Forums > Social Discussion > When Should I start Lighting Up?

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Jesse GirlBRONZE Member
member
14 posts
Location: Marin, San Francisco, California, USA


Posted:
I was just curious... Obviously I am a new kid on the block, but I wanted to know when most people start lighting up? How much should you know, how long should you have been spinning, etc. before you move onto fire? Or can you start with fire when ever? I've heard of people starting off with fire and some waiting months before they're de-virginized... weavesmiley I've spun once, a year or two ago with fire, but never after that. I had never spun before and I didn't start with poi again til just a couple months ago, well really a few weeks ago.

So the basic question is:

When is a spinner ready for fire? eek

>**<

Jess

¡Viva La Pacha Mama!


Pink...?BRONZE Member
Mistress of Pink...Multicoloured
6,140 posts
Location: Over There, United Kingdom


Posted:
I think a spinner is ready for fire when they feel confident enough.

If you feel inside you that you are ready for fire, then you are.

Never pick up a duck in a dungeon...


Twisted ClownBRONZE Member
member
102 posts
Location: Croydon,Surrey,UK


Posted:
Written by: Pink...?


I think a spinner is ready for fire when they feel confident enough.

If you feel inside you that you are ready for fire, then you are.




I think pink is right here i was on my practice poi for quite a while b4 i lit up but i also didnt have any fire chains for along while to tempt me but when i first lit up i was quite competent and confident on my poi so i would agree here when you think your ready your ready. have fun be safe and enjoy. weavesmiley

There may be one for everyone but what if there is two for three would that mean none for someone or did they start off without one....


SterlingspiderBRONZE Member
Senator by day, Sith Lord by night.
128 posts
Location: Suffolk, New York, USA


Posted:
I agree with the general sentament, you're ready for fire when you're ready. It took me just about a year, but that was mainly becaue I cant really spin in the winter here. Just too damn cold. Don't worry about butterflies, we ALL get them, (and according to [Old link] , most of us still do after years). It's that "I'm scared but I can do it anyway" feeling you're waiting for.



HOWEVER you can be damn sure that you will feel a lot readier a lot faster if you are sure that your safety proceedures are totally up to snuff and you have a safety person you trust.



One thing that really helped calm me was the "wick seasoning" thing some people suggest (lighting, extinguishing, redunking, new wicks... repeat as necessary). Not because I think it did anything especially exciting for my wicks, but because I then knew exactly what it took to put out merrily burning wicks.



I found out pretty quickly that people who have never done it before seem to think that the fire will magically go out if you pat it gingerly with a damp towel, and thats a great way to get a steam burn.You have to be pretty aggressive in snuffing out a set of poi, effectively grabbing them firmly and making sure that the fire is actively smothered.



I also suggest getting around other burners as soon as you can and having a night or two of just burning over and over until you are calm enough to just play with them. It's very freeing.

"If the human brain were simple enough for us to understand, we would be too simple to understand it"
-Emerson M Pugh


onewheeldaveGOLD Member
Carpal \'Tunnel
3,252 posts
Location: sheffield, United Kingdom


Posted:
Written by: Sterlingspider



One thing that really helped calm me was the "wick seasoning" thing some people suggest (lighting, extinguishing, redunking, new wicks... repeat as necessary). Not because I think it did anything especially exciting for my wicks, but because I then knew exactly what it took to put out merrily burning wicks.





Good point, the ability to put out wicks is very useful and something that does require practice.

Written by: JRabbette


I was just curious... Obviously I am a new kid on the block, but I wanted to know when most people start lighting up? How much should you know, how long should you have been spinning, etc. before you move onto fire?




There's load of info on the board about safety, only doing moves with fire you can do 100% unlit etc.

But I think it's also good to also mention that fire is not an essential, or even particularly important part of poi spinning.

Many people develop tremendous skill and the other benefits of spinning without doing much fire, or even any at all.

Of course fire's OK, if you know what you're doing and are safe; but sometimes there seems to be an implicit assumption that fire is the ultimate point of spinning, that unlit poi are just for 'practice'.

Whereas the reality is that fire is just another variation, it's not compulsory smile

"You can't outrun Death forever.
But you can make the Bastard work for it."

--MAJOR KORGO KORGAR,
"Last of The Lancers"
AFC 32


Educate your self in the Hazards of Fire Breathing STAY SAFE!


Jesse GirlBRONZE Member
member
14 posts
Location: Marin, San Francisco, California, USA


Posted:


Written by: onewheeldave



But I think it's also good to also mention that fire is not an essential, or even particularly important part of poi spinning.

Many people develop tremendous skill and the other benefits of spinning without doing much fire, or even any at all.

Of course fire's OK, if you know what you're doing and are safe; but sometimes there seems to be an implicit assumption that fire is the ultimate point of spinning, that unlit poi are just for 'practice'.

Whereas the reality is that fire is just another variation, it's not compulsory smile




I totally agree, and I have so much fun spinning aroung my practice poi. All poi spinning is impresive, beautiful , challenging, fun, etc. I, personnaly, am interested in fire for a couple reasons. One, I've tried it, and the feelings I experienced whilst having those flames at my finger tips were like none I've had before... I also think there is a certain draw to fire because I am a Fire sign... devil But mostly, I'm a dancer, and to be able to manipulate something as independent and unruley as fire into a dance is... well, beyond words...

But thank you for the original sentiment, and I definately agree. wink

>**<

Jessy

¡Viva La Pacha Mama!


nearly_all_goneSILVER Member
Pooh-Bah
1,626 posts
Location: Southampton, United Kingdom


Posted:
Hey, just thought I'd add my 2 cents, but I did fire when fire was there to do, and whilst I was pretty new to poi it was enough (for me) to just fpin forwards and backwards, do a bit of a butterfly and a very careful weave! I'd say I'm not the most flexible person, but as a dancer you'd probably be able to dodge out of the way of poi that are coming at you from a weird angle or whatever.

As was said above, don't try anything new lit until you're totally comfortable - after about 30 burns to date, I'm not yet for most stuff. LEARN IT THEN BURN IT

Have fun smile

What a wonderful miracle if only we could look through each other's eyes for an instant.
Thoreau


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


Posted:
HEre's my rule:

I won't do a move lit until I have done the move 100 times unlit, then gotten into and out of the move 100 times unlit. And if I do it 99 times and smack myself, then I start over again at zero.

-Mike

Certified Mad Doctor and HoP High Priest of Nutella



A buckuht n a hooze! -Valura


...{SAFE}..."if i jump in the fire, will you?"
633 posts
Location: USA, wishing I was in SA


Posted:
i lit up within the first three weeks of ever learning poi. now im not trying to boast , but i feel that if you just do it and see that its not half as difficult as you think it is , then your confidence will rise like youve never knowen! put on a pair of old jeans , a cotton hoody, and a backwards baseball cap . nothing to it . then and only then will you learn what the poi feels like , the fire feels like and how the fire mentally and physically moves around you and how you move around it !

*note i said wear protective clothing, cause i burnt the back of my hair the first time i lit up!*

peace and good fortune to you !

i like breaking the Law frown , of Gravity wink !


Jesse GirlBRONZE Member
member
14 posts
Location: Marin, San Francisco, California, USA


Posted:
Thank you all so much for the great advice... It was just what I was looking for... Keep it coming... thankx

¡Viva La Pacha Mama!


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


Posted:
The big thing to remember is that the greatest danger of fire spinning is not to yourself, but to your surroundings. As long as you're wearing cotton, you can pretty much instantly extinguish any flame on yourself (STOP, DROP, and ROLL if need be).

But an errant poi head that flies into a tree is much worse news.

-Mike

Certified Mad Doctor and HoP High Priest of Nutella



A buckuht n a hooze! -Valura


onewheeldaveGOLD Member
Carpal \'Tunnel
3,252 posts
Location: sheffield, United Kingdom


Posted:
Like Lightening says, on the whole spinning is fairly undangerous to yourself in that, with the correct clothing you're unlikely to set yourself alight; but I feel there are at least two exceptions, which are-

a wick in the eye, which I've personally experienced- it was pretty harsh

poi wrapping round a limb and locking up; I've met one person who this happened to and the scarring was horrible.

Read the safety and fire FAQs, have someone else there when you spin- take care.

"You can't outrun Death forever.
But you can make the Bastard work for it."

--MAJOR KORGO KORGAR,
"Last of The Lancers"
AFC 32


Educate your self in the Hazards of Fire Breathing STAY SAFE!


SterlingspiderBRONZE Member
Senator by day, Sith Lord by night.
128 posts
Location: Suffolk, New York, USA


Posted:
As long as you aren't standing in a fuel soaked or somehow otherwise flammable field (which would be kind of silly to begin with) you can always pop the poi off of your hands, drop them still burning on the ground (away from the fuel dump of course), and take a breather.

Pick them up in a bit and start spinning again. Really, it's not gonna hurt them any.



Hell, theres no reason you even have to "finish" a burn. If you want to, snuff out the poi, take a breather, and go back to it when you're ready. Or if someone else who burns is right there (say a safety?) maybe hand the poi off to them for a bit if you're not comfy burning the full time.



Likewise theres no reason you have to do that transition from one move to the next flawlessly, or freestyle your first time out. Feel free to stop dead for a second, (not too long as it can get a bit warm on your hands with the heat rising) do a simple foreward spin (or whatever) for a bit and figure out what you want to do next.



Anyone who does burn understands how scary it can be, anyone who doesn't is probably amazed you picked them up in the first place, dont sweat what you look like. Most spectators think a fast 3 beat weave is the best thing since sliced bread. Dont be surprised if you forget 3/4 of what you know the minute you get near that fire. It's just like that sometimes. No one but an established burner knows the difference, and any burner that jazzes you for the quality of your spin deserves a swift kick to the pants. Never let someone substitute a tear-down for instruction.



Another REALLY helpful learning tool... Be a safety for someone else a bunch of times. Learn how to safety so that you know how you want to be safetied. Learn the difference between a minor tangle and a near catastrophe.

Maybe see if you can try their poi for just a minute and hand them back (a lot of my friends started fire that way).



Good luck!

"If the human brain were simple enough for us to understand, we would be too simple to understand it"
-Emerson M Pugh


...{SAFE}..."if i jump in the fire, will you?"
633 posts
Location: USA, wishing I was in SA


Posted:
so ??? have you tried it yet . with all this great advice from many burnt offerings , and youre still sitting there ???

come on lets go ... the fuel isnt going to use itself !

biggrin biggrin biggrin biggrin biggrin

have a good day wink

i like breaking the Law frown , of Gravity wink !


DennyHere again gone again
157 posts
Location: Central London


Posted:
I've spun fire once, using someone else's poi. I'll be spinning my own fire poi for the first time on Saturday.

The girls who I borrowed the ones I span before from were giving themselves a gentle introduction to spinning fire (I think it was their first time too) which looked pretty sensible to me. They took it in turns to pick up one lit poi, and just spin it in circles for a while, maybe cross it over a few times, then hand it off to someone else. After a few goes of doing that, some of them moved on to using both poi at once, just spinning dead simple forward circles and getting used to the sound and heat and the adrenaline rush that comes from standing in the middle of a moving bonfire smile Eventually the bravest two of them had a go at the weave, although I think they may have been somewhat goaded into that by the fact that me and my friend both had a go and were doing various ill-considered tricks (weaves going behind our heads, that kind of thing).

Erm, there was a point to that ramble, what was it now... oh yeah. Basically, you don't have to do everything all at once - you can build up to it, get over the shock of having fireballs flying around that close to you first and get on to making pretty patterns with them second.

Have fun, tell us how it went!

"Talk hard"


Luminous SoulsGOLD Member
newbie
36 posts
Location: Austin, Texas, U.S.


Posted:
i think whenever you're comfortable with your poi and whatnot... i lit mine for the first time last night, and i've been spinning for like 2 weeks.

eddicted2dnbBRONZE Member
member
43 posts
Location: Phx, Az, USA


Posted:
I think u should lite them up when u feel comfertable

wouacGOLD Member
Poi-tato
183 posts
Location: Iceberg 319, Canada


Posted:
once you have a few moves under youre belt IE the weave and you can do it enough with out hitting yourself try it with fire, It's all based on comfort zone so you're the only one that can tell if you're ready or not

It is a mistake to think you can solve any major problems just with potato's.


FireTwirling.netnewbie
7 posts

Posted:
Best advice I can give is wait untill you feel you are ready and feel in control.

-Gecko


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