I Learned the Basic “3-Beat Weave” with Poi in 15 Minutes
The Rhythm of the Figure-Eight
I was mesmerized by the flowing, beautiful patterns of poi spinning. It looked incredibly complex. A performer at a festival showed me the secret. The foundational move, the “3-beat weave,” is just a simple rhythm. You swing one poi forward, and as it reaches the bottom, you swing the other one forward. Your hands trace a figure-eight pattern in front of you. I just focused on that simple rhythm—right, left, right, left—and within 15 minutes, I was doing the most fundamental and beautiful move in poi.
How to Build Your Own Practice Poi for $5
The Tennis Ball and the Tube Sock
I wanted to learn poi but didn’t want to spend money on a fancy set. I made my own perfect practice set for under $5. I went to the dollar store and bought a pair of knee-high tube socks and two tennis balls. I just dropped a tennis ball into the toe of each sock. That’s it. The sock is the tether, and the ball is the weight. They are soft, so you don’t hurt yourself (which you will), and they are the perfect weight and length for learning all the basic moves.
The Easiest Hula Hoop Trick That Looks Amazing
The “Vortex” is Your Friend
I wanted to do more with my hula hoop than just waist-hooping. I learned the “Vortex.” It’s a simple trick where you let the hoop travel up your body from your waist, up your chest, and then you pop it up into the air and catch it. The secret is to start pulsing your chest forward and back to push the hoop upwards. It’s an easy, flowy, and impressive-looking move that is the gateway to a huge number of more advanced, off-body tricks.
The Secret to “Flowing” and Not Just Doing Tricks
The Dance in the In-Between
I had learned a few poi tricks, but I was just executing them one after another in a stiff, robotic way. I wasn’t “flowing.” The secret, I learned, was to focus on the “in-between” moments. Instead of just doing a trick, I started to focus on the transition between the tricks. I started moving my feet, dancing to the music, and letting the poi just swing in a simple pattern between the complex moves. The flow is not in the tricks; it’s in the dance that connects them.
I Tried LED Poi for the First time and It Was Magical
Painting with Light
I had been practicing with my homemade sock poi for months. I decided to buy a cheap set of LED poi and try them at night for the first time. The experience was breathtaking. I was no longer just swinging weights; I was painting with light. The beautiful trails of color that the poi left in the air were mesmerizing. It gave me a whole new appreciation for the art form and the beautiful, geometric patterns I was creating.
The Most Common Poi Mistake That Hits You in the Face
The Curse of the Same-Time Weave
When I was learning the weave, I would constantly hit myself in the face. The problem was that my poi were spinning at the same time, like a jump rope. I learned that for a proper weave, the poi need to be in “split time,” meaning one poi is at the top of its swing while the other is at the bottom. By starting the poi in this alternating rhythm, they will never be in the same place at the same time, and you will save yourself a lot of painful smacks to the head.
How to Do a “Contact Staff” Roll Over Your Arm
The Center Point is Everything
I was fascinated by contact staff, where the staff rolls over your body without being held. I tried to roll it over my arm, and it would just fall off. The secret is to find the exact center point of the staff and to focus on that point. You give the staff a gentle push, and you move your arm and body under the center point, always keeping it balanced. You are not rolling the staff over your arm; you are moving your arm under the rolling staff.
The Best Music for Getting into a Flow State
The Mid-Tempo Beat
I found that the right music was essential for getting into a “flow state” with my poi. I tried fast-paced electronic music, but it made me rush and get sloppy. I tried slow, ambient music, but it didn’t have enough energy. The perfect music I found was mid-tempo, electronic, or world music with a steady, hypnotic beat. A good, consistent rhythm is the key. It allows you to sync your movements to the music and to turn off your thinking brain, which is when the real flow happens.
I Joined a “Flow Jam” in a Park and Met an Amazing Community
The Circle of Light
I had been practicing poi by myself in my backyard. I heard about a weekly “flow jam” at a local park. I was nervous, but I went. It was a beautiful scene of people of all ages and skill levels, all playing with different props—hoops, staves, poi. There was no judgment, only a shared love for the art of movement. Someone showed me a new trick, I showed someone else a trick I knew, and we all just shared in the joy of creating light and motion together.
The Crossover Between Juggling and Flow Arts
The Prop is an Extension of the Body
I had a background in juggling, and I found that it gave me a huge advantage in learning flow arts like poi and staff. Juggling teaches you about object manipulation, timing, and the patterns of movement in space. Flow arts takes these concepts and attaches the prop to you. A juggling ball is a separate object. A poi is an extension of your hand. It’s a beautiful evolution from manipulating an object to dancing with it.