World of Poi

Everyone has their pair of lucky socks or underwear and poi should be no different. All poi are different and therefore are going to behave differently when you spin them. Some are heavy and spin slow, allowing greater control. Lighter ones, on the other hand, need to be spun faster and can create stunning special effects. Having one set of poi that you spin best with is no bad thing. People think that they need to be able to spin equally well with fire poi and sock poi but this is rubbish! The two wets of poi are so different that it would be near impossible to do as good with one as the other. Pick the type of poi that you think gives the greatest visual effect or you find easiest to spin, this way you will feel more confident when you spin in front of other people and you are probably going to perform with fewer mistakes:)

Many people have different opinions on what weight the perfect set of Poi would and I think it depends on personal preference. Heavy can spin much slower and give greater control; there own momentum keeps them spinning but they can be difficult when doing more complicated moves. Light poi spin a lot faster give a greater range of options in terms of tricks that are available. However they require a lot more energy to keep them spinning.

One of the easiest ways to adjust the weight of your poi is to fill a balloon with rice and use that instead of tennis ball or glow product. If you find weight is not quite right or you just fancy a change, you can!! This method is easiest with sock/cone poi. I read somewhere that the optimum weight for beginners is 120g, I’m not sure whether I agree with this, I think that you should experiment yourself.

Please, please, please, if you are a beginner, whatever you do, don’t jump straight into learning all the moves you possibly can. Take a step back and just look around you. Swing the poi around your body and experiment with what it feels like. If you are a complete beginner, take a minute just to hit yourself with the poi a few times, because you better get used to it!!(For the softest and least painful poi, click here)

As a beginner, other people have had little or no influence on you and you should use that to your advantage. This is the time to really let go and have a great time spinning, let your mind wander and just play. Who knows, maybe you could come up with the next big thing in poi?

Whooo!! Christmas is almost here!!! And its the perfect time for you to spread the love of Poi. Don’t bother looking around for that ’something special’, its right here!! If you’re really stuck for ideas, buy in bulk. Home of Poi do discounts when you by 10 items which at Christmas, can be a lifesaver. Grab the craziest and coolest colours you can find to create a unique and worthwhile present. (Plus, it gives you someone else to spin with and show off new moves to!!)

Poi is the ancient Maori art of swinging a ball on a string around your body. It was created to keep joints supple and aid fitness, however, now it is thought of as type of art/dance. There many spinners throughout the world, most of whom live in New Zealand, and it fairly easy to find someone else who spins poi near you.

Poi has also been used as a weapon. For those of you who already spin you’ll know that it hurts to hit yourself with a fast spinning poi. This is where the idea of a mace and many other ancient and medieval weapons came from.