Forums > Beginner Poi Moves > Turning on Glow poi, Help or hinder?

Posted: 3rd Aug 2010
i havnt had the same problem exactly...but it could be that the lights may be a distraction to you..sometimes ill get sorta mesmerized by the lights and forget what im doin and screw up but idk maybe try more sessions with glowsticks so as not to waste battery power but still get use to the poi having a light source at the end...

Posted: 3rd Aug 2010
I agree with Mathias. The only thing you are changing is the light source, so pick up some cheap one-time-use glowsticks and spin those for a bit to get used to the lights. The weight will be way off, but it might serve as good practice for you

Impermanent are all created things;
Strive on with awareness.
- Buddha

Posted: 3rd Aug 2010
Actually I was the opposite, the glowing helped my awareness of what is going on around me and aided my timing and rhythmic adjustments. Perhaps it's the effect like strobing that may be more of a hindrance more so than lighting...

Have you tried using them at twilight or with the aid of street lighting during full on darkness?

~Rock on!~

"As the pattern gets more intricate and subtle, being swept along is no longer enough"-Waking Life

(All you RLers this is epitome_of_lame *waves hello*)

Posted: 6th Aug 2010
I agree with EpitomeOfNovice, try glow with some other lower level ambient light sources. That way you can see the poi trails, but also can see everything else.

Everyone learns differently, so what works for me may not work for you, but I started with glow sticks ~11 years ago, and It really helped me to be more aware of the pattern I was tracing in space.

At this point I would recommend heavier poi using LEDs rather than glow sticks, if you are learning slower poi style spinning, rather than fast-paced wrap-intensive glowstringing style. Heavy poi give you better physical feedback as to what your poi are doing. They allow you to move slower and still learn to spin smooth and precise. There is a saying from Tai Chi I think: "Slow is smooth, smooth is fast". If you can learn it slow at first you will have it smooth and in control when you speed up later.

Also get LED based poi that can use rechargeable batteries, so you aren't filling landfills with glowsticks or dead batteries all the time if you are going to practice with glow poi. Flowlights are a good example.

+Alien Jon

Posted: 6th Aug 2010
Ogg poi are great, too. Pretty, soft, and rechargeable. Though you can't change their modes and the like you can with flowlights.

Impermanent are all created things;
Strive on with awareness.
- Buddha

Posted: 7th Aug 2010
*Smacks head* I have rechargeable Oggs, their weight might be slightly different than the multi function glow poi I have but they are similar size so it might be ok, better than glowstics.
Now does anyone now if you can get rechargeable watch batteries?
Thanks everyone

Posted: 7th Aug 2010
No such thing as a rechargeable watch battery. I use rechargeable AAA batteries in my flowlights and it's highly economical plus they're the only glow poi I can weight to my preference (heavy! double mass LOL). There are some good 15 minute battery chargers for AAA and AA batteries that even have a function to charge in your car if you should go that route.

Watch batteries come in so many sizes I'd imagine making a charger would be extremely difficult. You could always switch between the two, I think cross training is beneficial. Plus different sensations of what you're spinning is enjoyable as well.

~Rock on!~

"As the pattern gets more intricate and subtle, being swept along is no longer enough"-Waking Life

(All you RLers this is epitome_of_lame *waves hello*)