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Author Topic: Where do you practice  (Read 8022 times)

rusty

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Where do you practice
« on: October 27, 2010, 08:47:23 AM »

Hi

I wonder, where do you practice top spinning. I have been practicing outside, but I live in Norway and the first snow has arrived so it is a bit cold now and I guess the string does not work so well when it is wet from hitting the snow.
With diabolos I can practice a bit inside in my bedroom if I stand with my back to the computer :), but I live in a small apartment so practicing is a bit difficult. I guess the tops with metal is out of the question with wooden floors, but I am a bit scared to break something even with plastic tips.

So where do you normally practice top spinning?

Anders
Norway
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the Earl of Whirl

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Re: Where do you practice
« Reply #1 on: October 27, 2010, 09:27:57 AM »

I appreciate you starting this thread.  This is something I am always thinking about.  There have been a number of places that have worked out for me for a while but after some time something happens (schedules, weather, management, getting kicked out).  Right now I am fortunate to have a strong connection with the local high school (since I coach there) and they let me use some of their space without many questions.  But I sure have had lots of questions plenty of other places!

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Neff

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Re: Where do you practice
« Reply #2 on: October 27, 2010, 11:39:19 AM »

you might be able to find some cheap carpet tiles st a building surplus store to protect the wood floor.  That is what I use in my basement over concrete, not to protect the floor, but to protect the tops and to reduce the noise.  I have a habit of waking my family up in the middle of the night  :)
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topper777

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Re: Where do you practice
« Reply #3 on: October 27, 2010, 12:27:48 PM »

i have some carpet in my garage i play on. mostly i play in my den, it is carpeted as well. but parks are the most fun for me.
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poptop

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Re: Where do you practice
« Reply #4 on: October 27, 2010, 01:49:51 PM »

I mostly play in my living room over carpet.  I'm lucky I havent broken my TV, glass fireplace doors, glass picture frames, front window, glass clock face, etc.  I've hit them all at least twice...

The more I play outside the more I wonder why I play inside...except that I play at night a lot.

I'm a little shy to play in public places alone; much less so if I'm playing with someone else--go figure?
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jim in paris

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Re: Where do you practice
« Reply #5 on: October 27, 2010, 03:11:07 PM »

well ... hello up north !!

i mostly play at home in a very small area, once in a while i go to the juggling club where i practice between people moving around , it's fun to interact...a top on a club, on the chin of a juggler....diabolo 2......

 for serious training , rehearsal for a show,i go to the squatt in issy les moulineaux where i have my woodturning gear :::: black curtain, bit of light, and soundsystem

in the park , it's fun too but i lack  visual landmarks, where do i look, where are the people etc::::

the good thing in paris is that it's easy to find places where to perform even for no cash


jim

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ta0

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Re: Where do you practice
« Reply #6 on: October 27, 2010, 05:08:28 PM »

I practice mostly in the backyard (yesterday we tied the high for that day of the year with 33ÂșC!) or in my home office.
There are some tricks, like high trapezes, that you need to do outside, but most you can practice in surprisingly small spaces as long as you don't mind leaving scratches on walls, ceilings, etc.  ::)
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Eric

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Re: Where do you practice
« Reply #7 on: October 27, 2010, 06:01:22 PM »

Noah and I throw mostly in our family room.  Big open space with a Persian rug on top of an oak floor.  It's a perfect spot except for one thing:  we have a 52" LCD TV in one corner of the room.  My wife has repeatedly told Noah and me that if we break the TV we will not be allowed to replace it.  So far, so good, the TV has been in that location for 18 months and we haven't hit it yet................Yikes! I fear that I've just jinxed us!!!   :o
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kevinm

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Re: Where do you practice
« Reply #8 on: October 27, 2010, 09:48:43 PM »

practice??  oh man, no wonder you guys are so much better than i am!!
i live in a small place too, hard to move without bouncing off something, so sometimes i try to throw tops out back of where i work, but it's kinda rough, and if you loose a bearing tip , forget about ever finding it!
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the Earl of Whirl

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Re: Where do you practice
« Reply #9 on: October 27, 2010, 10:06:25 PM »

I do have some practice areas around the house but some of my favorite places are out and about where I can do other things as breaks from throwing.  There are several churches in our area that have ample carpet space just outside their sanctuaries.  I love the space and being able to walk around for a change of pace as well as using their pianos on occasion.

There are also a couple of book stores that have a carpeted corner (often in the children's section) where I can throw.  It's great to be able to read and then hop up for some throws here and there.  The problem with books stores is they sometimes do not seem so happy about my throwing.  I've gotten kicked out of a couple of these places.

I also enjoy some meeting rooms at some motels or other business locations.  Sometimes people don't care about any of this (like at worlds) but sometimes these businesses have no sense of humor.

Anyway, there have got to be some more fun places to throw.  I'm always on the lookout for some new possibilities.
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Bandigaro

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Re: Where do you practice
« Reply #10 on: October 28, 2010, 03:56:53 AM »

my room is full of any things, I can throw but I'm scared of what I can break!
I think I need a proper space to pratice!

in summer I like throwing at the park. I'm lucky that there are many parks near my house.
sometimes children walking by stop to look at my hand. someone come to me and I give the spinning top on their hand and they smile.
I think people is more interested of tops than yoyos..
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Java

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Re: Where do you practice
« Reply #11 on: October 28, 2010, 10:35:03 PM »

I also love to practice outside. No worries about breaking anything, no furnature for the top to roll under. But our winter is nothing like a Norwegian winter! Inside I use my living room (when no family is around), the fellowship hall at church, and here at the seminary there is a carpeted classroom with a high ceiling thats perfect.

Have Fun,
Tom
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oyoyoy

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Re: Where do you practice
« Reply #12 on: October 28, 2010, 11:27:07 PM »

Good question. Since moving into a temporary "loaner apartment" I have barely practiced at all. Wood floors in every room on a second floor means that the downstairs neighbor will complain about the noise. Being in California, though, means that I have little excuse not to find a park outside.
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the Earl of Whirl

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Re: Where do you practice
« Reply #13 on: October 29, 2010, 11:52:15 AM »

Tom (Java)......wait a second!  Tell me more about a fellowship hall.  What church?  What seminary?

And oyoyoy........there is a good old story about one of our yo yo demonstrators and his early days of top spinning in their apartment upstairs.  Do you remember that ta0?
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Java

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Re: Where do you practice
« Reply #14 on: October 29, 2010, 01:26:19 PM »

Mike,
My wife and I are into our last year at Evangeline Booth College, which is the Salvation Army US Southern Territory's school for officer training. It is a seminary (all officers are ordained) and we also get training in business, running a soup kitchen, running a shelter, disaster relief, etc. Oh, and of course, bell ringing.   ::)

Have Fun,
Tom
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