Introductory Poi Workshop

In this online poi spinning workshop we look at the following:

A Few Pointers; Holding the Poi; Common Sense Theory; Swinging; Swinging Theory; Basic Moves; Dancing with Poi.

Poi is where juggling meets dance. ENJOY and GOOD LUCK!

• A Few Pointers

There are several routes to success in poi, and they all involve lots of practice, lots of thinking and lots of co-ordination. The best thing you can do is learn the easy moves really well to begin with and then you'll be smooth and relaxed as the rest follows. Think of liquid-like, flowing movements, maintaining momentum, controlling your speed and you're on the way!

First you need to understand about the direction and positioning of your poi (this will help to prevent the odd knock to the head!!).

Poi is an excellent upper body workout for all ages, helping to develop control, flexibility and stamina. Poi offers fitness through pleasure. And it won't just be you enjoying yourself - poi is a beautiful spectator activity too!

• Holding the Poi

There's no definitive way to hold poi, but the most popular is this: with the palms of your hands facing upwards, hook your first 2 fingers through the loops of you poi. If your poi has only 1 loop, hook your middle finger through. This will allow smooth, easy swinging.

TOP TIP! Try to develop your swing using only the wrists and hands; the arms should be almost still.

• Common Sense Theory

People who teach poi come up with all sorts of analogies and metaphors, such as wheels, train tracks, and planes to help get directions and angles right. One way that we find especially useful is this:

Try to imagine you are inside a transparent cube. You are surrounded by four walls - one in front of you, one behind you and one either side of you. You also have the roof above you and the floor underneath. These walls form the "planes" in which your poi will move. If you keep this in mind at all times, it will help you to maintain the flow of your poi, getting patterns crisp and clean. Don't worry if you can't get your pathways exactly right to begin with - just keep visualising your cube and you will get there in the end.

• Swinging

Getting Started The first thing that beginners tend to do is grab hold of the poi, swing them around furiously, get them totally tangled up and nearly knock themselves out in the process. This is a useful process and can highlight some of the dangers. If you want to improve quickly, with fewer bruises, read on...

Top Tip: Swing Slowly, Learn Quickly

To swing poi naturally and well, you need to be aware of how they feel. As you swing, pay attention to how much pull their is from your poi. Try to keep the pull even and constant. A little push on the downswing should be enough to carry your poi overhead on the upswing.

Don't be embarrassed about repeating basic moves until they are well and truly in your body memory. This will give you the freedom to attempt more complicated moves and get them right quicker.

• Swinging Theory

Circles Poi spinning is all about circles. You can swing poi in 3 basic sizes of circles: 1. Hand or Wrist circles - Spin with the wrists only, keeping the arms still. 2. Elbow circles - Pivot at the elbow with the shoulders still. 3. Full arm circles - Full swing from the shoulders.

Positions for circles There are 2 basic positions for making circles in poi spinning: 1. Swinging the poi at your sides. (Remember that cube? - these are the side walls.) 2. Swinging the poi in front of you. (The front wall of your cube.)

Timing The 2 speeds that should be mastered early on for great poi spinning are equal time and split time: 1. Equal Time - this is when you spin both poi at the same time in parallel circles. 2. Split Time - this is when you spin the poi in opposite time, so they are at 180 degrees to each other.

Direction 1. Forwards poi spinning (the poi travel up behind you and down in front of you). 2. Backwards poi spinning (the poi travel up in front of you and down behind you). 3. Mixed directions (one poi travels forwards, the other backwards).

TOP TIP: Keep aware of Position, Timing and Direction of your poi at all times!

• Basic Moves

These are a few basic moves to get you started...

Try all moves using just one poi first. Your body will remember the motion for when you get to using both poi.

Remember - you need to practise almost all the moves in BOTH directions!! It is a challenge, but you will be a far better accomplished poi spinner if you make a point of doing this.

1. Hold both poi at your sides and swing them in equal time.

2. Hold both poi at your sides and swing them in split time.

3. Hold both poi at your sides and swing them in opposite directions.

4. The Butterfly: Swing both poi in front of you in equal time, but opposite directions, keeping your wrists close together. The poi should meet on the upswing and the downswing, making a neat circle in front of you. To make sure your poi don't clash, hold one wrist a couple of inches above the other. Try doing this move in both directions - a lot of people find they have a natural ease with one direction or the other.

5. The Cross-Over. This is where you swing the poi across from one side of the body to the other. Try it with just one poi to begin with. Swing your poi forwards on one side, then on the downswing, pass it in front of the body so that it starts swinging on the other side. When you want to pass it back again, pass it on the upswing. Once you've got an easy flow with both poi individually, try swinging both poi, crossing one slightly before the other.

• Dancing with Poi

The best thing about poi is that it really lends itself to dance. You don't need to know loads of fancy, complicated moves to look good dancing with poi. Play some of your favourite dancy music out into your garden and swing in time with the beats. You'll soon be finding new moves and combinations without even thinking about it! It's best to choose slower music for practising to start with (hardcore techno is not a good idea!!). As you carry on, you try experimenting with different tempos and rhythms, creating a whole repertoire of routines!

Well done! Your poi swinging has now taken on a whole new dimension!