercise goes, poi and staff twirling is a good thing. It attracts a lot of people who wouldn't usually partake in 'regular' exercise, and gets them out and about and meeting people. Naturally, if people overdo it there is a chance for them to develop Repetitive Stress Syndrome in wrists and elbows - so moderation is always a good thing. I've actually been thinking that we'd all make a great demographic for some kind of Human Movements PHD study.I've hurt my wrists badly now and then, but I can always trace it back to going too hard with really heavy equipment and not warming up properly first - all my own stupid fault.There is a bad side though, and that is the amount of smoke firetwirlers inhale. No matter the fuel used, combustion products are nasty. I'm sure most of us have noticed the lovely black dust in our noses and ears? And I know I sometimes develop a mild cough the day after twirling. The longest gig we ever did, about 3hours solid on the River of Light barge left most of us pretty screwed up and feeling downright sick. I've often wondered if there is a cigarette equivalent - eg 1 hour twirling is as bad for you as 1 cigarette.But glowthingies can never replace the roar and light of fire ....maeon.

Where in the world is the island I'm on?


PeleBRONZE Member
the henna lady
6,193 posts
Location: WNY, USA


Posted:
Maeon, most of what makes cigarette smoking bad for you, and what builds up in your system is actually a tar based result of burning the additives in the cigarette. If you were to burn tobacco leaves and inhale the smoke, it would not have the same effect on you, which is why life long pot smokers do not suffer from the same ailments as cigarette smokers. Unless you add many of those substances to your poi fuel, the smoke inhaled should actually clear out of your lungs in a day or so. I don't think it is something that should be inhaled on a daily basis, no smoke is, but the comparison of the two is technically apples and oranges when it comes to staying in the system. Vapour damage is a horse of a different colour that has been covered in other threads so I'll not get into it here.As for physical non-smoke/fuel related damage, it is a two way thing. Yes spinning is good for you. It is an amazing cardio-vascular as well as a muscular work-out, though to balance it properly you need to really do something extra with the lower body, since it is upper body intensive. And yet how many of you actually went to a doctor to make sure you were alright to handle the cardiovascularity of it? I didn't, even though I know it is recommended to before starting any physically intense activity. I know I am supposed to warm up every time, somedays I don't realize I need more warming up than others until it is too late. I know that some days some tools just seem heavier than on other days due to fatigue or whatever. I know I have enough hairline fractures in my wrist to make a spiderweb look simple, and an ankle that twists easy. These are all things I need to take into account when I spin or else I ****will**** get injured. I know my limits, and I know my limits shift on a daily basis for any number of reasons.I have gotten unsuspectingly tangled in a swing in a way that wrenched my body in an undelightful way. Depending on the grip we use and the weight of the poi it can pull on our fingers in a strenuous manner, which is one reason I do not like finger nooses. And don't get me started on getting a staff end caught on a body part mid-twirl and having it wrench my wrist around with a momentum follow through. There have been pinched nerves, gouges, and bruises from wraps/rolls gone wrong, smacked body parts, piercings and near concussions but nothing permanent yet. Can it be physically dangerous even without the fire? Sure. So is sitting here typing. Every keystroke I make ups my chances at tendonitis or carpel tunnel. Yet I learn alot and get alot of work done through typing so.....Everything, especially exercise, has its rewards and its dangers. It is par for the course in life. If you push yourself or over do it, as Maeon said, in anything, you will pay the reprocussions. Moderation or at least knowing yourself well enough to recognize inconsistancies and how far to push yourself is the key to keeping healthy and happy, no matter what your passion.I do think as our art takes on higher levels of difficulty with acrobatics, jumps, rolls, extensions, heavier and more complex tools I think you will find the number of spin related injuries to increase.I agree, it would make an interesting study, if things didn't change so rapidly with us! smile------------------Pele Higher, higher burning fire...making music like a choir...https://www.pyromorph.com[This message has been edited by Pele (edited 29 March 2002).]

Pele
Higher, higher burning fire...making music like a choir
"Oooh look! A pub!" -exclaimed after recovering from a stupid fall
"And for the decadence of art, nothing beats a roaring fire." -TMK


maeonmember
40 posts
Location: brisbane, queensland, australia?


Posted:
sorry Pele,I didn't mean it to be read that cigarette smoking was the same as firetwirling, for either short or long term effects. I was just using it in the way that 'horsepower' is used to describe engines - something people already have a common understanding of. As you say, smoke of anykind should not be inhaled every day. Repeated inhalation of fine particles (eg smoke)can cause long term damage to your lungs - for example before OH&S, many more bakers developed lung problems from breathing in flour particles.my humblest apologies, maeon

Where in the world is the island I'm on?


Twirl'N'BurnBooojakasha
121 posts
Location: Brisbane QLD Australia


Posted:
Quote:We were wondering if spinning (Poi in particular) is good, bad or indifferant to your shoulders and wrists?Fact:Forget my shoulders and wrists, im far more concerned with the integrity of my SKULL.

Simply an excuse to play with fire.



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