Forums > Social Chat > tangle stress

Posted: 21st Aug 2001
I know exsactly what you are talking about and damn do those tangles suck. I don't tangle as bad as when I first started so a quick fix for me is usually just spinning them the opposite direction of when I tangled them. When I get a crazy knot and have to unwrap my hands, I get pretty pissed. If I do it a lot I set them down for a while cause if I don't I normally end up hitting myself. Anger spinning sucks. Picking them up later normally leads to me learning that move anyway. Just wanted you to know I share your pain.Eric

Its about talent, not make up or costumes.

Posted: 21st Aug 2001
In some situations it's easier to drop the handles, grab the poi head and pull out the tangle from there. Doesn't always work, but can alleviate some of the stress ade

Posted: 22nd Aug 2001
You can always change to cord or rope for practice poi or glowstick poi, they don't tangle as easily and when they do just stop and the untangle themselves. For fire poi use that interwoven steal thread that you can find in any hardware store, there pretty rigid but flexible enough to spin. They also untangle quite easily if they ever do get tangled.------------------[]Dhuong-Vu Truong==== []Dhunky ====

Posted: 22nd Aug 2001
repeat after me:"ball chain, ball chain, ball chain.Ball chain is my anti-tangle savior.ball chain, ball chain, ball chain.Ball chain stops anti-social behavior." The heavier the gauge, the less it tangles. 20 Gauge is virtually tangle free - it just rolls right off itself, but is probably also too heavy for most people. 13 to 15 gauge is just right as a compromise between weight, strength and non-tanglyness for fire. For practice and glow, I use 6 to 10 gauge. I go absolutely ballistic when I try to spin w/o my ball chain. I get overwhelmed with a severe case of tangle fever.added bonus - you don't have to include a swivel in your poi setup, since that is built into every link of ball chain. Now the hard part - finding it. https://www.ballchain.com
has it if you can't find it locally, plus they have some groovy colors and stuff too. Downside - they require orders in fairly large amounts.oh yeah, and don't forget the connectors - you probably want the "type A" kind.I believe adamrice will sell you smaller amounts - check out his profile.Only disadvantage is that the balls hold fuel if you accidently drop your chains in the fuel bucket - can be dangerous, so spin them out really well if this happens and then let it evaporate for a while. The ability to instantly detangle while using fire more than makes up for this slight disadvantage.[This message has been edited by vanize (edited 22 August 2001).]

-v-

Wiederstand ist Zwecklos!

Posted: 22nd Aug 2001
courtnee, i am wondering what type of string you use when you spin. when i was a newbie and didnt know anything, i just used regular ol' string, which was really thin and tangles were really really bad. but later my friend suggested that i use something thicker, and he recommended round shoelaces which are significantly thicker than plain strings. now tangles really arent a problem anymore, since the thicker material cant really tangle all that much. so, if you are using something thats pretty thin, try switching to a thicker cord. round shoelaces (not the flat kind) work very well, they dont really tangle all that muchHapes-Nova, shoelace twirler

Posted: 22nd Aug 2001
Yes, I do sell ball-chain (15 gauge). Contact me off-list for more info.Most people that try ball-chain won't go back to whatever they were using before. I sold 3 sets this week just because of that.I've used cable, which I consider better than link-chain but still not perfect. It's also a real pain if you are a beginner because you are more prone to tangling in general, and when you tangle cable, it develops permanent kinks, which (I think) makes it more prone to entangelements, maybe.But about the whole frustration issue: I don't want to come off like a Zen master here or anything, but you *must* learn to be calm when you get tangled. Sooner or later you will get tangled when on fire, and you need to be cool and collected when that happens. This is a safety issue. When ball-chain gets tangled, usually if you tug gently on it or jiggle it around a bit, it will untangle. If you tug hard, it stays locked.I've been practicing the reverse 5-beat (with little to show for my efforts), and the entanglements I get when that (usually) goes bad are truly Byzantine--the chains wrap both my hands together, and then tie themselves in a knot. Yeah, it's frustrating.

Laugh while you can, monkey-boy

Posted: 22nd Aug 2001
What really pisses me off is when the tails on my practice poi tangle up with the strings. That really sucks and causes me to have a stress out and chuck the bloody things across the garden. !!!I ordered a set of beaming poi today so I'm looking forward to hurting myself (not) I hope its not as bad as people say

C'mon baby light my fire

Posted: 22nd Aug 2001
if you're tangling a lot... i'd suggest not practicing with your cables. you'll kink the crap out of em. and kinked cables are icky.

Posted: 22nd Aug 2001
I'm using the practice poi available at the shop on this site. i dont even think the string on these can qualify as being thick enough to 'gauge' :) i'm in the process of making a set of my own poi and playing around with the meteor knots (damn those are a bitch!!) in which i'll be using rope instead. should make things easier.When i brought the subject up, i was talking more about the emotional aspect of tangle frustration rather than the technical points in poi tangling. like i said, my fire poi is made of heavier materials but that also makes it harder for me to learn, and more cautious about being hit. did you all just work through it until you got confident enough to spin with heavy materials all the time?thanks for the suggestions, ill definitly look into ball-chain when i make my own fire poi.-------------------nee

-nee

Posted: 22nd Aug 2001
twist: another good reason why i dont practice new moves with my cables, and why tangles are such a bitch to get out when i do get them. :)-------------------nee

-nee

Posted: 22nd Aug 2001
I practice using my regular chains and harnesses, but with dummy wicks that weigh a little less than my fire-wicks do when soaked. I've clocked myself but good, many times--I don't worry so much about entanglements as just hitting myself, but I just figure it all comes with the territory. When I was starting out and learning the butterfly, I suffered crotch-shots all too frequently. My shoulders were black and blue when I was trying to learn the btb weave. A few weeks ago, when I was learning the 4-beat windmill, a dummy wick swung across my nose and damn near broke it. My nose is still a little tender from it.Beaker--those beaming poi are as bad as people say. You'll figure this out almost instantly, but treat them as more dangerous than fire.

Laugh while you can, monkey-boy

AnonymousPLATINUM Member

Posted: 23rd Aug 2001
Two words: ball chain.A few more words: I'll never go back to string. I use #13 (1/4 inch diameter) for spinning glowsticks. Poi (fire or otherwise) needs beefy chain. Go to https://www.ballchain.com/
for whatever you need (likely a lifetime supply). Check out the discounted section....

Posted: 22nd Aug 2001
Aha courtnee, when you put it like that, my answer's a bit different. When learning new moves we're all prone to tangling, getting stressed etc. I just work through it until I can do the move I'm trying to do (even if it is unco) or get to a point where I'm happy to take a break from learning the move. I try not to get stressed because I know eventually it'll click, it's just a matter of time.When I was learning single staff I met someone who told me to always finish your practice session with a trick you can do well. Don't finish with the trick you're trying to master, then walk away cranky or frustrated, but finish with a nice move you know you do well. You can walk away from your set in a better frame of mind.ade (who is seriously sick of the strong august winds in sydney - I want to get out to play )