The Official HOP "I just learned a new move" thread

I suggest while getting ur 2-3bt weaves, learning all your reels. Your low and high turns, turning with them. And also turning with reels is nice. Learn flowers as early as possible because it opens up freedom of movement around your body which helps a ton in learning new things and is just very important to learn. And I didn't do this, but take it from me, learn your flowers in both directions early on or it bites you later.

yea i got all the reels down they not perfect but alright i can turn with them and stuff i've been practicing a lot of 360 turns both directions just to gain a little freedom with my movements.
Also i've been playing with flowers but i havent really practice them yet and thank you for your advice im learning everything by myself pretty much so it kinda sucks and advise from experienced people always a very good help

I just realized that I've been able to do the windmill for weeks and had no idea. lol.

Can someone tell me where I can get VIDEOS that teach the moves... close up enough to see and slow enough to catch??? All the viideos I see on youtube suck! Oh and.... I've begun with glow balls....they seem long and hard to control....any suggestions?

IMO, Derek's videos on this site and on YouTube are about as good as it gets. Nick Cann's videos are also pretty good for being able to see the motion. The only thing better is being able to spin with other people.

gypsylotus: Glow balls tend to be really light, I would suggest adding weight to them if you can. Otherwise, you can make a decent pair of poi out of a pair of socks and some rice.

Everyone one says to use 1/2 cup of rice and that worked great when I was just starting but I now find that to be way too light, I'd say try a full cup.

I've always learned the best from Nick Woolsey's videos. But he doesn't have everything so for other think I almost always look at Derek's videos.

I found Nathaniel Everist's YT vids helpful when I was starting - he does a fair bit of beginner stuff, and that was before meenick had his beginner stuff up.

eta: for some of the more complicated stuff I capture the video then play it back slowed up. A DVD would be easier but apart from the HOP one all the DVDs I'm aware of are intermediate or above.

Nick Woolsey's videos helped me a lot with basics, he explains really good and hes method of teaching is amazing.
but it takes a lot of practice to learn from videos and when you dont have anyone there to show you how to do it

I just got the reverse 3 beat Now, gotta work on turning with the weave and linking the weave more smoothly with other moves.

Nonsense, as someone that taught themself how to poi from some videos and a lot working it out on my own, I must say that the best option is to work out how you learn best.

I learned best by breaking down the components and looking at WHY things worked.

The 3 beat has components with both hands on top, so I learned the 2 beat with right hand on top, 2 beat with left hand on top, then put it together for the 3 beat.

^^^I learned the same way. Other than linear isolations, I understood completely how they worked and the entire concept, but I still have no understanding WHY it works, or what physically causes it to do that. It still confounds me as it just doesn't click.

I just started Poi today actually. I bought a set at a festival a few days ago. I'm so super stoked. I started a few hours ago. I have a pretty extensive dance background and it reminds me a ton of Swing Dancing in ways. Here's what I got down today:

- Forward/Backward/Split-time Swinging
- Low and High turn
- Tuck turn
- Corkscrew

I can't wait until my arms and wrists are way comfortable with all these.

That's great for one day. And with an extensive dance background will help a lot when you get a handle of the basics.

well, day 5 and I gotta say best 5 days I've had in a long time, here's my list

-Basic Modes (forward/backwards/opposites same/split time)
-Turns of all shapes and sizes as well as turning with moves I know
-Corkscrew/windmill 2 and 4bt as well as the "matrix" variation
-2/3/5bt weaves forwards backwards and of course with turns
-stalls (all except horizontal coming down, still having trouble with them) and sorta got isolations
-air wraps
-SPIRAL WRAPS and I love them, just got it earlier today
-kinda have triquetras(think that's what they're called, 3 petal flowers), working on anti-spin and just unlocking freedom of movement
-basic tosses, one of the first things I learned and learned on my own, I'm finding I use em quite a bit
-possibly other stuff, but I must go help cook din-rar and I can't recall the others

its been fun, I'm looking forward to the future and any advice on improving flexibility is welcome

thanks everyone, I love the community

Thanks! I'm really excited about it all. I'm REEEEEALLLY confused about the low wave. Something is just really holding me back from going on.

I refuse to learn another move until I master the one I'm learning. The vidoe on here has a crazy angle.

Any suggestions?

Improving flexibility will come as you expand your range of motion and use that space often. Also, stretching after you warm up will help before practicing end of range motions so you don't injure yourself. And as you use them more, your shoulders will slowly become conditioned to those positions and it will be like your not even stretching a little.

At spin jam last night, I perfected turning with the 3bt, and mostly got spiral wraps (I can get them, but they need some work). Any advice on getting spiral wraps to unwrap? I was doing rather well with them last night and almost tried during my burn, but decided not to risk it.

Beside the standard me and my friend just made one up at of the blue, try playing paddy-cake while spinning the poi, it is truly some funny stuff, especially when it smacked it up side his head, post back under the paddy-cake forum im goin to make

fountain, buzzsaw plane split-time butterfly (so fun!). Suddenly the way poi move and how I have to move with them is just starting to click.

Transitioning between moves (without stalling) is still really bizarre to me though.