having problems trying to start the powerball

[gamerguy]

hi, i just purchased the powerball yesterday. however, i have tried for about 100 times now and have only succeeded in getting the powerball to a consistent high speed about 5 times or so. even now i still can't get the powerball to start every time i want.
problem is, i've already followed the instructions on the manual, on this webpage and even followed some tips from the forum. is it really that hard to start the powerball? did anyone encounter the same problem as me?

[Adrena1in]

Took me about 20 times to get it started, but some people get the knack straight away, some people take a bit longer.

What happens when it doesn't start? Does the rotor knock and change direction a lot and then slow down? How many revs can you achieve with a strong pull of the string? How long does it take to slow down if you grip it tight, whip the string out and then just hold it, without trying to speed it up?

It could be that something's wrong, and there's too much resistance inside the Powerball, and this would make it very difficult to start up.

[Kabz85]

hey Adrena1in
im having a similar problem to gamerguy but mine does spin at around 3000 revs wen i pull the string n there isnt any knocking noise but the problem i face is that i cant seem to speed it up all the time. the first few attempts it jst slowed down on me bt this morning i tried it agen n i somehow managed jst over 7000 RPM bt i dont knw wot i did different. do u have any tips on how to keep it rolling and increase the speed? maybe its the direction of rotation of my wrist or my grip, bt i cant be sure.
thanx

[Enda]

I have seen a lot that people who just can't master the technique with their right get it immediately once they try with their left. If you swop back to your right again you will have no problems.

Other than that, try holding the Powerball in a different way. I always get a Powerball going by holding it like a glass in my hand with the rotor facing upwards.

I place my thumb on the rim of the Powerball near the exposed rotor and 'flick' my wrist in a downward and slightly forward motion.

This gets the rotor going easily for those who cannot master the technique easily.

Regards

Enda
--

[gamerguy]

Took me about 20 times to get it started, but some people get the knack straight away, some people take a bit longer.

What happens when it doesn't start? Does the rotor knock and change direction a lot and then slow down? How many revs can you achieve with a strong pull of the string? How long does it take to slow down if you grip it tight, whip the string out and then just hold it, without trying to speed it up?

It could be that something's wrong, and there's too much resistance inside the Powerball, and this would make it very difficult to start up.

when it doesn't start, the rotor does knock quite a bit(but not too much). it changes directions a few times and because of that, it seems to slow down.

when i grip it tight, whip the string out and then just hold, the rotor turns in one direction and slows down after about 6 seconds ie. the rotor stops turning but continues spinning.

so it could be the problem with my powerball having too much resistance?

[Adrena1in]

No offence, but it just sounds to me like your technique isn't quite right. If it keeps revolving for at least 6 seconds, and then continues to spin freely, this is fine.

It's what you said about it knocking and changing direction which implies your technique needs working on. Don't worry though, it's quite common. I like to tell people to imagine that the Powerball has a wooden spoon sticking out of the opening where the rotor is, and if you hold the Powerball with the counter into your palm, imagine you're stiring a saucepan of soup with the wooden spoon. Start off making one "stir" roughly every second, then gradually speed this up to two "stirs" every second. Keep the stiring action smooth and consistent and the Powerball won't knock and change direction.

Keep doing this action for several minutes, then speed it up a little more. (You might want to stop for a while if your muscles are starting to burn).

Just stick with it and the technique will click and become natural before too long.

[dcash10181]

I would have to agree with Adrena!in.

I think it is the technique which requires some time time, patience, and practice. I've seen some people to just get it right away and also people who just have the "stiff wrist" that make it difficult to get it going.

One thing that seemed to help some people I have shown the Powerball to is to imagine, or even better, tie a pencil to a string and spin it around slow so that you rotation is equal and balanced to the pencil's rotation. If you do it right the middle of the string will not move at a specific point. Now if you try with Powerball, imagining that same balance you achieved with the string, you should pretty much get into the rythym of the motion. Also important is to listen to the Powerball so you can find the "pulse" to gauge your speed of rotation.

I hope that helps a little.

Listen to the ball. Be the ball.

:D

Always Powerballing,
Duane Cash

[Bulman]

well i dont know if any one has mentioned it but i found after useing the powerball (tecno) and going really fast and going for a long time that it doesnt start up but about half an hour later it worked i dont know why but it did (it might not of been half an hour later that just when i tried agein) but now my powerballs about a week old it doesnt do that any more well it might just havent tried but all that i know of it hasnt

[Crowley1972]

Just received my Powerball yesterday, but I can't get the rotor to spin up using the string :-(. My mate laughed at me at first, but tried himself and he has the same problem. I tried his ball and started it first time....tried several times to make sure it wasn't a fluke and every time I started it.

Comparing the two balls, the hole in the rotor of his ball appears 'deeper'. Could this be the problem? Because of the depth is the string able to grip better and start the ball?

Can anyone advise me please?