Hi, I recently bought a plate for plate spinning and I'm not having much luck. I can't get it to start spinning . I have The Complete Juggler and I've followed the instructions on how to get it spinning , but it's just not working.

Any tips or suggestions are appreciated ,

Ben

PS: This is the plate I bought http://www.jugglingstore.com/store/detail.aspx?ID=239

Juggler
hold the stick at the end with your index finger pointing up and spin the stick in a counter clockwise rotation, if you are right handed. Put the stick in a pencil sharpener to get a sharp point, and keep it out of the reach of children. It should only take a couple of hours, at the most to become an expert.
HAVE FUN
Al Angello

I have to admit: some people take longer!

I'm right-handed and I turn the stick clockwise. Biggest problem people have when trying to spin a plate is to stir with the stick rather than spin. Try and keep your elbow still and use your wrist to do the spinning. Keep your hand at eye height and stop when the plate is level.

Nigel

The most common mistake is to spin the plate, which ends up spinning like those noisemakers at new years, instead of spinning the stick around the inside of the plate keeping the plate "floating" in one spot.

A couple tips that I can think of are:

Keep loose. You can't be stiff to do this.

Spin with your wrist, not your arm. Hold your arm very still.

Focus on keeping the plate in one spot. Focus on the centre (center) with the stick moving around it.

You should be making a ice cream cone shape with the stick as you are spinning. Pointed at the bottom (end with hand holding) and open mouth at the top (spinning around the centre point of the plate)

You can also start alternatively, by putting the plate on the stick with the stick in the centre. Lightly push tap the plate (just like when spinning a basketball on a finger). As it gets going you can practice spinning the stick to increase/stabelize the spinning spead of the plate. Then once you get the feel of it, you will never forget it and then will be able to work on the stick spinning start up

This is the key part. Balance the inner rim of the plate on the stick, and then slowly draw circles in the air with the stick by rotating your wrist- keep your arm steady.

Thanks to everybody for your help. I'm going to go practice right now.

Ben

I think the plate I bought might have warped in the packaging.When I hold the plate up at eye level, the plate is somewhat bent on the edges. Do you think this will affect it at all?
Another thing : I've read all of the tips you guys have said, but I'm having trouble getting the plate to jump back to the center after I spin it by the ridge on the bottom of the plate.any suggestions

Thanks to everyone who helped so far,

Ben

When you have the plate spinning regularly from your wrist suddenly keep your hand still and it will find its own way to the center. No jump is necessary but if I have a hard time to get it to the center (I think because I find it hard (even still after a lot of practise) to make a REGULAR movement with my wrist) I sometimes cheat a bit by trowing it in the air a liitle and catching it on the stick in the middle.

Juggler
The stick won't go to the center of the plate because you are swinging the plate, you must spin the plate to get it up. Spin meaning the stick has to be moving faster than the plate. You do not want to drag it, you want to push it.
Al

Okay , I think I'm starting to get it now.

Thanks!


Ben

Okay , I can get the plate spinning now , but when I freeze my wrist the plate just hangs by that ridge on the bottom of the plate.
what should I do?

One other suggestion too, try to find someone in your area who is also a juggler and may have experience with this. Having someone there to show you and point out any minute changes is a lot better than us trying to help via just words.

You could also try to hold the plate then spin it onto the stick.Harder but could be easier.

When you "freeze", is this a sudden motion, or a gradual thing? I'd suggest experimenting a bit- once you've started the plate correctly (so that the stick is still on the same place on the rim, and you are rotating your wrist), you should be able to suddenly stop, and the stick will "jump" / slip into the centre of the plate. It might be that you are not spinning fast enough, so that, when you freeze, the plate stops too?

+ besides spinning fast enough, is the spin from your wrist regular? (that for me is the biggest problem ---> if anyone has got tips on improving the abbility to make a regular spin from the wrist: very welcome! For me it was helpful to use more heavy plates because then it is easier for me to "keep contact" between the stick and the plate.)
+ are you holding the stick straigh up (vertically)?
+ experiment with where you are holding the stick. When it is a short stick it might help to hold it as far away as possible of the plate or even get yourself a longer stick.

Got in a little late on this one but I'll add my two. If you are spinning in your right hand and want to do arm curls you will want to spin the plate in a clockwise fashion. Counter clockwise in the left hand. This way when you curl the plate on your finger you are not moving opposite of the spin.

Village Iidiots
This is a very old argument, I spin my plates counter clockwise with my right hand. There is not a propper direction to spin, only what works for you. I have heard ball spinners argue this point endlessly, some spin inside rotationand, and some spin outside rotation, and it is about equal.
MAKING TROUBLE
Al Angello

Same here - although, I can just about spin either direction with either hand. Anti-clockwise with my right would be my preference, though, and lets me throw the plate across to my left index finger, and curl under my left arm before throwing it back to the stick.