Newbie Training

A

AngelD

Joined
Apr 7, 2001
Messages
4
I have been reading this forum for sometime but never really posted anything before but I have a TON of questions and I was hoping maybe some of you guys could help me out.

First I live in Washington state and I have tried to find information on the laws concerning the legality of Bali-songs here. Everything regarding them seems to state there illegal. Yet nearly ever gas station or mini-mart around here sells them. I was wondering if some one could explain that to me.

Second I have been practicing my manipulations for roughly 3 months now and while I can do a lot of stuff I don't seem to do anything well and was wondering how long it took you guys to get good at your manipulations?

[This message has been edited by AngelD (edited 04-07-2001).]
 
Well,even though the law may state that they are illegal to *carry*,doesn't mean that they're illegal to sell or own.This is actually the case in a lot of states,and with a lot of different weaponry.

As for learning the moves and getting them to become second nature,it really depends on the individual and the move(s) being learned, and how much the person is practicing just the one move.If practicing several different moves,it will take a bit longer to get them all down.You really want to practice just one until it's getting smooth,then move on.Once they're all getting smooth,then you can switch between them (this is what I've found to work well over the years,but it may not be for everyone).
Just stick it out,learn what you can,practice often and you'll get them all down.And,the more you learn,the quicker you'll learn newer moves.

I hope this helps
smile.gif



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*The* Lunatic Puppy
It wasn't me...It was my *good* twin..
My "inner puppy" made me do it..
 
Angel, welcome!

It really depends on the difficulty level of the manipulation and how hard you try at it. It usually takes me about 2 days to get pretty good at a manipulation, but practice makes perfect.
 
Hey, where in WA do you live? I'm up in skagit county... I wish i had someone to bali with : ) I just started a lil' over a week ago but i can do some various twirls and aerials and stuff... I don't know why places sell the knives, yet according to all i've read, they are illegal to possess, sell, own, buy, trade, or anything. Yeah. Drop me an email or sumpin-
-Gibberish*
 
Thanks for the posts guys i do apprcatie them, but i also have another question i want to throw out. About how much do you train in a day? i myself usally can only go for about 5-15 min a day with like and hour or 2 on the weekends.
 
We used to practice all the time.If we were watching tv,we'd be practicing.If we were siiting around outdoors for any length of time,or even walking down the street (back then in my hometown,bali's weren't illegal) we were practicing.At any moment where our hands had nothing else to do,we would pull out a blade and start practicing.
I'd figure we spent at least 6 hours a day practicing...although it could've been more.

Just practice as much as you can,whenever you can.If you are in an area where other people are,or around people who will complain about the noise,then find a place where you can practice without annoying anyone...you'll be glad you did
smile.gif



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*The* Lunatic Puppy
It wasn't me...It was my *good* twin..
My "inner puppy" made me do it..
 
Greetings,

I've been flipping for almost a year now, and I totally understand what you mean about being able to do the moves, just not very well.

I've found that I'm pretty adept at doing new things, but then I tend to plateau. I'll practice for weeks, or months with no improvement (sometimes I'll get _worse_) and then I'll realize something that the videos/books don't tell you. It's usually something subtle, like rotating your hand just a bit, or getting the timing right.

My learning 'curve' has been more like a series of step functions. Practice is good because it allows your hands to do the movements without you having to think. When you get to that point, _then_ you'll stop worrying about whether you're doing it right and the natural feel will come to you.

I think my biggest improvement had come from watching my brother in person, more so than watching an expert in a video. Seeing good, fast manipulations being performed right over your toes really drives home the fact, 'Yeah, it is possible'.

In the words of Desty Nova, "It's more important to feel than to think."
smile.gif


Skrunch.
 
True,I have seen a few get worse for a while if they practice too much,but it's usually because they're practicing the same move *too* much,without taking breaks.I myself have suffered from this on occasion.
If you practice the same move over and over for several hours straight,you'll get worse,because the hand gets tired and will start making mistakes.If you do it for hours straight for several days in a row,the effects are the same.You do need to switch moves after a short while so that the hand doesn't get completely worn out from repeating the same routine constantly.It's what is called "repetitive stress syndrome".Anything done constantly in the same way will stress the hands.It can also lead to carpal tunnel,if it involves the muscles in the wrist (I learned that the hard way),which all moves concerning the balisong do.
So,you want to take time out every 30 minutes or so,for about 15 minutes.When you start practicing again,do a different move for a while.This won't keep the wrist muscles from stressing,but it will keep the hand from being overworked from the same old movement.
Always remember though,that if your wrist or hand start to hurt too much,put the knife down for at least a few hours,or work the other hand.As I said,I've learned the hard way about this,fortunately it wasn't from practicing with the balisong.But,once you have any type of repetitive stress syndrome bothering the hands and/or wrist,it affects everything you do with your hands & wrist.I have problems doing some of the moves that I know because of my stress injuries nowadays.It sucks,because you'll be doing fine,then all of a sudden your thumb or fingers no longer have any strength,and you'll lose your hold on the knife.This is bad...mm'kay...
smile.gif


Just practice as long as you can,but if it hurts...stop.You'll be glad you did in the long run.

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*The* Lunatic Puppy
It wasn't me...It was my *good* twin..
My "inner puppy" made me do it..
 
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