Forums > Help! > My Left Hand Is Misbehaving!!
Login/Join to Participate215 posts
Location: Dublin!
I've only been spining poi for a lil while now, but for some reason my left hand doesn't seem to want to comply with what i want it to do
When switching from forward circles to backwards circles (and vice versa) it seems to want to curve the poi infront of me! And when I'm attempting reels, it doesn't want to move in time with my right hand, which results in colisons and me being hit in a number of painful places! Is there something I'm doing wrong that I'm just not seeing? or is it one of those "practice makes perfect" situations, where I unfortunately have to put up with it until my left hand learns that misbehaving is not fun?
Is there anything I can do to improve my situation? moves or excercises i can practice to increase my left hands co-ordination with the rest of my body? (or is it the rest of my body that's out of sync
)Any sugestions would be greatly appreciated
Cheers,
3C
Speed of Dark: As yet unmeasured, but believed to be faster than light owing to its ability to move so quickly out of light's way. -- Terry Pratchett
[total number of times I've been hit in the head with poi: 10! <--- Double Digits!!!!]
59 posts
Location: Netherlands
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I-sCXbZ4slc
This gets a little advanced by the end of it, but the exercises he mentions about moving hands in relation to the body and stuff are worth looking at.
Remember, poi patterns are only easy after you've gotten the headaches and the bruises
Joe x
215 posts
Location: Dublin!
Thanks Joe, I really appreciate it!
I've only gotten one bruise to far (tho after todays practice I'd say I'll have a LOT more) ... Looks like i have a looong way to go before I get comfortable with these
Speed of Dark: As yet unmeasured, but believed to be faster than light owing to its ability to move so quickly out of light's way. -- Terry Pratchett
[total number of times I've been hit in the head with poi: 10! <--- Double Digits!!!!]
Pirate Pixie Crew Captain
8,428 posts
Location: Wales
Almost everyone has a hand that needs more practice than the other one when they spin. Most people are naturally either left handed or right handed and this is the same for spinning. One hand will find learning moves much easier than the other one. You just have to give the slower learning side of your body more time and practice to catch up.
As you progress, the difference in time it takes each hand to learn new moves will become less obvious.
Feed me Chocolate!!! Feed me NOW!
215 posts
Location: Dublin!
Thank you Skulduggery, I figured it was something like that, I'm doing my best to be patient with my left hand
This makes me even more determinded to practice
Speed of Dark: As yet unmeasured, but believed to be faster than light owing to its ability to move so quickly out of light's way. -- Terry Pratchett
[total number of times I've been hit in the head with poi: 10! <--- Double Digits!!!!]
had her carpal tunnel surgery already thanks v much
4,145 posts
Location: Edinburgh, Scotland (UK)
It helps to do things with both hands seperately... if your left hand's the difficult one, you can't just expect it to go along with the right one in the reels.
Remember that every move with two poi in two hands is a combination of what each hand does, so take some extra time practicing your left hand on its own before putting the two together
"vices are like genitals - most are ugly to behold, and yet we find that our own are dear to us."
(G.W. Dahlquist)
Owner of Dragosani's left half
Geek-enviro-hippy priest
1,858 posts
Location: Diss, Norfolk, United Kingdom
_3C_, like skully said, more or less everyone goes though the same process abut it does get quicker (I found that learning to juggle at the same time as I was learning to spin helped a lot).
You don't just have to think about it when spinning though. I spent a week with the contents of my pockets reversed (right side stuff in left pocket) so that every time I got my phone or keys I had to use the other hand for that task - I'm not sure it made be a better spinner, but it did help my left hand get better at doing things...
There's too many home fires burning and not enough trees
215 posts
Location: Dublin!
Thanks Sym thats a good idea, putting stuff in my left pocket, my left hand doesn't do an awful lot of work ... (i bet my right hand would give out about the amount of work it does if it could)
I'll try using left hand only for a bit during poi practice too.
Thanks you guys ^_^
Speed of Dark: As yet unmeasured, but believed to be faster than light owing to its ability to move so quickly out of light's way. -- Terry Pratchett
[total number of times I've been hit in the head with poi: 10! <--- Double Digits!!!!]
7,193 posts
Location: in the trees
my right hand often misbehaves, sometimes i can't stop it..............
it's such a relief when it ends though
215 posts
Location: Dublin!
okay, something wierd happening here....My Home says a new post was here....and the main index says ravehead posted here....and yet....nothing.
Speed of Dark: As yet unmeasured, but believed to be faster than light owing to its ability to move so quickly out of light's way. -- Terry Pratchett
[total number of times I've been hit in the head with poi: 10! <--- Double Digits!!!!]
Geek-enviro-hippy priest
1,858 posts
Location: Diss, Norfolk, United Kingdom
I saw that too - what did you say ravehead!
There's too many home fires burning and not enough trees
Pooh-Bah
1,872 posts
Location: Canada
Housekeeping no doubt...it was unhelpful, irrelevant and "typical"
Geek-enviro-hippy priest
1,858 posts
Location: Diss, Norfolk, United Kingdom
oooh! Was that a personal attack
Have you SEEN how many scaffold boards that man can lift with his left hand?
There's too many home fires burning and not enough trees
Pooh-Bah
1,872 posts
Location: Canada
no on both counts..I only attacked the post.
215 posts
Location: Dublin!
*confused*
Speed of Dark: As yet unmeasured, but believed to be faster than light owing to its ability to move so quickly out of light's way. -- Terry Pratchett
[total number of times I've been hit in the head with poi: 10! <--- Double Digits!!!!]
Pooh-Bah
1,872 posts
Location: Canada
3C,,don't be confused, just ignore it.
Anyways..back on topic. I agree with Birgit's suggestion that you work with your left hand on it's own. I had the same problem ( and sometimes still do ) so I regularly pick up one poi and spin that with my left hand. The idea is to hammer the move, or pattern into my "muscle memory" through rote and so far it seems to work, mind you I am a little weird when it comes to drilling moves as I tend to "loose" them fairly quickly.
Maybe loose is the wrong word..more like I become sloppy and it's usually my left poi that ends up hitting me.
215 posts
Location: Dublin!
yeah my left poi hits me too. Which isn't a good thing, I'm prone to extreme nosebleeds (ones that take a while to stop and my bathroom looks like a scene from a horror movie when I'm done) and for some reason my poi like to hit me right in the face!
Speed of Dark: As yet unmeasured, but believed to be faster than light owing to its ability to move so quickly out of light's way. -- Terry Pratchett
[total number of times I've been hit in the head with poi: 10! <--- Double Digits!!!!]
Pooh-Bah
1,872 posts
Location: Canada
yep...spinning forwards is all about crotch shots, spinning backwards is all about face shots and butterfly/reverse butterfly is all about not knowing where you're going to be hit.
Softer poi, like socks filled with rice ( I actually use aquarium gravel after that incident with rice filled sock poi, a rain shower, the trunk of my car, and a hazmat team ) or even stuffed animals on strings are a lot more "friendly" to hit yourself with than killers like tennis balls or kevlar wicks.
215 posts
Location: Dublin!
Yeah I was thinking about making some practice sock poi so i don't go injuring myself ^_^
I think socks filled with rice is a better bet....I don't think my Beanie Babies would appreciate being swung around...I can see the looks from the children in my area now!
Speed of Dark: As yet unmeasured, but believed to be faster than light owing to its ability to move so quickly out of light's way. -- Terry Pratchett
[total number of times I've been hit in the head with poi: 10! <--- Double Digits!!!!]
Will carpal your tunnel in a minute.
3,286 posts
Location: Melbourne, Australia
Written by: Sym
I saw that too - what did you say ravehead!
I know what he said. It was very inappropriate but funny
Anyways, back on topic, I find that left/right handedness rings true even with single staff. One way of combatting this is, whenever you attempt to learn a trick, do it the opposite way you normally would. i.e. learn it with your left hand first as opposed to your right if you're right-centric. I guess with poi, if you put more emphasis on your left hand when learning it as opposed to 'taking the easy path' and emphasising the hand you're more comfortable with, it will allow you to get balanced on both sides quicker instead of learning it with your preferred hand and dismissing the other because 'i'm right handed' etc.
I hope that made sense, but I feel I'm just repeating what has been said before
ॐ
Owner of burningoftheclavey 
Owned by Lost83spy
215 posts
Location: Dublin!
Written by: Brenn
I know what he said. It was very inappropriate but funny
oooooh I know what he said, yeah my sister warned me that it sounded like somthing else other than learning poi well seen as I haven't really learned much at all (its raining again today
) I'll try making learning tricks backwards my forwards....if that makes sense, seen as its easier for my right hand 
Speed of Dark: As yet unmeasured, but believed to be faster than light owing to its ability to move so quickly out of light's way. -- Terry Pratchett
[total number of times I've been hit in the head with poi: 10! <--- Double Digits!!!!]
© 1998 - 2024 Home of Poi
All prices converted to United States dollars using XE.com