Why does the rotor ‘slap’ as it spins?

Reason: Poor user technique

Solution: Match the wrist rotation to the speed of the rotor

Detailed Explanation: Once you have initially jump started the rotor with the cord (please click on the following video for a visual solution or review the written instructions here) it is important that you synchronise your wrist rotation speed so that it fully aligns with the rotor speed.

From experience, you will see that a good, sharp pull on the cord will leave the rotor spinning at around 2500/3000rpm.

From that point, unless you begin to ‘agitate’ the rotor by rotating your wrist, the rotor speed will begin to die (natural laws of physics! ?

You therefore must begin rotating your wrist at a slow, steady pace so that it manages to sync perfectly with the spinning rotor in the sphere and helps to both sustain and build its speed.

This is easier to do than it sounds;

If you are a beginner with Powerball, we recommend wide, lazy wrist turns, such as if you were stirring a pot, whisking eggs or waxing a car – about 5/6″ in diameter, about 1 or 2 turns each second.

It is all about “feel” – you will immediately know that you are at the correct speed as you will begin to feel a resistance to your wrist rotation efforts (when you are out of sync, there will be no resistance, the rotor may ‘slap’ around noisily inside the sphere and it will feel as if you are just turning your hand around the wrist joint – when in sync however, there will be a pleasant, soothing resistance to your efforts and the Powerball will suddenly feel much heavier in your hand!)

Once you feel this resistance (otherwise known as Gyroscopic Inertia), slowly begin to increase the speed of your wrist rotations (NOTE: it is important that only the wrist rotates – your arm must remain steady and in the one position) – this will serve to increase the actual speed at which the rotor is spinning which, in turn, will increase the resistance being inflicted on your hand/wrist/arm.

Once again, if you are trying to turn your wrist too fast while at these slow starting speeds or, if your turning circles are too small, you will hear (and feel!) the rotor slapping noisily inside the sphere – if this happens, simply slow the speed of your turns or increase the size of the turn (dimensionally); this will immediately help to bring you back in sync with the spinning rotor and the speed will build proportionally once again.