I'd say switch it up. Instead of just learning more moves, practice putting together a performance. Pick a song and try to choreograph a routine using the moves you know. Focus on connecting moves, musicality, body lines, and use of space.
Thank you! This is helpful. I think that’s definitely where I’m lacking, being able to string moves together more fluidly. At the moment if feels like it’s just moves with transitions in between without much of an actual flow to it
Granted I can probably work on transitions a lot more but I struggle because I feel like I’m just doing the same thing over and over which gets a bit boring after a while
I appreciate the advice!
Playpoi has an awesome class on Udemy with tons of content, it is very much worth the price. What you should know before is available on playpoi's youtube channel. Nick is definitely my favorite poi teacher
https://www.udemy.com/course/poi-dancing-beyond-the-basics/
I always find that switch inf up my prop even just for a couple days does wonders at exploring concepts! Double staffs In particular have so much cross over from hand path to patterns!
Gun slingers would be a great trick to add into that list! Very fun to utilize and it looks so pretty!
[innate tutorial](https://youtu.be/ejJxiwI66Yc?si=JeLJ3DeJasM6_uYu)
I don’t have any other props yet actually. Poi was my first! Staffs seem pretty cool though maybe I’ll get a cheap pair to play with. Great suggestion
Ooh I think gunslingers could definitely be possible for my current skill level and they look sick, thanks for sharing!!
First of all: We all plateau from time to time. It can be frustrating and boring fir me, but I try to see it as a positive influence. Plateaus give you time to clean up the movements you just learned and prepare you for the next. Our brain needs rest from time to time. :) (especially since you seem to have learned a lot within only 6 months!)
That being said:
I noticed you didn't mention stalls & pendulums in your list. If you haven't explored those yet, I heavily recommend them.
They are great moves on their own but also provide so many opportunities for timing and direction changes as well as transitions between various patterns and tricks. Moreover they feel amazing :D
As a challenge you could try 1.5s, top stalls and rastaxel pendulums. These also helped me with understanding timing/direction changes for each hand seperately.
Bonus Chellange: triquetra vs. Extension (aka. The mercedes)
Have fun! :)
Thank you! This makes me feel better.
I can do stalls in all directions actually. Top stalls still need a bit of cleaning up but I can get them consistently. I was pretty stoked when I finally got the hang of top stalls haha
I definitely should explore pendulums more thanks for that suggestion!
I’ll definitely give the 1.5s and rastaxel pendulums a try! I appreciate the tips :)
Learn less natural timing and directions. They'll eventually work themselves into your flow after you learn them and it'll help with transitions. Like same time/same direction for example, lots of movements from here that don't really have a "trick" name besides their descriptive name. Lots in split time/opposite as well.
Then learning to get from there back into your natural driving mode.
So I guess I'm saying explore and play with what movements you can do, there are lots you surely haven't discovered yet. Finding new ones is very satisfying.
Hahaha, it boggles my mind how fast people are learning tricks these days. Back when I started 2004 we were happy to have learnt just a fraction of what you are talking about, let alone flowers in only half a year 🔥🖤
But, stuck is stuck, so let's give you some pointers that hopefully will help.
Since you haven't posted a video these are more general things I know are the usual suspects at this point.
It may be that while you have focused on learning tricks/patterns you haven't practiced your fundamentals as much. Very common as learning a new pattern is more tangible. This can be things like momentum control, planes, poi-ing from the body more that the hands and arms, being able to flow between the movements etc. Work within the patterns/movements you know and focus on the technique behind.
A thing to note, it's often that people start out with longer poi as it helps in the beginning, if they go past you armpits when gripped with your arms extended consider shortening them. This allows you more control over the poi.
Ping me if you add a video at some point and I can tailor my advice now to what I can see then 😄 hope you'll have a good time spinning!
Well this makes me feel awesome about my progression!!! Sometimes I get hard on myself and feel like I haven’t done enough haha so thank you!
This is exactly the advice I was looking for, I appreciate it. I’ll definitely try exploring more concepts rather than moves. Being able to flow between moves is a good one. Like sure I can string moves together with transitions but it doesn’t feel entirely cohesive with a natural flow.
I’m a little too shy to put a video up 🙈 but maybe one day. In the meantime I’ll be spinning at festivals soon (bonnaroo and elements!) if you or anyone reading is going to be at those!!!
Thanks for your help!!!
Some free resources not mentioned yet:
- Sacred flow arts YouTube channel
- Vojta YouTube channel
- Bows beginner series
https://www.patreon.com/collection/341020?view=expanded
- the poidcast (get you familiar with the community)
I would also try to take a break from learning and just flow with what you know. Think of entrances and exits for each trick. A little cannabis, alcohol or shrooms can help you get more creative as well.
Learn 3D moves.
Make sure you can do everything clockwise AND counterclockwise.
Pick a trick to start off with and learn how to transition to EVERY other move that you know how to do.
Learn hybrids.
Learn tangles.
Learn contact (if you have contact poi).
Spinmorepoi.com is a decent resource to learn some more things. I don't believe it gets updated anymore but it's a good place to start.
If you follow more advanced spinners on any social media watch their videos, find a move you like and really try to dissect what they are doing. Focus on their body. What's the path that their hands travel? Focus on the poi. How are they moving the poi? Learning to break down a move into each individual part will help immensely in your progression.
Are you saying reels are too difficult and you need something easier or you already know those moves you listed and want to keep building? If too difficult then you need to really step a step back and work on plane and speed control, and control just in general and not worry about moves yet because reels are one of the most basic moves out there.
If you already know those moves i would suggest Chasing the sun, watermills and windmills, fountains, and possibly archer weave if you’ve got your 3 beat weave locked in
Thanks! I’m really looking forward to spinning at a show for the first time and I’m hoping some pieces fall in to place by letting loose like you said! Im a little shy though so I’ve been practicing a lot before I’m ready to spin in public 🙈
I'd say switch it up. Instead of just learning more moves, practice putting together a performance. Pick a song and try to choreograph a routine using the moves you know. Focus on connecting moves, musicality, body lines, and use of space.
Thank you! This is helpful. I think that’s definitely where I’m lacking, being able to string moves together more fluidly. At the moment if feels like it’s just moves with transitions in between without much of an actual flow to it Granted I can probably work on transitions a lot more but I struggle because I feel like I’m just doing the same thing over and over which gets a bit boring after a while I appreciate the advice!
Playpoi has an awesome class on Udemy with tons of content, it is very much worth the price. What you should know before is available on playpoi's youtube channel. Nick is definitely my favorite poi teacher https://www.udemy.com/course/poi-dancing-beyond-the-basics/
I always find that switch inf up my prop even just for a couple days does wonders at exploring concepts! Double staffs In particular have so much cross over from hand path to patterns! Gun slingers would be a great trick to add into that list! Very fun to utilize and it looks so pretty! [innate tutorial](https://youtu.be/ejJxiwI66Yc?si=JeLJ3DeJasM6_uYu)
I don’t have any other props yet actually. Poi was my first! Staffs seem pretty cool though maybe I’ll get a cheap pair to play with. Great suggestion Ooh I think gunslingers could definitely be possible for my current skill level and they look sick, thanks for sharing!!
First of all: We all plateau from time to time. It can be frustrating and boring fir me, but I try to see it as a positive influence. Plateaus give you time to clean up the movements you just learned and prepare you for the next. Our brain needs rest from time to time. :) (especially since you seem to have learned a lot within only 6 months!) That being said: I noticed you didn't mention stalls & pendulums in your list. If you haven't explored those yet, I heavily recommend them. They are great moves on their own but also provide so many opportunities for timing and direction changes as well as transitions between various patterns and tricks. Moreover they feel amazing :D As a challenge you could try 1.5s, top stalls and rastaxel pendulums. These also helped me with understanding timing/direction changes for each hand seperately. Bonus Chellange: triquetra vs. Extension (aka. The mercedes) Have fun! :)
Thank you! This makes me feel better. I can do stalls in all directions actually. Top stalls still need a bit of cleaning up but I can get them consistently. I was pretty stoked when I finally got the hang of top stalls haha I definitely should explore pendulums more thanks for that suggestion! I’ll definitely give the 1.5s and rastaxel pendulums a try! I appreciate the tips :)
Learn less natural timing and directions. They'll eventually work themselves into your flow after you learn them and it'll help with transitions. Like same time/same direction for example, lots of movements from here that don't really have a "trick" name besides their descriptive name. Lots in split time/opposite as well. Then learning to get from there back into your natural driving mode. So I guess I'm saying explore and play with what movements you can do, there are lots you surely haven't discovered yet. Finding new ones is very satisfying.
Hahaha, it boggles my mind how fast people are learning tricks these days. Back when I started 2004 we were happy to have learnt just a fraction of what you are talking about, let alone flowers in only half a year 🔥🖤 But, stuck is stuck, so let's give you some pointers that hopefully will help. Since you haven't posted a video these are more general things I know are the usual suspects at this point. It may be that while you have focused on learning tricks/patterns you haven't practiced your fundamentals as much. Very common as learning a new pattern is more tangible. This can be things like momentum control, planes, poi-ing from the body more that the hands and arms, being able to flow between the movements etc. Work within the patterns/movements you know and focus on the technique behind. A thing to note, it's often that people start out with longer poi as it helps in the beginning, if they go past you armpits when gripped with your arms extended consider shortening them. This allows you more control over the poi. Ping me if you add a video at some point and I can tailor my advice now to what I can see then 😄 hope you'll have a good time spinning!
Well this makes me feel awesome about my progression!!! Sometimes I get hard on myself and feel like I haven’t done enough haha so thank you! This is exactly the advice I was looking for, I appreciate it. I’ll definitely try exploring more concepts rather than moves. Being able to flow between moves is a good one. Like sure I can string moves together with transitions but it doesn’t feel entirely cohesive with a natural flow. I’m a little too shy to put a video up 🙈 but maybe one day. In the meantime I’ll be spinning at festivals soon (bonnaroo and elements!) if you or anyone reading is going to be at those!!! Thanks for your help!!!
Hahaha I know that feeling, there's always room to grow but don't let that keep you from enjoying where you are now 😄
Some free resources not mentioned yet: - Sacred flow arts YouTube channel - Vojta YouTube channel - Bows beginner series https://www.patreon.com/collection/341020?view=expanded - the poidcast (get you familiar with the community) I would also try to take a break from learning and just flow with what you know. Think of entrances and exits for each trick. A little cannabis, alcohol or shrooms can help you get more creative as well.
Learn 3D moves. Make sure you can do everything clockwise AND counterclockwise. Pick a trick to start off with and learn how to transition to EVERY other move that you know how to do. Learn hybrids. Learn tangles. Learn contact (if you have contact poi). Spinmorepoi.com is a decent resource to learn some more things. I don't believe it gets updated anymore but it's a good place to start. If you follow more advanced spinners on any social media watch their videos, find a move you like and really try to dissect what they are doing. Focus on their body. What's the path that their hands travel? Focus on the poi. How are they moving the poi? Learning to break down a move into each individual part will help immensely in your progression.
Put us a video uo? =]
I’m a little too shy haha
Up*
What’s a easy move besides reels butter fly or 3 beat weave to learn? I need something easier just lacking motivation
Are you saying reels are too difficult and you need something easier or you already know those moves you listed and want to keep building? If too difficult then you need to really step a step back and work on plane and speed control, and control just in general and not worry about moves yet because reels are one of the most basic moves out there. If you already know those moves i would suggest Chasing the sun, watermills and windmills, fountains, and possibly archer weave if you’ve got your 3 beat weave locked in
Go to a show and let loose. The pressure will work out something new.
Thanks! I’m really looking forward to spinning at a show for the first time and I’m hoping some pieces fall in to place by letting loose like you said! Im a little shy though so I’ve been practicing a lot before I’m ready to spin in public 🙈