Poi

The first time I saw this was in a video on a juggling site. I had no clue what it was. And decided to figure it out. Cause this is really the kind of juggling I find the most impressing to watch. At least the most… cool and smooth… or what to say. It’s just fantastic

Anyways, for those that have never heard of this, like me, here is a definition from Wikipedia:

Poi is a form of juggling with balls on ropes, held in the hands and swung in various circular patterns, similar to club-twirling. It was originally practiced by the Māori people of New Zealand (the word poi means “ball” in Māori). Women used it as an exercise to increase flexibility of the wrists and hands, and by men to increase strength in the arms and coordination.

That may not sound very cool. But take a look at these videos, and you will probably change your mind

If you would like to learn how to do poi, that is definitely not impossible. When I can do it, you can. No doubht. And I had nobody to help me. I used the Internet and one or two instruction videos. Here are some links:

• Playpoi, the website of Nick Woolsey where you’ll find, among other things, some very good video tutorials.
• Home of Poi, a webshop and poi community.
• Spinning Poi Hidden Magic, the dvd that really helped me get started.
• The Scales of Poi, useful for when you have mastered the basics, and want to get serious.
• Do More Poi, a forum with helpful people. Seems to have died…

Other forms of juggling

• Balls
• Clubs
• Diabolo
• Flowerstick