Contact Staff 101 - Beginner Tutorial - Pinch Points, Wraps, Conveyor Belt 

I'm here watching this in 2020 and wanted to let you know this was super helpful! just acquired a contact staff and after ~3 hours of following your video and practicing I got my first conveyor belt!

some people are natural teachers and you are one of those guys. youre so easy to follow man! saving this and peeping your page. thanks for the generosity man, cheers

My first contact staff tutorial. Been a year since then. (Sheds tear of nostalgia)

Just bought a contact staff for flow at festivals and I can't wait for it to come in so I can learn all of these tricks! thanks for all the helpful advice throughout the video too!

This is a step into the theory of everything in movement. I prefer to call it the doing in everything in movement.

I have used these almost exact concepts and build-ups for 10-year-olds and they were spinning like hell and enjoying it. thank you.

thanks for your video and your chanel, I'm french and there is not more than 2 or 3 bad teacher and nobody with such good explaination and knowledge than you! merci beaucoup de Lille!

The way you described things is so clear! You really make things super easy by giving so many little detailed tips. Thank you sm!

You are an EXCELLENT instructor, thank you for this!!

Don't even have a contact staff. Stayed for the calming voice and wind chimes 👌

Can we talk about the lovely wind chime throughout the whole video Sort of nostalgic tbh

You have the most comprehensive contact staff tutorials. Such a blessing. Thank you!

Thank you!!!For taking the time to make your tutorial videos I live in a small town in Australia so most of my learning is done via the internet your videos are very good quality and you explain the techniques very clearly! Please keep posting your tutorials! For us newbies in countries that don't have access to workshops!Thankyou from Joanna in Qld Australia.

Thank you for this. RU-vid is lacking in staff tutorials. Been spinning for 15 years and your points about posture and technique have helped me so much! Can't wait for the next video!

"Its a little uncomfortable at first to start stretching into this, but we're all capable of it, believe me"

this is awesome in so many levels!, I've been looking for something like this for a looooong time!... I love you man!, thanks for the dedication! :D

Thank you so much for this tutorial! I just got a staff this past saturday, ever since I have been meticulously running these drills and re-watching this video. I have been picking it up quite quickly and very well! I had no prior experience with staff but have a small background with hoop for the past 3.5 yrs. I have to say coming from the hoop this is so much different than I had anticipated! I really love the energy of the staff and fall in love with it more and more everyday. Thank you again for guiding my beginning stages of play and helping me build a solid foundation! I can't wait to move on to your next tutorial. You don't happen to be close to western NC teaching classes do you?? That would be sweet!

This has been one of the best tutorials I've found, anywhere.

The best teacher I've found so far! Thanks!

You definitely have a unique way of teaching. I like it. I was able to follow your pinching point technique alot smoother. Thank you for your time. Its appreciated.

This video is incredible. I love the way you build through the different techniques, there is enough material here for weeks of practice sessions!

I have been spinning for about 2 years but really want to learn the contact, thanks for breaking it down so excellently.

This is so extremely helpful! I knew there were some elements that I was missing despite learning a number of moves just by playing around with the staff. Now I might be able to make a routine as I can incorporate what I have learnt from you! Thank you! So very clear and the most important thing you don't just show what it looks like when you get it right, but more importantly you demonstrate what incorrect attempts are and how to correct them! xxx

This was fabulous. Thank you for the teaching.

I am so excited to have my hands on my first staff, thanks for the great video!!

He’s right, posture and level planes are imperative for, at least the conveyor

Great Tutorial. Great job on breaking down the movements in an easy to understand, and step by step way. Thanks for taking the time to tape and post this.

Thank you for making this video. I learned so much! I didnt think contact would be something I could do, but now I have faith!

you are a brilliant teacher, thank you for your time and generosity, much luv :D

so awesome,im learning so much ,exactly what I needed to watch for my desire for staffing but also will use for flags,thankyou

Thank you for gifting us with this awesome lesson!

Thanks for breaking down the basics. So helpful!

Thank you for this lesson. Really good basics i totally missled when i started contact staffs. You are awesome :)

Your a legend buddy! . Best tutorial on the Internet!

Your thorough explanations and multiple forms of demonstration helped me out a ton! I also liked how you were reiterating that everyone's body is different, I can't tell you how many videos have people saying to do stuff "exactly like this".

This is a truly excellent tutorial, thank you very much!!!

This is a good tutorial. It's best if the student breaks it down and pauses and replays each step over and over. The only thing I had an issue with is either end of my contact staff wanted to travel either out or in, but that's only because I need more practice in control.

I know its been a while since you posted this video, but I have been spinning for years and never tried contact... After burning man this year I decided I had to learn. I went though a lot of videos before finding yours and found your teaching method was very useful... My wrist are sore as hell but I learned a good bit. Thanks for the lesson, I look forward to viewing more!

thanks for all your contact staff tutorials, they help me out alot :)

This is Just such a good Video while you come across so chill 🤗

Thank you for posting this video. It's very helpful.

Dude. You´re awesome. Thank you for this video

Dude this is fantastic, thanks.

Hi I just order my 8L contact flow staff from flow toys and I found your tutorials. Very thorough! I haven't been able to try it myself yet but I already feel I have a good base understanding of how to get started with these moves. Very helpful, subscribed.

you are a phenomenal instructor

thanks loads for this. can't wait to put this into practice tomorrow.

your teaching skills are epic

What a good video, need to buy my own practice staff 🤔

I'm watching this in 2022, an I agree with the previous comment! Thanks my friend

Thank you so much!! I've been completely self-teaching myself this, I'm good at that, but this helps! Your video is excellently framed, but you could work on tweaking your audio! Here are a few tips (I'm taking the time to write you some detail since your video helped me; I won't quote any software/hardware except one standard free program everyone trusts that's very useful for this, Audacity): 1) You can wear some sort of a mic with a portable recording device, or a light mic that sends a signal to a recording device. (You don't have to wear something extremely expensive, the idea is just to get basic audio as close to your mouth as possible, something cheapesque right up to your mouth should record better audio levels than this.) Then you can replace the audio in a video editing program and re-render the video. This will lower your video quality just a little in the re-encoding but it should be worth it for the better sound; examine the end video closely and make sure the better sound is worth the slight video loss. 2) With just software: You can extract the audio from a video like this after its recorded. (Be careful with free audio extraction programs, or any free programs in general! They may try to install extra crap on your system; if you take the risk with any free program, make sure you un-check any extra stuff at install, it may be ok, no promises! Better to pay for a professional trusted tool it will usually be more virusfree). When you open the .wav or audio file, you can amplify sections, eg with Audacity (an exception to the be-careful with free audio software rule I just mentioned, Audacity is very trusted, see the Wikipedia article: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Audacity_(audio_editor) or the d/l page audacityteam.org If you manage to get the audio off your video and open with Audacity, you can select an area of the audio, then go up to Effect: Amplify. It will automatically select the highest it can amplify your selection without losing too much quality. (If the it says 0 at the top, trying escaping and selecting an area where the blue spikes aren't so high.) If it's higher than 0, hit OK, and the blue spikes you selected (audio levels) will increase (the blue extends higher and lower). (It's slightly more distorted than recording at the raised levels to begin with but it still makes a BIG difference to the end listener.) You want to amplify to get as much of the blue spikes as extended as possible. (Or follow this general process in another program.) When you have a better audio file, then you can splice the revised audio back onto the video in a video editing program. Again make sure the slight video quality loss from re-encoding the video with the revised audio is worth it; if it's too blurry you may want to scrap everything you just did and post your original recording anyway. Sorry if I sound like a tutorial. I think your vid put me in tutorial mode....hope this helps.

thank you sooo much for this! :) hugs, from Buenos Aires, ARgentina! :)

Thank you. This is very helpful.

nice work love your control

5:12 The inertia from the mass??? lol awesome

best teacher

Awesome, brother! Thanks!

Tanks a lot bro, i'm realy learning !

many thanks for this tutorial

U GOT TO 🐝 ONE OF THE BEST 🐢 📹 ON THE 🌍📻. ✋ 👏 THANKS FOR YOUR INFORMATION KING OF ⏳⌛. FROM JAI JAI.

Hahahhaa 'real estate real estate....clean posture....real estate...clean posture' Made me laugh. Also made me learn! Thanks!

thanks for video, i was learning conveyor belt wrong, i did it even if it took me two weeks, but it is still slopy and climsy. I think it will help me a lot to make it right.

Hey, I love this. you're awesome. Where is the Halo and 360 halo tutorial, though? Thanks!!

well, thats what you call a tutorial ! thanks, im almoste there :D

gracias, explicas muy bien :)., ojalá subas mas tutoriales con diferentes trucos bay bay changay

Thank you for the tutorials, will you be doing more in the future?

Thanks man :D big help!!

Great tutorial James!! Extremely thorough. Your troubleshooting insights are helpful in avoiding those frustrating, "why does THAT keep on HaPpEnInG??!?", practice meltdowns. >. <

I need a 100 class, before this 101, because my staff is just slipping everywhere, from side to side, or rolling on my forearms or my hands & fingers. It's really ultra slippery and infuriating, lol, I'm struggling with a very upset snake, not a calm static staff sticking to your wrist like you have. "Argh" is the word. xD

Thanks professor principal pinch

Thaanks man

hahaha ''fuck you cable!'' Thankyou for your concise explanations and demonstrations, I feel I will be unpacking this video for while and look forward to progressing. I also thoroughly enjoyed the windchimes in the background! Big love from Australia

While I can twirl the staff with my fingers or with both hands I can not seem to get the half wrist wrap. My staff wants to turn towards me. But won’t give up I will learn this.

Thankx

thanks a bunch!!! :-)

I already know how to do the conveyor belt mostly, BUT, I really enjoyed this video and watched it all the way through. Because, I never got to where I can do it continuous smoothly without a hand grip eventually. I had to quit for a while and have lost some skill, intend to get back at it as soon as the weather breaks. Made my own staff also. Couple years ago. Think it was four feet of 4" tape, wound up bout the size of my fist. Exceedingly long burn time. Longer than I have endurance to spin some times. :) Huge flames and absolutely great fire balls at the beginning burn off.

Great tips. Those wind chimes though...

Thank you for the video! It's really helpful! I'm new to contact staff tricks and is the size of the staff matters? I'm tall so do I need a longer staff?

Great video...Love your Staffs...Are u still making your fire staffs? I looked up getting one from you from the links you posted, but Iv found I cant seem to buy one. Is this because Im in England?

Well, trying to follow along to this in my kitchen with a broom handle was probably one of the worst ideas I've had in a long time.. I guess I'll have to save this video till after the snow :/

cool shirt

What kind of stretches can you recommend to be able to bring my elbow into proper posture. I've got tight triceps and biceps. So it may take a while.

Starting today will post video updates of myself. Hugz

You are a great teacher. All other people who do tutorials on staff are just doing show not teaching. Kids might be watching this video. You forget to beep some of fu*cks. They should learn where to say it though 😂

Hey man when will matrix part 2 come out??? I am having an extremely difficult time learning it.

nice tutorial, thank for shared your knowledge, you can tell me what is the measurement that must be of the staff?

I am still trying to figure the first part lol. The staff keeps working its way down my wrist or I keep ending up not at the center

Lol at the washing line!!! ;)

Hi I am trying to buy one of these from you but im unable to find you on etsy or your website!? I want to get a quality one

Really great video, did you cut down the cable?

Where can I get a staff like that? Do I have to build it myself?

was looking to buy one of your staffs unfortunately it seems your etsy.com is down

hello brother, who have to size the baton?

Your deltoid is your shoulder

I cannot get mine to go slow. It falls off my wrist if I go slow.

sir is this for attraction only?

Jameson, thank you for the tutorial. I would like to purchase a contact staff from you, if possible! Do you manufacture the staff still? The Etsy link provided doesn't seem to be valid.

Are staffs heavy? And what are they made of would love to play with one but I have weak wrists

I keep hitting my ass and it hurts!!! Totally makes me want to put the staff down and walk away. Any idea what I'm doing wrong?! Thanks for your amazing content by the way.

do you still have any practice staffs?

Just curious, how do you determine what is the best size of staff you would need?