History of Poi
The POI was used, many years ago, by the indigenous Maori people of New Zealand to increase their flexibility and strength in their hands and arms as well as improving coordination.
Wahine (female) dancers perform the Maori Poi, a dance performed with balls attached to flax strings, swung rhythmically. The Maori women initially used the Poi Dance for keeping their hands flexible for weaving and by the men for strength and coordination required during battle.
Types of Fabric Poi and Practice Poi
The above Fabric Poi and Practice Poi are more thought of as International Poi Hand made Cheap Poi using a variety of modern fabrics and lasting materials.
This section excludes Fire Poi and Led Poi which gets listed as a separate category because there are so many options and designs.
Best poi for beginners
Soft and forgiving is the type of poi head you will want. We have Sock Poi with a soft recycled rubber ball as the head. This ball gives good weight and is so soft if it knocks your body accidentally.
Our ultra poi also has a soft inner and a removable tail for when you are beginning. The tails help later to get you spacing and planes nice and tight, plus look great while adding an audio element similar to fire. Noise helps to add to your spatial awareness.
Choosing your Length of Poi
Measuring your Poi
Use the image above to get your ideal Poi Length .We use S = short, M = medium, L = long to help in selecting length.It can be shorter, or you can have it longer, but if longer then this can limit the number the moves you will be able to do.
Elderly Poi
This Poi Set is designed specifically for those who bruise very easily. These are short Poi which can be used by those restricted to a chair. The handle is an easy grip silicon ball type for those with arthritic hands.
Cone Poi
These Poi are cone-shaped with a handle at the thin end and a weight at the heavier end. Made from strong non-stretch cotton fabric in bright colors.
First popular in Europe. The sides of the Cone Poi have a velcro opening to allow the changing of weights and the softness of the load. Rice can be used to make them more substantial, and as it is Rice, it will not harm you when it hits your body. So these are great for customization of the weighted end of the Poi.
Sock Poi
These, like the Cone Poi, are shaped like a cone. However, they are much cheaper as they do not have an integrated handle, so you need to make your loop or knot by tying the thin end of the sock poi. There is also an opening in the side that allows you to change sizes and type of weight.
The Sock Poi is made from super-smooth high-grade nylon-spandex so the Poi will slide off the body with ease. The stretchiness is said to make spinning and certain tricks much easier due to the cushioning of the spandex stretch. So these are well-liked by beginners. Also the white color Sock Poi has a thin enough fabric for Led Balls or glowsticks to shine right through. If you go into our Led Poi section, you will see many Led Poi sets use the Sock Poi as a means to swing the light around.
Tailed Poi
One of the great things about LED and Fire Poi is the 'comet' trail of light following the Poi head as it travels around the body. This flowing trail gets added to Fabric Poi not as light, but like a gymnastics ribbon, a light-weight colorful fabric that catches in the flow of air behind the Poi head. As a Day Poi these do look fantastic as they spin and dance around leaving trails of colorful fabric. Scarf Poi and the Ultra Poi are both designed to display the Comet Trail effect during sunny days and at night under a UV / Blacklight light source.
Flag Poi
Like the Tailed Poi, the Flag Poi uses the comet trail effect to open up beautiful blocks of color. 'Flag Swinging' flags are usually rectangular and have weights sewn into the leading and bottom edges to keep the shape as it flys around. Sadly do a move too many times in one direction, and the 'swinging flags' end up twisting to a big mess at the point where you hold them.
Our Flag Poi has a handle and swivel, so your flag never twists up. As Poi is about flowing circles of movement, we have gone away from the rectangular to a more flowing curved shape. A weighted leading and bottom edge remain the same to ensure the full flag gets seen in all of its beauty.
Pendulum Poi
The ultimate prop for showing off Pendulum and Contact Poi routines. Like a Chinese Meteor Hammer, the cord between the handle and Poi head will appear like a solid rod/stick because of the centrifugal forces created. Moves like hanging a verticle stall and many others can enhance the sold rod/stick appearance. Now throw in some club Juggling moves and roll the Poi head along your arm as the handle swings around. Add in some bounce changes in direction and wraps. You will find that Pendulum Poi has an unlimited amount of moves and illusions to amaze onlookers.
Count 2, 3, or 4 Contact Poi!
Why limit yourself to just a pair of Contact/Pendulum Poi. If you are already a juggler of 3 clubs, why not get a set of 3 Poi. You can easily swing 2 Poi in one hand and one in the other and switch back and forth between Juggling and Poi Moves .
Many Maori women and others in New Zealand are very good at using 4 Poi (2 in each hand) at a time. But there is no limit, as once I saw a guy skateboarding down a hill on his back while using two Poi in each hand and two on each foot, OMG that's a total of 8 Poi! and they were all Fire Poi !
Pendulum Poi - Flex?
What is the difference between flex and regular Pendulum Poi ?
- The 'Flex' uses a 6mm Polyester Rope which, as the name implies, provides a more flexible cord.
- The regular Pendulum Poi uses a thicker 8mm Polyester Rope, which can help with vertical stalls or any moves requiring a stiffer rope/cord.
Why spin Poi?
The benefits to be gained from Poi are
- Improved coordination, balance, dexterity, and body awareness,
- Improved focus, alertness, perception, patience, persistence,
- Improved brain function, creativity,
- Fun cardiovascular exercise,
- Greater self image, self esteem, confidence,
- and a great way of meeting new people, develop new friends and relationships
- And to be a part of helping people to achieve those benefits is our greatest achievement and drives our vision:
Our Poi Vision
'To help everyone discover and shine in the performance arts.'
And that includes YOU!
And when you purchase from Home of Poi, you also get hundreds of free Poi video lessons to help you quickly impress yourself, and others, with your skills. 'It really can change your life!'
