Poispinnewbie
3 posts

Posted:
should the length of handles+chain+head = arm length? i kno that size can differ, but wuts like the standard? been spinnin for like 3 weeks already and now that i think of it i have that unclear. Sorry for this post im sure theres been many of these, but couldnt find any rolleyes

thelostSILVER Member
mmm...i feel all warm and fuzzy... 'no dude, that's your hair on fire'
355 posts
Location: Birmingham, Australia


Posted:
I normally have the length so that when they're hanging down by my sides, the poi nearly touch the ground.

There is no 'correct' length I guess, just personal preference really.

It's better to burn out than to fade away


SinnerBRONZE Member
member
41 posts
Location: Battle, England


Posted:
Even if ur poi are too long for the trick ur doing u can just rap em round ur hands... like u have to do for moves like buzzsaw and corkscrew.

One of the many Duncans...
Feel the burn... (in a good way) meditate


ficklampaBRONZE Member
member
81 posts
Location: sweden,stockholm.


Posted:
i'd say it should be about your arms length but of course that's just a question of how you like it.
and as sinner wrote you can wrap them around your hands when needed:P
but most tricks can be done without that with armlength poi:P

the only thing worth dying for is life itself


Suibomaddict
577 posts
Location: Oregon, USA


Posted:
Yeah, the main two points of poi length are these:

1. You don't want it hitting the ground on a down spin.
2. You don't want corkscrew and the like to be smacking you (which is why it's suggested just smaller than arms length for the entire poi).

Also worth considering is that longer poi spin slower and take more force to twirl. The larger circumference can be very visually appealing, and you can always shorten longer poi with handwraps, but cannot lengthen short poi. However, handwraps change the way you hold the poi and can be annoying at times. So, I think those are the main things to consider when thinking about length.

Enjoy,

Definition of poi- A Hawaiian food made from the tuber of the taro that is cooked, pounded to a paste, and fermented.

Ahnold discussing poi - "It is naht a toober!"


IgirisujinSILVER Member
Carpal \'Tunnel
2,666 posts
Location: Preston, United Kingdom


Posted:
There isnt really a correct length as seraph pointed out, but the preferd length is allways the length of the individuals arms (including pits), if you stretch out your arm and place you poi up against it, the poi, chain and then handles shouldnt be longer than your arm.



Thats because (unless your born with one of those short limbed medical conditions) everyones arm length is directly proportional to your height. Its like when you buy a shirt, the best way to mesure it isnt to mesure your chest, the best way is to simply mesure your neck, because your body grows in perportions.



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If your poi are abit too long, they might not hit the floor, but they might hit your bum, or your legs, or jsut get tangled up easyer. But its nota huge problem if your poi arnt the perfect length, you can get away with a few centimeters here and there.

Chief adviser to the Pharaoh, in one very snazzy mutli-coloured coat

'Time goes by so slowly for those who wait...' - Whatever Happend To Baby Madonna?


preSILVER Member
member
161 posts
Location: USA


Posted:
My parents won't allow me to use fire so what I do is use 6 inch glow sticks which I can purcahse at any sporting goods store so for mty string I put the hand loop around my thumb pull it down till it wont move any further extend my arm then pull the string upto the pressure point in mt neck pinch that spot and tie a loop knot i stand about 5'3"-5'4" my strings are about 32 inches including the glow stick and a keychain ring which I use to make it easier to take the glow stick on and off of weavesmiley

PhilomelSILVER Member
member
39 posts
Location: Melbourne, Australia


Posted:
When purchasing my first set of poi from HoP (ball chains with fluffy heads), I selected the appropriate size by actually measuring the length from my armpit to my fingers, as is suggested somewhere on this site. I spun with them for about a month or so and thought they were fine, but other spinners and even one non-spinner have told me that they are "a bit short." Since then, I've spun with other sets of poi that were bouncier (sock poi) and slightly longer (comet poi) and seem to spin a whole lot better with them than the fluffy poi.

With the fluffy poi, I can't do some of the moves that I can do with my other sets of poi, such as overhead butterfly. I'm 99% sure that I'm attempting to do the move correctly - my wrists are doing exactly what they do with the other sets of poi, but the chains either droop or just get tangled. Is this just something that tends to happen with metal chains? I suppose you have to slightly alter your spinning style and the way you do certain tricks depending on which set of poi you use. This is kind of frustrating because I like to interchange between my sets of poi quite often and expect to be able to do the same tricks, but sometimes these tricks just don't want to work.

I haven't spun fire yet, but have enough skills to do so and really want to soon. I have wicks, but need a new set of chains because I don't want to destroy my ball chains. I was thinking of getting the stainless steel twist oval link chains, but now I'm completely confused about what length to get after experiences with my fluffy poi! Argh! When I ordered the fluffy poi, I asked for ones that were 61 CM in length - so should I get 66 CM ones next time? I'm not even sure if the length of the fluffy poi is based on just the chain by itself or the handles+chain+head. Maybe I should go and measure it or ask Malcolm. Why is shopping for poi so stressful? confused

pricklyleafSILVER Member
with added berries
1,365 posts
Location: Manchester, England (UK)


Posted:
A few cms of length difference, should not stop you from doing any moves (except inside arm moves, where you need short poi so you don't hit yourself).

If you are tangling or drooping then it is probably more down to technique than length. Sock poi in particular, and poi on string are marginly more forgiving than chain, if they catch each other, they will sometimes just bounce off each other rather than tangle, but chain, because of the irregular shape will catch on itself. Chain perhaps, needs your technique to be more solid, but the difference is negligable. You should be able to pick up any poi, without really changing your style (not including the way you grip the different handles obviously). A thing that really helps is to drill your plains. Do this by standing in front of a mirror or window and spinning each poi in the same positon, until you get it into the perfect plain (in this case, the wall plain behind your head).

Anyway, my point is that the length of the chains don't matter that much, (or the material) but it is important to use what is comfortable for YOU, not what anyone else tells you is right. Personally I include the poi in the measurement for the length of the chain, (but not the handles, as they go over the fingers and do not really add length when you are spinning).

If you are really worried, then get two tennis balls, drill holes in them, and attach some sting to them with handles and swivels. Then just experiment with changing the length of the string, until you find what YOU are most comfortable with.

Everything gets better with practice, good luck!

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I could go on! do a search!

Live like there is no tomorrow,
dance like nobody is watching
and hula hoop like wiggling will save the world.

“What lies behind us and what lies before us are tiny matters compared to what lies within us.”

Ralph Waldo Emerson



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