Forums > Beginner Poi Moves > How good should you be before starting with fire poi?

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adamrbnewbie
3 posts

Posted:
I've been practicing poi for about a year, and doing a bit of glow stringing.
I've not been doing a whole lot of practice lately but want to start doing more, and I really want to start with fire - but, as the title says, how good should I get before I start attempting it?

Mr_JoePart-time genius
59 posts
Location: Netherlands


Posted:
You need to be comfortable doing moves without hitting yourself, basically. Fire requires respect and can be dangerous of course, but with a year's experience I'd imagine there's a few things you can do confidently with fire. It's really a case of staying within your limits and getting used to the sensation of burning things zipping about nearby.

I'd also recommend learning how to stop the poi in a controlled fashion before lighting up, in order to save yourself some terrified flailing rolleyes

Joe x

GeoffonTour04SILVER Member
enthusiast
360 posts
Location: Oxford, United Kingdom


Posted:
Wear some sensible clothes (I usually cover my long hair with a hood), have a mate handy do NOT use water to put out fire poi, oil based fuel spits (damp towel is best).

Paraffin burns at quite a low temperature so don't be too worried it's actually quite safe if you're half sensible. As Mr Joe says avoid moves you're not comfortable with, and do be aware that the metal parts of the poi get very hot after a minute or so, and can burn almost instantly if they touch skin.
Also if you don't have any fire poi yet buy some & practice with em for a little bit before you light em up to get used to the weight etc.

DarkFyreBRONZE Member
HoP mage and keeper of the fireballs
1,965 posts
Location: Palmerston North, New Zealand


Posted:
Just be safe and have fun spinning fire.

To start with just keep to the simplest tricks in your repetoir and as you confidence grows work in the rest of the stuff that you know.

Sometimes it helps to learn with fire. You know when you've got 90% of a trick but that last 10% eludes you, fire will give you that added insentive to get it right.

I will say however that I avoid this technique as a generall part of learning process, it's more for when you start getting frustated with a trick that won't come right

BTW Good advice clap

May my balls of fire set your balls on fire devil


GeezaGOLD Member
addict
694 posts
Location: Leeds, United Kingdom


Posted:
So you are able to do all move with your eyes closed that you will with fire

SkattoGOLD Member
Walking on whims...
687 posts
Location: Eastbourne, UK


Posted:
Whenever you feel ready.

Just make sure you don't attempt ANY tricks with fire that you can't do/are wobbly with when swinging unlit.

You're ready for fire when
1) You know the fire safety precautions you should be taking (see HoP's free fire safety DVD)
and
2) You feel confident enough to give it a go.

I started fire when I could only do weaves, butterfly variations, stops, and buzzsaws. I stayed within my limits, and slowly began to add more to my routine as I grew in confidence.

Have fun spinning, it makes a great noise!!

Skatto

"Fly like a mouse,
Run like a cushion,
Be the small bookcase."

For goodness sake, don't aggravate the otters!!!


astonSILVER Member
Unofficial Chairperson of Squirrel Defense League
4,061 posts
Location: South Africa


Posted:
It is nice to have a reasonably large amount of moves/transitions so you do not end up just spinning the poi in the same way for 5 minutes because you can not think of anything else to do.

But that is just a performance consideration. If you are careful and know the tricks you are going to do, then when you feel ready, try it. Just have someone watching you and read the fire-safety stuff on here.

'We're all mad here. I'm mad, you're mad." [said the Cat.]
"How do you know I'm mad?" said Alice.
"You must be," said the Cat, "Or you wouldn't have come here."
- Lewis Carroll, Alice's Adventures In Wonderland


animatEdBRONZE Member
1 + 1 = 3
3,540 posts
Location: Bristol UK


Posted:
And the award for best advice in this thread goes to Skatto!!

Empty your mind. Be formless, Shapeless, like Water.
Put Water into a cup, it becomes the cup, put water into a bottle, it becomes the bottle, put water into a teapot, it becomes the teapot.
Water can flow, or it can Crash.
Be Water My Friend.


SkattoGOLD Member
Walking on whims...
687 posts
Location: Eastbourne, UK


Posted:
*Skatto goes to collect his award, but falls over the podium and collapses in the orchestra pit - his head introduced to the interior of a tuba.*

Skatto

"Fly like a mouse,
Run like a cushion,
Be the small bookcase."

For goodness sake, don't aggravate the otters!!!


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


Posted:
The first time I did fire I could spin the poi by my sides and do a dodgy butterfly. It was also the same day I picked poi up for the first time.

I wouldn't recomend that particularly.

Just do moves that you are comfortable with, prepare yourself for the fact that fire can cause you to overthink (ie, you can do a 3 beat weave normally without batting an eyelid, but all of a sudden, you have fire poi, and you can't remember which hand goes where). And like Mr Joe says, the most important thing is being able to stop the poi, and get out of moves. Theres nothing worse than getting stuck in the move, as the poi get faster and faster!

At first I'd recomend just spinning the poi by your sides to get used to the noise (they are very loud) and the feel of it, and then slowly try the moves that you are most confident with. Once you get your confidence up, you'll be fine. Remeber to respect the fire, burns are not cool. And enjoy smile

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


TinklePantsGOLD Member
Clique Infiltrator, Cunning Linguist and Master Debator
4,219 posts
Location: Edinburgh burgh burrrrrr, United Kingdom


Posted:
If you can dodge a fast moving poi then you're ready! lol

Always use "so's your face" and "only on Tuesdays" in as many conversations possible


poinoobSILVER Member
member
45 posts
Location: louisianna, new orleans, USA


Posted:
man i caught my first burn last friday like febuary 20 i been spinning glowstick for 5 months ur ready dont try any wraps except maybe leg wraps but i am hooked on fir now and the noise is beautiful takes some getting used to but it like the fire roars out a song for u

fs180newbie
3 posts

Posted:
 Written by :Geeza


So you are able to do all move with your eyes closed that you will with fire


that a good one, started poi not to long ago, when i could go butterfly, 3bt and some other small things, and im kinda pryomaniac so im not scared of fire biggrin
when, first time i tried was when i could do a 3bt with eye's closed, worked for me.
today, first time with some friends, showing some stuff, and some guys (who came back from night out) saw me spinning and called me a pyro weavesmiley ubblol

RUMYDADDYnewbie
7 posts

Posted:
Pyro~! You have to be a pyro and a massacist to spin fire! If there is no pain there is no Gain!

Smooches!
RU?

Dragons? Why should I be afraid of dragons? Sure they are big, scary and can breathe fire... But so can I!devil

CaffeinatedKatieGOLD Member
Teacher, Dancer, Artist, and General Smartass
149 posts
Location: Portland, OR, USA


Posted:
Yeah, it's a matter of comfort and making sure you have all the safety issues covered. In my experience, I've never seen anyone wait as long as a year to spin with fire, usually the longest is a month or two (before they even know more than a few moves).
Have fun!! Your first burn will be really exciting

MuckySILVER Member
Rum-Swilling Combustioneer
227 posts
Location: Macungie, PA, USA


Posted:
I started with fire; I went camping with some friends and a couple of the guys there did a poi demonstration on the first night - obviously I stayed to more or less spinning them around, but I made my own set out of tennis balls before *learning* to use fire. The best advice is to do it with somebody who has been doing it for a while; they can help a lot with safety, and, heaven forbid something should go wrong, they'll be more familiar with emergencies. But making the switch to fire is a stepping stone, so you really only know when to do it when you feel ready. If you have a gut feeling telling you not to, just don't, even if your friends really want to see some flames. But in the end, don't do it unless you're willing to get burned. If you trust yourself, you're confident in your ability to do basic moves and transitions, you and your second both have a thorough knowledge of safety, and you aren't over-confident or eager to show off, then odds are you're ready.

Bouncing Baby Pipe!


aquastar86GOLD Member
member
32 posts
Location: New Providence, NJ , USA


Posted:
For me these are the important bits to beginning to spin fire:

1. Be aware of what you're getting yourself into: if you play with fire, you risk getting burned. Always be aware and always be safe.

2. There's not a certain time when someone becomes ready for fire, its different for everyone and it depends on you. Some people start spinning fire after only spinning poi for 2 weeks (not recommended) while others spin fire for the first time after a year of poi experience. Personally, the longer you've been spinning poi, the better because you get a real sense of how the poi move around your body, and most importantly how to untangle them or dodge them when the situation comes along. The more experience you have with how the poi work, the more prepared you will be when they're on fire and start to tangle or you lose control.

3. Confidence and a strong desire to spin fire. Similar to what Mucky said about "feeling" ready and not doing it because other people want to see it. For me, I waited weeks after deciding I wanted to spin fire before I finally lit up for my first time, and it was amazing!

But yeah, it all comes down to you. And be prepared, first time is definitely one of the most amazing things. I always say with fire the 5 things that make it what it is are: heat from the flames, sound of the flames, weight of the poi, smell of the fuel, and blinding circles of light!

astonSILVER Member
Unofficial Chairperson of Squirrel Defense League
4,061 posts
Location: South Africa


Posted:
My first burn was largely impulsive, a guy had fire poi at a climbing meet and I asked if I could try. He asked how long I had been spinning and on hearing that I had been spinning a fair amount for about 6 months, he let me have a go.

In a way, this was a good thing: because I was not planning it beforehand, I had no real time to be scared. Because I was "intruding" on someone else, there was a safety and everything ready. I was telling the truth when I said that I had been spinning for 6 months and knew all the basics (a few weaves, butterfly and a few variations). I knew my limits.

I did nothing overly interesting, but the audience were not spinners, so I still got a few cheers.

And, something else I attribute, I felt like it. I wanted to try something new with poi, and fire was a logical step, because since then, I have really not looked back.

More than a year later, I still have a real drive to learn new tricks and transitions. I spin fire quite often now, but it still gives me a thrill every time.

So, if you feel that you are ready, and if you know the basics, give it a go.

'We're all mad here. I'm mad, you're mad." [said the Cat.]
"How do you know I'm mad?" said Alice.
"You must be," said the Cat, "Or you wouldn't have come here."
- Lewis Carroll, Alice's Adventures In Wonderland


SkattoGOLD Member
Walking on whims...
687 posts
Location: Eastbourne, UK


Posted:
My first burn was, conveniently, on a beach (so there was somewhere to jump into if I set myself ablaze! ubblol) with someone else who spinned fire. I could already spin a bit unlit, and we had just finished some non-circus related performance. He suddenly produced a pair of fire poi, gave them a twirl, and asked if I wanted to try them out (knowing I could spin poi already of course). They were pretty small wicks, so it was less scary then I first imagined.

Then I bought my own, with big fat wicks, and it all led on from there... biggrin

Skatto

"Fly like a mouse,
Run like a cushion,
Be the small bookcase."

For goodness sake, don't aggravate the otters!!!



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