Curiosity, Experimentation, Exploration, and Joy will take you anywhere you want to go with poi. Lessons and friends can show you many patterns, but it is your own inquisitive mind that will lead you to the frontier.
It doesn't get more fun as you get better. The fun part is when things open up and you gain a new understanding into movement. That will never stop happening.
Develop each building block well, and you can build a castle. How did the Baobab Tree get so big? Slowly!
When you see others who you think are “better” than you, be inspired but don't compare. There will always be somebody who can do something better than you, because nobody can master everything. Also, being the "best" in any art form is often not that fun.
Just like music, it's easier to play poi freely within some simple structure and boundaries.
Structure also gives you context and helps you to map what you have learned already and what remains. Use these boundaries as stepping stones towards mastery.
What makes a great musician is not how fast they can play the notes, but the way they play them, and whether they have an artistic touch. Become clear about why you are playing poi and it will be easier to decide which skills and moves are worth practicing.
Do you play poi because you want to feel free?
Do you play poi because you want to be beautiful?
Do you play poi because you want to be graceful and coordinated?
Do you play poi because you want to impress your friends?
Do you play poi because because you love the community?
Answer these questions and you will spend even more time playing poi.
There is a growing, dynamic, global community of people sharing their love and knowledge of poi together. Engage with this community and you will find all the inspiration you will ever need. We encourage you to contribute to the goodwill to keep the vibrancy of community alive.
Thinking you can't do a move will usually prove true. Try nodding your head instead of shaking it. If you start getting frustrated, take a moment to smile and laugh out loud. Any move can be learned as long as you break it into small enough steps.
Regularly bring your attention to your breath, relax on an exhale, and then go back to practice. See how this frees your senses and perception and your relationship to them. You can't flow if you're tense and holding your breath!
We recommend using soft poi, spinning slowly, and hitting yourself in the face with the poi a lot. Also hit yourself in the arms, the chest, the shoulders, the back, the head, and the legs. Do this every time you practice and you will get over your fear of the poi.
Often it is the things that go “wrong” that open the best ideas... but you have to be prepared to see that. Instead of being frustrated with what didn't happen, look for what did happen. If you play with this attitude, your “mistakes” will become a great source of new ideas.
Often what you think your hands and poi are doing is NOT what your hands and poi are doing.
Use your reflection, your shadow, video, or friends for feedback, but don't let feedback become a crutch. Use it to develop your ability to sense your own movement.
Developing coordination is just like developing strength or flexibility. You will improve the fastest if you constantly challenge yourself just the right amount. If something feels too hard or too frustrating, it probably is! Break the move down and go back to the building blocks. The best spinners spend a lot of time playing with simple movements.
Observe, acknowledge, and practice your weaknesses. That’s where much of your potential resides!
Do this from the beginning and you will thank yourself later. If you're more comfortable in butterfly with the right poi on top, practice with the left on top until you catch up. If you always do windmill clockwise, go the other way!
You don't always need to understand a move to learn it. Sometimes you have to do it first, because doing it DEVELOPS the faculty for understanding it. Be willing to stand on the cliff of uncertainty... and JUMP!
If you try to “springboard” through a move to get to the end, the only part you are working with is the beginning. What if that’s not where the problem is? If the poi tangle, just watch them tangle. Maybe watch them tangle ten times in a row, without worrying about it. Once you understand what is actually happening, you are ready to change the results.
People often stop in the middle of performing a move perfectly, convinced they have done something wrong. Sometimes you have to do a move several times before you see and feel how it works. If you keep trying to follow through to the end, you will eventually figure it out.
We recommend using soft poi, spinning slowly, and hitting yourself in the face with the poi a lot. Also hit yourself in the arms, the chest, the shoulders, the back, the head, and the legs. Do this every time you practice and you will get over your fear of the poi.
Often what you think your hands and poi are doing is NOT what your hands and poi are doing.
Observe, acknowledge, and practice your weaknesses. That’s where much of your potential resides!