Poi Lesson 42: Isolation Introduction and Theory

[ericabreetoe]

looking sharp btw!

[ericabreetoe]

dont remake anything i like them how they are :)

[St0rm555]

man, ive been watching all your turtorials, a handful of my friends are really into poi and say its changed there lives. one of them made me a pair of socks so now im pretty much obligated to learn lol, but i glad i am i feel that your videos are the only ones on youtube that actually explain what to do very clearly. plus this video made me laugh with the prodigy child and poi spinner with no hands haha

[NathanielEverist]

@St0rm555 lol, thanks. Poi has definitely changed my life for the better, and I think that object manipulation can have a profound effect on people, so definitely keep it up man. Glad my tutorials have been helpful, although I feel that a lot of my older videos, like this one, are kinda dated, I was contemplating re-making the whole lot from the start.

[Thowght]

I've only been spinning for a week or so, but I've found that your demonstrations are easily the most helpful lessons on youtube. Thank you for your in depth explanations.

[AlexxisPlata]

i dont mean to be rude but you talk a bit too much you should try to keep it a bit simpler so you dont loose viewers

so anyways great video hopefully it dosent take me forever to learn this

[NathanielEverist]

@AlexxisPlata

Sorry, this is how I make tutorials, which as much information as possible so that if one method doesn't work for you, you can try another one. If you want simpler tutorials, there are plenty of other ones on youtube, but this is how I do it.

[ScarlettLeia]

Still sucking immencely after too long. Can't seem to get the feel for the movement, I start spinning and end up loosing timing, just spinning forward a bit more. T'is rather frustrating!

Most in-depth tutorial I've found so far though! Not to mention, you're adorable in every way possible.

[NathanielEverist]

Damn, don't give up. It really does take a long time. Try using heavier weighted poi or longer poi can often help. If you can only isolate it for one beat at first, that's fine, just practice that until it gets clean, and then try isolating it for two, then three and so on. If you continue to have trouble, feel free to send me a video of yourself doing it and I can give you more specific advice.

Oh, and thanks for the compliments!

[ScarlettLeia]

Thankyou! You're a star. I'll just keep practising I guess! xD

[jugglingfreaky]

Like your video but dont say u can do an isolated weave oke

[NathanielEverist]

Yeah, the weave in this video is a bit shanky, it's like half-isolated, but it's a very old video. I'm much better now.

[sephiroth87932]

when your doing isolations does it feel like half the weight of the poi is being pulled on both sides (sides: poi, hand)

[NathanielEverist]

Uh, the feeling's quite weird, almost like there's no real pull at all, it's kinda hard to describe, but for me, there isn't really a feeling of pulling.

[sephiroth87932]

aleight thanks for replying =)

[sephiroth87932]

im trying isolations but for me it helps to have a handkerchief on the sock poi end it gives drag in the air which helps make isolations and mkes the poi go slower for beginners =)

[NathanielEverist]

Good idea, making the poi go slower always makes learning easier.

[hollytabs]

I feel like its a rise and fall feeling rather than push/pull, I only put energy into spinning the poi at certain points in its orbit, and when I dont its as if the momentum keeps it going... thats how I think about it anyway, took me so long to get my head round isolations!

[eshayadlay]

hey nathaniel,

just wondering how long it takes to get isolations down pat? i've been practising 5 minutes each day for the past 2 months against a reflective surface... i'm getting there but still not quite right. am i unco or would you say that it takes a VERY long time to get it right? how long did it take you to be happy with your isolations? as always, you are my poi hero!

[NathanielEverist]

It does indeed take a while, at least it took me a while to get happy with them, probably less than 2 months, but I practiced a lot more than 5 minutes a day. I'd probably recommend practicing for maybe half an hour a day if you have the time, and thank you very much for the compliment.

[SwayingDaisies]

I'm still practicing mine! I suspect I'll never be happy with them, but then again, I'm a perfectionist.

Isolations as far as I'm concerned are a building block movement... you can use isolation in varying degrees in different movements, stalls are an obvious one right up to cateyes or isolated flowers. (They look not really any different from a regular flower if they are perfectly isolated. :P) Try doing it in different planes. I found front wall plane easier than buzzsaw plane.

[NathanielEverist]

True, I still practice mine occasionally too, looking at this older video, my isolations have improved a lot since then. Isolations in poi, or any other manipulation, especially contact juggling always have room for improvement. It's impossible to get them perfect, but they can always be that little bit better. They're worth it though, as they're one of the coolest looking move groups there are.

[gomartgo]

actually gave it a try today...taking a while to get it...but its coming along...taking both hands on one sock poi helps alot...but the circular movement parallele is hard to get...

[NathanielEverist]

Ya, isolations sure take a lot of practice, but everybody can get them.

[Mezrec]

Glowstick Isolations.

Can you help at all with that? :)

Just wondering, cuz I do not do poi cuz its really hard for me to switch back n forth.

But yes, is there any hints you can give me?

[NathanielEverist]

I can try. Glowstringing makes isolations much harder because the ends are far lighter than with poi meaning there's less inertia to carry the heads around. They are possible, and I can do them, but they will take longer and be harder to learn. I recommend learning with poi first, then trying lighter poi and work your way towards the sticks. It'll be quicker for you in the long run if you work your way up to it rather than just going for the hardest thing first. All the best.

[Mezrec]

A friend I have started with those fuzzy dice (weigh like possibly a few paperclips) and said work up from those.

So I have been taking the WRONG route the entire time :)

Thank you Nate! :D I'll post a video when i'm done figuring it out, nk?!

Wait you glowstring?

[NathanielEverist]

Yeah, you've probably been taking the wrong route the whole time I'm afraid. I think it's far better to start with something heavier. I'm looking forward to seeing the video when you're done, post one showing how you're going if you're finding it difficult and I'll give you some pointers. Yeah, I try to glowstring, poi is very similar, and I take bits and pieces from glowstringing that I like, especially wrap combos. I can do a few basic string manips and freehand too, but mainly, I'm a poi guy

[Inc02]

rofl, i love the change of topic from poi isolations to if you dont have a hand, you're probably wasting your time. rofl. great :] well, im a great fan of your vids, ill try and post a few of my own, once i get a new camera (car just got broken into and it was stolen :[) at least they didnt want my poi!! lololol

[NathanielEverist]

lol, thanks, glad to hear you like my videos. Sorry to hear about your camera being stolen, but yeah, at least they left your poi alone. Looking forward to seeing some videos from you.

[Inc02]

yea definatly, great to see a good population of poi spinners on youtube. very easy to share and participate. keep up the good work

[muerTmuyfeliz]

Hi! I really like your videos, they are simple and very instructive. I can do everything that you've posted except for the isolations, and it's really getting to my nerves!!!XD, I mean, it's the only thing that I can´t do!! (at least within the normal moves :S )if there is anything else you can think about that might help, I'll be glad to here it ^^. thanks!!

[NathanielEverist]

Glad to hear you like the videos. I'm also glad to hear you can do everything I've posted so far. More stuff is on the way, hopefully you'll find some of it stimulating. As for isolations, they'll take some practice, I recommend one hand at a time. Just spin them, and make a circle with your hands to isolate it once, doesn't have to be perfect, then return to normal spinning and repeat. Do with both hands until you can do it almost continuously.

[NathanielEverist]

If you're still having troubles, feel free to post a video response and I'll give you some more specific and probably helpful advice based on that. Keep practicing!

[muerTmuyfeliz]

OK, thaks a lot ^^!! let's see if I can do it!

[PyromaniacLover]

All of the above applies to me!! Including the bit about the isolations!! ~.0

[NathanielEverist]

Just keep practicing, you'll get there. Remember to focus more on moving your hand in a perfect circle first, the poi isolating should come secondly, after you get used to adjusting the circle your hands make to the correct speed.