hey there..
as a fellow fire spinner, I wanted to point out to you that anyone who's trying to charge for lessons is most likely ripping you off. This isn't to say that there aren't teachers out there *worth* paying for (see Nick Woolsey at
www.thevenue.org), but I've found a large portion of SF spinners to have their heads up their asses about teaching, to be frank. This isn't true for everyone (and I'm hoping that I'm woefully underinformed on this) but those that I've met have a rather large ego to go with their tiny brains... ie they don't want to teach because then they won't be cool or unique anymore.
Anyway, enough bashing... you should take a look at
www.homeofpoi.com for some free instructional videos.. it's how I learned (though I'll never claim I'm the best). Also, if you ever happen to be in the Sacramento area, I'd be happy to take some time to show you the basics that I've learned over the years in my dabbling.
Good luck, and don't give up... sometimes it's going to hurt, but that's how you know you've done something wrong!
Phyre
