Forums > Social Chat > are thereany fire club swinger or is it just poi?

Posted: 11th Jan 2002
tips? parctice b4 u try fire.im thinking of starting clubs. could u point me in the direction of any good books on the subject? i believe many of the moves are similar to poi. hopefully that will make everything alot easier for both u and me!------------------Flame on!

May your staff spin fast and your poi always miss your balls.

Posted: 11th Jan 2002
Ooh, ooh, me too! I just started swinging clubs and I want to learn more, too!-S

Laugh, and the world laughs with you. Cry, and the world laughs at you. It's your choi

Posted: 11th Jan 2002
I started off swinging clubs and got into poi instead cos of wrist problems. Good books - the one by Anna Jillings/Semlyn, if you can find it, is very good. Club swinging is very similar to poi but more grip based.*waves*dott.

Posted: 12th Jan 2002
Hi Litre, I've been learning clubs for a few months now, and I think you will find that heaps of club moves (fountain, weave etc) are similar to poi, and many can be adapted to staff as well. I don't think you will have any trouble adapting to poi, just check out the poi-lessons on this site and practice. For poiers taking up clubs there are some excellent posts on the board, so do a search. The definitive book on Indian clubs was written by William Jackson Schatz and was published in 1908. Re-prints are still available, but it's a extremely demanding read. Anna Jillings/Semlyn produced a modern book on club swinging but it's now out of print, although you can get photo copies and a bit of basic info from her site. https://www.semlyen.net/cosmosjugglers/welcome.htmNow,
it seems to be taking me forever to get the ring grip working properly. I can get the wrist action, but I find it difficult to get my finger to close over my thumb to form the ring, as recommended. Has anyone got any tips on grips, or does it just take a lot of practice to get the used to these grips? Clubs rule

If we as members of the human race practice meditation, we can transcend our fear, despair, and forgetfulness. Meditation is not an escape. It is the courage to look at reality with mindfulness and concentration. Thich Nhat Hanh

Posted: 13th Jan 2002
Hello fellow club-swingers,Our troupe does club-swinging in addition to chains... while club-swinging is more demanding to learn because of the grip and weight issues, it is a more rewarding and versatile tool in a lot of ways too. Immediate changes of direction, being able to stop instantly, and 'snakes' (a club swinging move) are amongst the advantages of clubs over chains.The grip thing just takes time, in our experience. Switching between the two basic grips is totally essential to master the technique. And finding the balance between gripping loosely enough for the club to move in your hand but not so loosely that your tool goes flying is a delicate balance. One of the original Flying Karamozof Brothers (Fydor Karamozof) taught our troupe club-swinging so maybe we just had a good teacher...We are going to start teaching Indian clubs along with our normal chain classes... we'll see how all our newbies do with it. Some people don't like it and prefer chains for this reason or other... it's just nice to do both because the jugglers respect us more! And if you can't perform with fire at a venue for some reason, Dube's juggling machetes can also be used for club-swinging. Quite an exciting presentation if you ask me! Those things look vicious!www.dube.com - click on 'online catalogue' then click on 'knives'.good luck!CharlyThe Cabiriwww.cabiri.org

Posted: 14th Jan 2002
Hi Charly, great comments. Do troupe members perform snakes with fire? Those knives look wicked, but I don't think I will try em until I'm sure one won't, err, accidentally slip out of my hand. I also remember reading a post about some awesome Fijians swinging machetes dipped in shellite (white gas). For learning, I suggest getting practice clubs. I got mine from Juggleart for A$15 each. https://www.juggleart.com/welcome.shtml
They are balanced, white and made of plastic. They are great for learning because they are durable, and being a cross between a swinging club (round knob on the end) and a juggling club (flat knob on the end) you can lean how to juggle at the same time you lean to swing. I was also wondering (if you understand the question) with the forward hip spiral (not the draw spiral) if do you do a full circle in front and behind, or is more like a half circle? Thanks

If we as members of the human race practice meditation, we can transcend our fear, despair, and forgetfulness. Meditation is not an escape. It is the courage to look at reality with mindfulness and concentration. Thich Nhat Hanh

Posted: 14th Jan 2002
Im interested - but, since reading your posts, i may have a problem.I suffer from RSI and with minimal movements, my fingers really hurt and stiffen. Would club swinging require a grip that would agrevate this? i have no problems with poi but then, they way i use it, the handle holds me!

Posted: 14th Jan 2002
Hi Firefairy, I'm not sure how to answer your Q. Indian clubs involve a lot of wrist work, but you also use your fingers a bit as well. I will try to explain some club grips and hope it gives you a better idea of the stresses involved. There are a four common grips. The first consists of holding the club in a "shake-hands" type grip, and is used for large circles and stuff. The second is the "ball-and-socket" grip, where your fingers remain relatively straight, and the "ball" of the club fits inside the open area in your palm. The palm follow the direction of the club i.e. club facing down, palm facing down. The third grip is the "ring grip" where the club is essentially held between thumb and index finger. I find this one difficult because the wrist is flexed, and when the club is facing down your palms should be facing up, like towards the ceiling. The fourth grip is the snake grip and I suggest you check out Anna Jillings/Semlyn's site (link above) and look up snakes in library. Not sure if any of this helps, but good luck. Btw, Adam Rice makes poi hand harnesses and stuff that offer extra support, and may be worth investigating https://crossroads.net/fire-gear/Charly,
look forward to hearing how the Indian club training workshops go. Are you planning a training video? An Indian club workshop at the meet-up next year in NZ may also be a good idea. You said your troupe learnt Indian clubs from Fydor Karamozof, which made me wonder who taught the Flying Karamozof Brothers or is that a dumb question?

If we as members of the human race practice meditation, we can transcend our fear, despair, and forgetfulness. Meditation is not an escape. It is the courage to look at reality with mindfulness and concentration. Thich Nhat Hanh