Dyspraxia-Friendly Instructions

Miranda · Joined: 07 Sep 2007 Posts: 71 Location: Surrey

Hi...
Just being awkward here, but I am severely dyspraxic, and trying hard to learn poi... it took me 4 months to learn a 3 beat weave >_<
I can also almost do butterfly... just co-ordinating it a little better.
I was wondering if anyone could possibly help me with instructions on how to do some other basic moves that don't include left and right, or videos (which I can't translate to real life)
I know this is an odd one, but I practice really hard - 2 to 3 hours a day, and would love some help in actually improving
Thanks
Miranda

ajclarke · Posted: Fri 07th Sep, 2007 4:34 pm Post subject:

Hi. I would be glad to try and help you but im off away for the weekend. If no one has answered you when I get back iull have a go. Though how im not sure.

Psychotic or Xan may be good at this sort of thing, im sure one of them will post anything if they think of a way to do it Smile

Miranda · Joined: 07 Sep 2007 Posts: 71 Location: Surrey

Thank you very much Smile

I came here rather as a last resort as I seem completely unable to understand any instructions I have so far found.

Invader_Xan · Joined: 02 May 2007 Posts: 540 Location: In Space

Oh, you poor thing. hug

Much respect for being so enthusiastic! It's not awkward at all, I assure you! That's why I want to help you if I can... Very Happy

I'm sure it's just about finding your own way to learn. It's probably best not to try and learn the way everyone else does, because you may end up getting frustrated...

First -- you're in Surrey? If I were you, I'd try and meet some local spinners, because there's no better way to learn these things than to watch someone perform right in front of you! Incidentally, if ever you're in Nottingham, feel free to give me a shout. Smile

Ok, so, I don't know much about dyspraxia, but unless I'm mistaken it'll probably be about gradually building up the right muscle movements. Once you work them into your muscle memory, you should find it a lot easier. Plus, on a random note, a doctor friend once told me -- juggling and similar skills are one of the few ways an adult brain can form new pathways. Wink

So try this... Firstly, put down your poi and shake out your shoulders. Relax off and stand comfortably (feet shoulder width apart). Practice stretching your arms out. Out to the sides, one in front and one behind Forget about left and right, because it doesn't matter! Just remember that whatever excercise you do with one, do the same with the other. Smile

After you've stretched a bit, try moving your arms (still fully extended) in slow circles. Just get used to how it feels. Try one way, then the other. Try closing your eyes.
When you're comfy with it, try spinning your poi and doing the same thing -- first stretching your arms out, then moving them in circles (don't worry about the timing for now -- you can work on that later Wink

).

When you get the hang of it, you'll be doing "flowers" (honestly, one of the most impressive tricks to non-spinners). Then I'd suggest playing with those, and finding your own style. Music helps. Smile

If anything I've said is unclear, or you need to ask anything else, please don't be afraid to ask.
Good luck! Very Happy

Miranda · Joined: 07 Sep 2007 Posts: 71 Location: Surrey

I feel awkward, joining a forum for people who can actually do poi, then requesting idiot-proof instructions for tricks that most people master in their first day.
I have got frustrated many times at instructions, even the nice ones here, because they just don't read into my rather confused brain.

I am in Surrey, have posted in the UK Spinners forum in a thread that seems to cover my area, and am just hanging around. I have some (Quaker) friends who are spinners, namely the amazing Huw, and I may see them next summer... Meanwhile, Surrey spinners could be useful.

You are not in the least bit mistaken about your dyspraxia knowledge, I am highly impressed Smile

I do need to get it into my muscle memory, as my brain cannot remember movements effectively.

And indeed, juggling and similar skills are good for building pathways, I was recommended juggling for my dyspraxia but after breaking my nose (again) whilst juggling and concentrating so hard I fell over, I decided to drop it. I came to poi of my own accord though.

Now we shall see what happens when my diligent practice is put to effect with instructions I can follow - e.g. not ones that are overly confusing, in multiple dimensions, and that seem to require superhuman skills to simply envisage...
*turns laptop round and balances it by window*
Okay... idiot here still can't grasp it. I am asking youtube for a video, in the hopes that I can put video and instructions together...
Ahh, I see... I thought it must be that I wasn't grasping your instructions, I certainly did... you simply move your arms round in small circles whilst waving them around, with the poi going round as well...
Sounds simple enough... my (many times broken) nose disagrees, as do all the rest of the parts of my body that fall victim when i start on a new trick.

I have friends at both Nottingham and Nottingham Trent Uni, so it isn't inconceivable that I might end up there sometime... if I am headed that way I shall certainly aim to meet up for a spin with you.

Thank you very much for making flowers approachable... they are my goal for the weekend now.
Just being cheeky here, but if ever you had the urge to write out any other tricks, I would be grateful. No hurry though - flowers is work enough for now :D
Thanks again Xan

Miranda

Invader_Xan · Joined: 02 May 2007 Posts: 540 Location: In Space

Oh, it's not cheeky at all! Anything you need help with, I'll be happy to try and make it easy for you to grasp. I can only imagine how frustrating it must be, but I'm sure you can learn anything you want if you know how to go about it. Smile

And this forum (as with many others) is also for people who can't do poi. Never be afraid to ask. Smile

Please don't feel awkward. There's no pressure. Just learn at your own speed, and feel free to ask for advice if you get stuck.

In fact, here are a few tips that might help you...

Practice without Poi
You might feel silly, but I still do this (and I've been poiing for years). Drop your poi, and just practice the hand movements alone. It helps more than you might realise.
Practice with one poi only
Just one is much easier to learn with when doing something you find difficult. Try one hand, then the other. Pay attention to how the moves feel, and try to remember it.
Slow down!
Learn how to control your speed and spin more slowly. It takes a while, but this act alone can help improve your motor control. I'm sure your nose will thank you too!
Think about it
Martial artists call it "inner mind training", and doctors have shown that thinking about physical things actually helps you learn. After you practice, sit down and try and remember what you've just been practicing. It may be tricky for you, but it might do you a world of good.
Simplicity, not complexity
There really are two kinds of move... Simple and flowy (like flowers), or complex and technical (like 5-beat weaves). For now, I'd advise you to go for the simple kind. They can be just as good (actually, they can look much more impressive), and after a while, they'll probably do your motor skills a world of good. Plus, then you can focus on learning the movements without having to worry about things like timings or left/right handedness.

Incidentally... By a bizarre coincidence, a very good friend of mine is actually a clinical neurologist at a London hospital -- as well as a long time spinning buddy of mine (it's the two of us in this video, which also features some nice basic flowers if you need some inspiration Smile

). I'll give him a call sometime and see if he can offer any advice. Wink

Hope I've been some help! hug

Miranda · Joined: 07 Sep 2007 Posts: 71 Location: Surrey

You have been far more than some help Xan, I don't know what I expected from that first post, but it definitely wasn't anything like the clarity of response I got from you so thank you very much!
It is frustrating, yes, but less so now, when I can understand what to, and how to learn.
I will never be good at Poi, I can't co-ordinate myself to play catch, write legibly, stand on one leg, or walk in a straight line, but it'll be nice to make them look semi-respectable Smile

I am in the process of cracking Flowers... one good thing about it being that even I can't entangle my poi whilst doing it, so although I shall end up rather bruised, it is quicker to learn this way.

Thank you for not minding my crapness, I shall improve.
Your tips:
What else could I do in boring lessons in college than practice the 3-beat-weave (without poi obviously)? I practice poi free a lot, it generally takes at least a week of me standing in the garden waving my arms about like a loon before I am ready to try new tricks.
I also practice with just one poi a lot, because it enables me to learn things without tangling up my arms too fast, and to work on left arm dexterity / right arm strength as needed.
My nose shall indeed thank me if I ever learn to slow down, it is most fragile, and I believe it has a rather anti-poi stance currently.
I find the poi harder to keep moving correctly if I slow them down too much though, i am trying to find an optimim speed at the moment.
Thinking about it is next to impossible to me. Right now I can't think how to do a 3-beat-weave, but I know if I pick up the poi my wrists should remember. I should probably work on that one a lot more.
Your final point is glaringly obvious, so how come I never worked it out for myself?
5 beat weaves and I don't mix... technical and I don't mix either, so I shall in future stick to simpler, flowier moves and in a few years time, when I am more used to it, I shall up the difficulty level.

The coincidence is indeed bizarre... Smile

I am currently waiting for your video to play itself once through, because my theory is that the second time round it won't stop and start as much... but the glimpses I have caught have been amazing, I love fire poi. Roll on summertime!

ETA: I have seen the video and it is completely amazing *raves*...
I love fire poi, staff, juggling etc, and it looked wonderful. Thanks for linking me to it.

You have been so much help, I am amazed! Really...
I am beginning to think that poi is an achievable aim, not a variation on physical torture (my noses opinion) Thanks again hug

Invader_Xan · Joined: 02 May 2007 Posts: 540 Location: In Space

Miranda · Joined: 07 Sep 2007 Posts: 71 Location: Surrey

Thanks again....
Maybe never-never, I am hoping to incorporate poi into my college timetable as an hour a day, learning support... They are a bit like juggling, recommended for dyspraxics, so there's a chance Smile

Weaving without poi really helps, and it massively increases the time i can work on my poi too.

I shall go on a video trawl tomorrow, when I am not supposed to be sleeping, thanks for the link / tips.

I will post here proudly when I get 'flowers', and ask for instructions on the next then...
Until then, if you see a ginger girl wandering around moving her arms in circles, it's probably me practicing flowers Smile

Go1die · Joined: 08 Feb 2007 Posts: 30

He's a good little helper isn't he Miranda!

Xan u rock noch cooler

Invader_Xan · Joined: 02 May 2007 Posts: 540 Location: In Space

Miranda · Joined: 07 Sep 2007 Posts: 71 Location: Surrey

*agrees with Go1die*

ickle_kayleigh · Joined: 07 Sep 2007 Posts: 32 Location: leicestershire

how are the flowers coming along? Smile

Miranda · Joined: 07 Sep 2007 Posts: 71 Location: Surrey

Rather painfully... I have 3 massive bruises... a sore head (where I walked into a washing line whilst practising), a sprained ankle (I fell off our garden wall - our garden is on a higher level than the path, by about a metre, and I fell off the garden bit) and a swollen elbow (fight with the hedge)...
Still, I think I am getting there (depending on whether I am actually doing the right thing or not)
I can't wait to have it cracked :D

ickle_kayleigh · Joined: 07 Sep 2007 Posts: 32 Location: leicestershire

well that all sounds very painful schauen

i am sure that you will get there in the end though Smile

i have not tried to do the flowers yet but i will hopefully try them once i have figured out were i keep going wrong on my self and stop trying to knock myself out with my day chains lol (i am getting a headache) Wink

	Poi Spinning Discussion Forums Forum Index -> Help with Moves	All times are GMT Goto page 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9 Next
Page 1 of 9