Page:
NYCNYC
9,232 posts
Location: NYC, NY, USA


Posted:
I feel a long one coming on... but I've been quiet lately so I'm due.

OK, I went to Uberpoi and saw the worlds most amazing poi spinners yet one of the most fundamental points that I learned was... "Wow, these guys have put a ton of time and effort into this!" (I mean do you KNOW how long Arashi's been spinning wink )

So firstly, tons of respect and love to all the Jedi in the world. Those guys and gals who are busting their butts to rock my world are some of my favorite artists in any field.

But... I'm never gonna be them. I don't WANT to be them. All of the poi spinners that I respect have a level of obsession that just isn't me. I've always been a very balanced person. If I sit for a few hours, I wanna dance, if I dance for a few hours, I wanna sit. If I go out on Weds, I wanna do quieter hobbies on Thursday. And if I stay home Friday night, damn sure I'm out on Saturday.

I'm not a flake. I follow through. I'm not lazy. BUT I don't spend 8 hours a week on any given hobby.

In fact, I'll be honest, I spend an average of hour a week on Poi. For the last 4 years. Some months I might spin more and then don't touch my poi for months.

So my question is this:

What's the most effective way for a fair weather firespinner like myself to progress and stay inspired?

I accept the fact that I'm never gonna be great. It's honestly not a goal. I think I've suffered a bit of a plateau lately because I've been looking to the Jedi for lessons and inspiration... but I'm not on the Jedi path. If I spent my 'one hour a week' drilling planes or ironing out microscopic timing differences, I don't actually think I'd progress.

I respect that there is a Jedi path. Concepts like "there are no moves" and "there are no beats" and "unconsious flow" and "ideal form" and "the mariage of dance and musicality" are all milestones along that path...

(TIme for an analogy no?)

When I was at university there were several different chemistry courses.
There was "Chemistry for Chemistry Majors" which I took.
There was "Chemistry for Other Science Majors" which didn't QUITE go into the depth but was still pretty darn hard.
Then there was "Chemistry for Non Science Majors" which really just gave an overview and focused less on theory and more on general ideas and simpler applications. None of them were actually any easier or harder, they just focused on different things.

There were great professors for "Chemistry for Chemists" but those weren't the same professors who taught the other courses. There were different professors who really focusd on the Chemistry for non scientists". These professors were equally brilliant but more in the area of making it accessable to all, rather than the minutia that only a chemist could understand.

I feel like for the last 4 years I've been running a C- in a 'Poi for Jedi' class and maybe that isn't the best course for me... since I'm NOT on the Jedi road. I mean NO disrespct for my heroes that are pushing the envelope. Those '4 hour a day' guys deserve every accolade they'll ever get and more. I don't want a hand out or a magic pill that will make me them.

I feel like I actually understand what the major theories in the "Poi for Jedi" sylabus but have no shot or desire at passing the final.

What's in the sylabus for the "Poi for Non Jedi" class? And who are the master teachers in that area? What are the lessons, concepts and thoeries? How can I be the most effective NonJedi? Because "Doing 20% of what the Jedi do" isn't the working for me.

Well, shall we go?
Yes, let's go.
[They do not move.]


DrudwynForget puppy power, Scrappy's just gay
632 posts
Location: Southampton Uni


Posted:
Whoohoo! I think it'll have to a philosophy... *scampers away to write the poi Sith philosophy* But screw the master and apprentice thing...

Mwahaha!

Spin, bounce, be one with the world, because it is yours to enjoy...


RevBRONZE Member
Bastard Newbie Messiah
1,269 posts
Location: Apparently lost in my ego, USA


Posted:
there are plenty of sith.. they hide themselves good though.. occasionally spouting something about the dark side... so I guess that makes them kinda like a jedi with tourettes(sp?)..

some of them have been able to manifest some nifty powers that defy even physics.. but you dont want to travel down that road.. it makes you loco.. ubbloco detaches you from reality..

More useless information courtesy of Rev...
Confusing the masses, one post at a time...
"Obviously, you're not a golfer.."- The Dude
"Buy the ticket... Take the ride..." -Raoul Duke
"FEMA has never done catastrophe planning..."-Michael Brown


DrudwynForget puppy power, Scrappy's just gay
632 posts
Location: Southampton Uni


Posted:
Written by: Rev


it makes you loco.. ubbloco detaches you from reality..




We're poi spinners, who would know the difference?

Spin, bounce, be one with the world, because it is yours to enjoy...


NYCNYC
9,232 posts
Location: NYC, NY, USA


Posted:
*wishes he hadn't used the word 'Jedi'*

Well, shall we go?
Yes, let's go.
[They do not move.]


SupermanBRONZE Member
member
829 posts
Location: Houston, Texas, USA


Posted:
WOW!! since i have been back lurking this HOP this is the best thread i have read. Best meaning it made me stop and think about what i was trying to accomplish by spinning and what makes me pick them up.

i do know that i learn new moves after i have not touched them for over a month or so. Then on a day off, and im bored, i will see something that tweaks my interest and gets my mind pondering how a certain move will work if i tried to ad something to it.

Usually i fail at what im trying to accomplish, but i stumble across an idea that will slowly develop into an itch that has to be scratched. For me it is an ongoing process. Everytime i learn something new, it feeds the fire (no pun intended) for something new. Or at least it gives birth to an avenue i have not explored yet

in the end, i think this all means i'm gay....Just kidding

in the end, this is a hobby that has infected my life. i already have my "way of life" hobby, which is martial arts. But at the same time...i want to be good, but it will come in way due time. One day ill be able to do a BTB weave...5 yrs....cant do it. Im afraid ill hit it one day then ill throw my hands in the air fall to my knees and cry....Ive seen all the COL's and watched in amazement how some people can take the easiest most simple moves and twist them into some of the most beautiful inspiring things i have ever seen. Just like anything i think there is a platuea that can be reached and a willingness to dedicate that will help us invent or prevent progress.

And that is the most typing ive done in a year...

Super'

Courage is resistance to fear, mastery of fear--not absence of fear.


- Mark Twain


Sporkyaddict
663 posts
Location: Glasgow


Posted:
Imho Poi Sith are the people who can't be stuffed spending hours a day getting their btb 91 beat weaves in uberperfect split time and just chuck the poi around for the hell of having fun. But then thats just my thoughts...

ubbloco

Have faith in what you can do and respect for what you can't


bluecatgeek, level 1
5,300 posts
Location: everywhere


Posted:
Written by: NYC


*wishes he hadn't used the word 'Jedi'*




yay! a time when i get to agree with NYC biggrin



still grmbling gently that you totally ignored my last (relevant) post frown

R

Holistic Spinner (I hope)


strugzBRONZE Member
Carpal \'Tunnel
3,964 posts
Location: Southampton - Possibly..., United Kingdom


Posted:
Written by: Drudwyn


So... as we've got Jedi, what's a Sith then?




go look in the staff section.............. ubblol

puney jedi wink

"...We don't stop playing because we get old, we get old because we stop playing......."


fluffy napalm fairyCarpal \'Tunnel
3,638 posts
Location: Brum / Dorset / Fairy Land


Posted:
erm................there was a Sith. On the old board. He wasn't a happy chappy.

Geologists do it in the dirt................ spank


NYCNYC
9,232 posts
Location: NYC, NY, USA


Posted:
Rob, I ignored your post because you took the entire concept of my thread and asked if it could be 'put to bed'.



Written by: bluecat



so, a final request: please can put the 'jedi' concept to bed, and just get on with enjoying poi as we spin/learn them in our different ways.

ta



R






The premise of my thread was to ask for help in ways that a fair weather poi spinner could stay inspired in the face of so many very dedicated spinners. I used the word 'jedi' in my typical 'sarcastic while not really being sarcastic' manner which confuses everyone outside of New York. wink



I guess I was looking for specific advice or tricks on how to maximize my minimal time poi spinning.



Maybe something like

"ONLY spin poi if you're spinning to a song you REALLY like. This way you'll always be having fun" (Or it's corilary, "Don't ever spin to bad drumming, you'll just get pissed off" ubbangel )



or



"Find a buddy and spin with them on the rare occation you actually spin so you can track your progress together"



or



"Link it with other things you like like hooping while poiing or finding swing dance moves that go with poi"



I've thought of these but was posting here to see if folks had any specific ideas for the uninspired folks that ALSO didn't spin all that often.



Coleman absolutely gave me a few ideas, and some of the other ideas on this thread are fabulous.



I do tend to roll my eyes a bit rolleyes when near and dear friends like Coleman and Glass are trying to make the assertion that 'there is no jedi' or 'it's only in my head'.



There are clearly folks who've made a global impact on Poi (I'd suggest that being a teacher or coordinator of something like UBERPOI would perhaps suggest a level of ability or dedication that was above the majority of spinners.)



If Cole or Glass or Rob really can't tell the difference between how someone like they intereact with poi (or many of the other objects they manipulate) and how someone like I do, I'll try to explain it. But that really seems obvious to me.

Well, shall we go?
Yes, let's go.
[They do not move.]


spiralxveteran
1,376 posts
Location: London, UK


Posted:
I'm a fair-weather spinner and I've generally done alright compared to people that spin a lot more than my hour or two a week. I think I've managed this by every so often having a super-intense session where I spend hours playing with a single concept and then spending the next month arsing around with it in a non-serious way.

Of course saying that I've sort of given up poi at the moment, not feeling the love and can't be arsed to learn anything new really...

"Moo," said the happy cow.


fluffy napalm fairyCarpal \'Tunnel
3,638 posts
Location: Brum / Dorset / Fairy Land


Posted:
Post deleted by fluffy napalm fairy

Geologists do it in the dirt................ spank


RevBRONZE Member
Bastard Newbie Messiah
1,269 posts
Location: Apparently lost in my ego, USA


Posted:
nyc- you want the maximum amount of skill from minima play.. .sh1t man... why didnt you just say so.. I could have helped you there ages ago... that's the only reason I can keep up with what goes on on this board..

the secret lies in pointless relations between moves.. learning inversions makes sj's and tangles easy.. because they are all the same.. you learn one.. the other 2 slide in real smooth.. hell learning one inversion, teaches you ALL the other inversions.. just by practicing it.. so its like getting a whole family out of one move... in the same way working your wallplane weaves (especialy outer to inner) helps with all your weaves, corks, and windmills.. and butterfly reels cover mots of your reels and opposite spinning.. etc.. etc..

there are certain motions in these moves that are found in so many other moves.. that by practicing one you unconcsciously train yourself on that motion anytime it comes up.. it takes a little bit for you to notice, but you all of a sudden start being able to do things you havent practiced and you dont really know why.. and its because you hands are good at weaving.. and they are good at butterflying.. so when it comes to butterfly weaving, 10-20 seconds of play/ week can keep that sharp..

since most of our moves use the same base components.. practicing any one will do.. you jsut need to cycle through most of them about every 8 weeks (practicing recall once every 8 weeks is the equivalent to short practices every day for 8 weeks.. look it up wink) so you just have to look at moves that have the most 'rare' components.. planes you dont use much.. hand motions you dont use much.. or new motions in general.. and you drill a few of those so that of the few moves you drill you practice most every skill.. fill in the gaps later when you get more time for play..

keep in mind this doesnt necessarily help your planes.. or your timing.. unless you work patterns that require precise timing, and perfect planes.. but that's your call on whether you want to drill those.. because even not drilling them, develops them in time..

More useless information courtesy of Rev...
Confusing the masses, one post at a time...
"Obviously, you're not a golfer.."- The Dude
"Buy the ticket... Take the ride..." -Raoul Duke
"FEMA has never done catastrophe planning..."-Michael Brown


NYCNYC
9,232 posts
Location: NYC, NY, USA


Posted:
Word.

Makes sense.

I mean, once you crank out one isolation, you've got a whole family of them automatically.

Well, shall we go?
Yes, let's go.
[They do not move.]


KaelGotRiceGOLD Member
Basu gasu bakuhatsu - because sometimes buses explode
1,584 posts
Location: Angels Landing, USA


Posted:
I thought it was all about copying videos move for move.

wink

Rather, the only reason you're going to keep on doing poi - or anything for that matter- is if you enjoy it.

If you enjoy working on techy moves, do that. If you enjoy wibbling, do that. If you like wriggling and bouncing, do that. Crank up the music and act silly. Wait for the rain and snow to come down and drive it away with fire. Show people what can be done, and show people what ought not to be done (in my case). Play with fire and socks and glow. Do it with your girlie, do it with your man friends. Find out ways to smack yourself in the groin that looks painful yet doesn't cause major damage.

Most of all, watch newbies manage a weave for the first time ever or their first fire spin with a huge goofy grin locked on their faces.

Poi spinning = smiles. smile na.

To do: More Firedrums 08 video?

Wildfire/US East coast fire footage

LA/EDC glow/fire footage

Fresno fire


NYCNYC
9,232 posts
Location: NYC, NY, USA


Posted:
Written by: KaelGotRice


I thought it was all about copying videos move for move.

wink





No, that's only my GLOWSTICKING. wink

And yes, I do enjoy teaching poi. In fact, I'm off to teach some newbies the weave today. biggrin

Well, shall we go?
Yes, let's go.
[They do not move.]


fluffy napalm fairyCarpal \'Tunnel
3,638 posts
Location: Brum / Dorset / Fairy Land


Posted:
Post deleted by fluffy napalm fairy

Geologists do it in the dirt................ spank


NYCNYC
9,232 posts
Location: NYC, NY, USA


Posted:
confused

Um... I'll teach you the weave next time I see you?

Well, shall we go?
Yes, let's go.
[They do not move.]


SupermanBRONZE Member
member
829 posts
Location: Houston, Texas, USA


Posted:
Hey NYC here is some advice..

ONLY spin poi if you're spinning to a song you REALLY like. This way you'll always be having fun.

Supes'

Courage is resistance to fear, mastery of fear--not absence of fear.


- Mark Twain


sayamember
30 posts
Location: the Netherlands


Posted:
You could also try to hand your poi's to a couple of children and watch them have fun while they can hardly do a thing with them. I always practice on the playground in front of my house and when the kids wanted to try they thought up a really cool move of having a poi in each hand and turning around really really fast until theu got dizzy. Maybe you should try it ubbrollsmile
I don't know if it works for you, but I always enjoy watching them. But be aware, if you suddenly want your pois back to poi again you will have to wait till all the kids have had their turn;)

RicheeBRONZE Member
HOP librarian
1,841 posts
Location: Prague, Czech. Republic


Posted:

Yup. childrens are amazing smile

:R

POI THEO(R)IST


bluecatgeek, level 1
5,300 posts
Location: everywhere


Posted:
ooooh NYC i never said i didn't understand your feeling, or that i(or cole, or drew) get something different out of poi spinning than you, and furthermore, i asked for the 'jedi' concept to be put to bed, not the non-jedi one, and no, you still haven't responded to the only worthwhile post i put in this damn thread!

argh!

r

(ps why is there a sad fairy in this thread? frown )

Holistic Spinner (I hope)


Rung Arunnewbie
3 posts

Posted:
I 've been reading this thread over and over since two days. It really helped me with some of my own stuff. Thanks NYC for starting it! beerchug

I can totally relate to your picture of the world class soccer players.
I had that situation with a very good friend in dancing. He trains every day at least 3-4 hours. And he is amazing and makes my jaw drop everytime I see or practise with him. He always wanted me to "get up at 5 in the morning and run the 20 miles" to get better and become world class. He wanted me to become as succesful and famous as he was.
Both of us couldn't see that that one evening session per week was absolutely enough for me and more just wouldn't give me anything. (Thank you so much for that point REV!!!)

Anyway, at some point I realized that his jedi path (sorry for using it again, but I actually like the concept) was not mine. Training everyday is hard and very often my friend had absolutely no inspiration or joy and had to force his body to move.
From what I know about his personal history, I think that he needs that hard training, that level of perfection to respect himself and to think that he's - finally - a loveable person.

I took me quite a while to find out that my happiness is just a decision... sunny I guess that's kind of similar to what the fairy and the penguin already said before.

Ohh and offtopic, I actually need some inspiration myself.
I posted a topic in the "Help"-Section. I'm quite new to this board wave and did't want to show my rebellious spirit hehe meditate nana right in the beginning by posting it in the "poi moves" biggrin

KaelGotRiceGOLD Member
Basu gasu bakuhatsu - because sometimes buses explode
1,584 posts
Location: Angels Landing, USA


Posted:
Sad fairy?

I kept watching Ros spin in videos. And no matter how I did my wallplaned btb TTN, it never looked as nice or as lovely as FnF's.

I figured it out eventually. I could never move my bum the same sexy way Ros does it (or any other girl). wink So I became happy just shaking my bum my own little way while doing btb work.

XD

To do: More Firedrums 08 video?

Wildfire/US East coast fire footage

LA/EDC glow/fire footage

Fresno fire


bluecatgeek, level 1
5,300 posts
Location: everywhere


Posted:
feeling just a little bit ignored
frown

Holistic Spinner (I hope)


DrudwynForget puppy power, Scrappy's just gay
632 posts
Location: Southampton Uni


Posted:
Blue Cat, the Jedi concept is something to aspire to, but it is something that you can never actually become (in the words of Cole, It's all in your head). Thus it is helpful for those like me, who want to achieve more and be able to spin the more complicated "Jedi" tricks.

So we can put it to bed, but it will still be around. If it were not for Jedi, would people still be spinning wrpas and tangles, isolations and antispin? Jedi is here to stay, even if it is a concept that can either not be reached or has been reached by almost all. You can disagree with it, but it is a concept, and therefore a set of ideas.

It's all fun, if it weren't, why would we do it? So those who chase perfection, and those who pick up poi once every couple of months are united by the same thing, the thrill of the spin.

I hope that's the post you were looking for Blue Cat.... now there's no need to feel ignored! hug

Now go and answer my query on waistwraps! *tailwags happily*

Spin, bounce, be one with the world, because it is yours to enjoy...


bluecatgeek, level 1
5,300 posts
Location: everywhere


Posted:
thanks, but no it wasn't at all.



i know what is meant by 'jedi', and disagree with the concept thoroughly, as i know i am regarded as such redface and dislike it intensely. it puts an enormous amount of pressure on me to spin well in front of people, and sometimes makes me want to go off to a corner and cry. how can i view that as a positive thing?



i am waiting for an american to answer a post and not fob me off with misused quotes, or explaining his original posts but not referring to mine at all, especially one who complains he gets ignored and misunderstood a lot. it just seems a little rude when purporting to be a specific reply frown



Rob

Holistic Spinner (I hope)


colemanSILVER Member
big and good and broken
7,330 posts
Location: lunn dunn, yoo kay, United Kingdom


Posted:
i think specifically, rob would have liked a reply to this observation:

Written by: bluecat

and yet i feel there were several 'new' techniques being bandied about over the summer that are of equal difficulty, and(imo) and beauty to 4bt ttn and airwraps(just using your example so no jumping from anyone)

like
hybrid spinning
antispin
gumbys
negative space
atomics(finally reached europe nearly alive)

now i'm not saying all of these suit all people.

but a lot HAS been made of the 'learn to dance' and 'feel the poi' movement. and also the 'drill drill drill' idea too, but they were by no means the only thing people were saying/showing to you while here. maybe you just prefered to hoop(an exceptionally fine thing ), but i don't feel you can say there has been a lack of inspring ideas.perhaps none of them inspired YOU but they are definitely around.




i.e. there are lots of 'new' tech areas in poi.

nyc said there were no inspiring new areas in poi spinning this summer and le chat-bleu listed a good few.

which were kinda ignored shrug


cole. x

"i see you at 'dis cafe.
i come to 'dis cafe quite a lot myself.
they do porridge."
- tim westwood


RevBRONZE Member
Bastard Newbie Messiah
1,269 posts
Location: Apparently lost in my ego, USA


Posted:
I'm nto sure I'd put gumbies on that list.. lol.. or that I agree that many of these are tech.. I think what we have done is entered a new area or fundementals.. basics that we've overlooked for years now.. and so we now realize that there are new genres to spin..

I think the summer of new tricks that we've had the past couple years have given way to the summer of new classes.. and I have to say.. I dont feel the same umph.. I have to tell myself quite often that poi has come so far this year.. the irony being this is the essentially the biggest summer poi has had while I've been spinning and ironically it felt the most boring.. atoms, hybrid, antispin... these are words that have been bandied aboutfor over a year now no? instead of those major tricks you learn each summer to feel accomplished.. now there are whole families.. you dont accomplish as much as quick, and if your like me.. you don't feel like you've done anything in the past year..

so even though there's a wealth of new ideas in which to find inspiration.. there is also a depth to those new ideas that can be a bit overwhelming..

what good is all the inspiration in the world if it make you feel insignificant?

More useless information courtesy of Rev...
Confusing the masses, one post at a time...
"Obviously, you're not a golfer.."- The Dude
"Buy the ticket... Take the ride..." -Raoul Duke
"FEMA has never done catastrophe planning..."-Michael Brown


bluecatgeek, level 1
5,300 posts
Location: everywhere


Posted:
hmmm.



they were all being talked about, but very, very few of them were being done by most people i know, and they are this summer....



hybrid spinning was first mentioned in october last year... just enough time for the idea to germinate for most people and burst out this summer, but obviously for a few it was pretty easy wink



and if nybody thinks atoms are well understood by more than just a few spinners(and i mean understood, not just able to do some) then i laugh out loud.



but yes, i agree that the 'new' things this year are families rather than moves, and that can be a bit overwhelming...



Written by:


what good is all the inspiration in the world if it makes you feel insignificant?






well, it obviously shows the difference between a dedicated spinner and a mouse wink

seriously, it's just another of those challenges to get through if you really want to know poi, or towards not caring if you don't know poi.



and i think those challenges are great. sometimes they force you to make posts titled 'nonjedi inspiration', sometimes they make you give up, in which case you weren't meant to carry on, sometimes they make you hate it and keep practising in order to get through to the other side of the lack of inspiration to the new inspiration you just know is there...



thanks rev, you've made me think a good bit more about this...



R

Holistic Spinner (I hope)


Page:

Similar Topics

Using the keywords [nonjedi inspiration] we found the following existing topics.

  1. Forums > NonJedi Inspiration. [108 replies]

      Show more..

HOP Newsletter

Sign up to get the latest on sales, new releases and more...