What is Poi?
Poi swinging is an ancient New Zealand art of swinging balls on the end of ropes. These rope or chains, are called Poi.
Equipment
You can buy poi from oddballs, ebay or homeofpoi (See links), but the starter or basic poi are often lots of money for what they are: 2 heavier things on the end of a 2 bits of cord. You could even make some yourself. This link to Homeofpoi shows you how to make some from tennis balls and cloth.
I bought some firepoi and learned first without lighting them. Part of my reasoning was so I could get used to the weight, without having to get used to different weights in the future. Now, when I use them without fire, I put some old socks round them to protect them and stop them getting things sooty.
Trouble shooting and tips
When I started learning poi, I kept on getting hit...on the head and also down under. Some extra padding and a cap was needed until I got the hang of it. Fortunately for folk who use normal lightweight indoor poi and not fire poi, this shouldn't be a problem.
I recommend a good non-flammable cap if you use fire poi. That is, unless you're bald.
