Leotech # t2 : Body Tracing - Component Reels

In order to learn to walk you must first be able to stand still...

It's the same with body tracing. I wish there was a shortcut, but the only way to become fluent with tracing is by learning the constituent reels individually. Here they are, all of the possible combinations demoed in split same timing. Treat it as a very long checklist. The rewards for drilling all of them into your muscle memory are worth it. Total freedom of movement and subconscious access to every body tracing sequence.

There are 10 'extreme' positions around your body where you can spin your poi which put the crosspoint between the forward and back plane as close to the center of your spinning grid (middle of torso) or as far away as possible along the grid.

With each hand in a different position moving between forward and back planes continuously this gives us a total of 10+9+8... = 56 possible static reel combinations. You must get comfortable with as much of them as possible in order to fully access all the transitions between them which then form all the possible sequences for body tracing patterns...

...Except of course learning their mirrored version, learning them in the opposite direction you are used to spinning, and learning the other 4 timing and directions. All of these 'extras' will allow for turning your body whichever way you wish without thinking much about where or how to spin your poi as they will never be in a place you can't spin them.

Category:

Education

Tags:

• poi
• dancing
• fire
• spinning
• lesson
• body
• tracing
• reels
• neck
• armpit
• bodytech

[astonsplat]

Something else worth looking into, as a starting point, may be what contact staff spinners use: there are five "holes" around the body: between arm and leg, leg and other leg, other leg and other arm, other arm and head, and head and arm.

Which is basically what you have, but you are distinguishing between armpit and waist.

Slightly simplified starting framework maybe?

Otherwise, useful to spend some time on this I think. :)

[leospoi]

@astonsplat This is not a 'topological' framework, it's about hand placement. I believe the holes framework is already well known among poi spinners, but for body tracing you do have to distinguish when your arm extends as far as possible either up or down or to the side and when it is as close as possible to the center of your chest like with neck and armpit. I left out all the under the leg variations in this one, they require footwork and I will go into more detail on that on a future blog.

[flameboy50001]

what song is that playing in the background?

[leospoi]

@flameboy50001 it's a remix of Dido's Lament, Dido - Cafe del Mar Aria 1 - Paul Schwartz

[tracerammo]

Dude! You're the UTL madness guy, so where's the leg tracing?!?! ;)

[leospoi]

@tracerammo haha sorry for that, will leave that for another video later also involving footwork and stuff otherwise it would have been a very very long video

[dandiaz1782]

great concept, im working on body tracing now so im gonna use your approach to it by learning and drilling with hand placemeny, checklist thing. i use to do that in the past. works very well to have a written plan.

[9jubjubs]

The end part with you using fire is really beautiful. Definitely interested in this. Thanks for posting it.

[VegaEtereo]

thank you so much for this excellent lesson ^^

[astonsplat]

@leospoi Yeah, not saying one approach is better than another, just putting it out there as well.

[Ejagulator]

1:52 to 1: 56 is that some pretzel crosser shisza!! if so I'd like to see in Butterfly sir

[freedomcaller]

You did not do any waistwrap armpit stuff :)