Weaves, also known as Closed Weaves or Simple Weaves, correspondimg to the Chinese term 「正轉」, and also colloquially known as Right Figure Eight, is a closed grip technique.

Weaves is the simplest, most ergonomically friendly, and wrist-friendly technique among tech fan skills. It’s fundamental, relatively easy to learn, and allows beginners to get acquainted with the characteristics of tech fan, familiarizing and adapting to the fan’s plane.

When starting practice, it’s beneficial to exaggerate the movements: first, lift the arms horizontally, then assist the motion by rotating the elbows and waist, getting accustomed to the fan’s rotation method and trajectory. After ample practice, try keeping the arms vertically down close to the body without moving, controlling the fan purely through wrist movements.

The key to this technique lies in smooth spinning, keeping the fan surface almost parallel to the body without flipping the fan. It’s advisable to observe and correct from a side view during practice. It’s recommended to begin practicing with thumb lead first, then with pinky lead. Recommended introductory practice combinations are W-Relation Together Time Opposite Direction, X-Relation Split Time Same Direction.

Open Weaves, corresponding to the Chinese term 「開掌正轉」, is an open grip technique. Open Weaves and Weaves are considered the two fundamental bases of tech fan techniques, with the former’s importance being no less than, if not exceeding, the latter. This technique also represents a big challenge for many beginners, particularly in terms of wrist flexibility.

Due to the characteristics of the tech fan’s plane, coronal plane spinning can be divided into open grip and closed grip. Merely with the difference in the way of holding, the two movements, which are similar in concept and trajectory, feel completely different to the operator. Furthermore, some movements appear quite different in the eyes of the audience.

When starting practice, it’s beneficial to exaggerate the movements: extend the arms with fingers as relaxed as possible, then with the assistance of the other hand’s guidance and inertia, get accustomed to the fan’s rotation method and trajectory. In the process of moving from front to back during thumb lead, and back to front during pinky lead, think of lifting and pushing down, making the wrist pass under the armpit. After ample practice, try keeping the arms vertically down close to the body without moving, controlling the fan purely through wrist movements.

The key to this technique lies in smooth spinning, keeping the fan surface almost parallel to the body without flipping the fan. It’s advisable to observe and correct from a side view during practice. It’s recommended to begin practicing with pinky lead first, then with thumb lead. Recommended introductory practice combinations are O-Relation Spilt Time Same Direction, S-Relation Spilt Time Opposite Direction.

Cross-Weaves, also known as Open Cross-Weaves, correspondimg to the Chinese term 「側轉」, and also colloquially known as Left Figure Eight, is an open grip technique.

A Cross-Weaves is essentially performing a Weaves with the hand on the non-native side of the body. When starting practice, try understanding this technique by turning your body: start with a Weaves, arms extended and facing backwards, then continue to do Weaves while the body slowly rotates 180 degrees towards the direction of the arm, achieving the Cross-Weaves.

Next, try performing a 4b Cross-Weaves: start with an Open Weaves, and while spinning, move the arm across the front of the body to the non-native side, completing one Cross-Weaves before returning to the native side. During the motion, the fan rotates four times, making it a 4b Cross-Weaves. After ample practice, try starting directly on the non-native side with straight arms, controlling the fan purely through wrist movements.

The key to this technique lies in stable posture, not letting the hand’s operation on the non-native side affect the body’s flexibility and balance. It’s advisable to observe and correct from a frontal view during practice. It’s recommended to begin practicing with thumb lead first, then with pinky lead. Recommended introductory practice combinations are O-Relation Split Time Same Direction, S-Relation Together Time Opposite Direction (refer to Crosser for detailed introduction).

BTB-Weaves, also known as Open BTB-Weaves, corresponding to the Chinese term 「背轉」, is an open grip technique. BTB stands for Behind The Back. BTB-Weaves is the most difficult of the six fundamental techniques and poses a significant challenge for many beginners. Stretching greatly aids in mastering this technique.

A BTB-Weaves is essentially performing a Weaves while extending the hand from behind to the non-native side of the body. This technique is often combined with Open Weaves to form a 4b BTB-Weaves: start with an Open Weaves, and while spinning, move the arm behind the body to the non-native side, completing one BTB-Weaves before returning to the native side. During the motion, the fan rotates four times, making it a 4b BTB-Weaves.

When starting practice, try performing a 4b BTB-Weaves, using the guidance of the other hand and inertia to get accustomed to the rotation method and trajectory of BTB-Weaves. After ample practice, try continuous BTB-Weaves on the non-native side with stationary arms, controlling the fan purely through wrist movements.

The key to this technique lies in hand position, ideally, the fingertips should be able to touch the navel, while practically, at least two knuckles should extend beyond the waist. Although the fan surface may not be easily parallel to the body, the smaller the angle between the fan surface and the body plane, the more visible the fan surface. It’s advisable to observe and correct from a frontal view during practice. For the right hand, it’s recommended to begin practicing with pinky lead first, then with thumb lead, and vice versa for the left hand. Recommended introductory practice combinations is 4b O-Relation Split Time Same Direction (refer to BTB for detailed introduction).

ATH-Weaves, also known as Closed ATH-Weaves, corresponding to the Chinese term 「繞頭正轉」, is a closed grip technique. ATH stands for Around The Head. ATH-Weaves is the least used among the six fundamental techniques, but as the core component of the Windmill series, its value should not be underestimated.

The ATH-Weaves is essentially performing a Weaves around the head. When starting practice, begin with a Weaves, then slowly move the arms to the top of the head to achieve the ATH-Weaves. Pay careful attention to head safety during practice.

In rare cases, the ATH-Weaves can be performed as a Closed Body-tracing ATH-Weaves through Body-tracing, where Body-tracing refers to the hand’s trajectory staying close to the body during the spin. These two can be considered different techniques, and the Closed Body-tracing ATH-Weaves is generally regarded as a useless technique.

The key to this technique lies in smooth spinning, keeping the fan surface almost parallel to the body without flipping the fan, aiming for a perfect circle trajectory. It’s advisable to observe and correct from a frontal view during practice. For the right hand, it’s recommended to begin practicing with pinky lead first, then with thumb lead, and vice versa for the left hand. Recommended introductory practice combinations is O-Relation Split Time Same Direction (refer to Windmill for detailed introduction).

Rotation, corresponding to the Chinese term 「空轉」, can be performed with either an open or closed grip. Rotation is primarily a coronal plane technique, with little value in non-coronal planes. It is the most unique among the six fundamental techniques, often serving as a linkage or support in maneuvers.

Rotation involves the fan rotating around the hand on a plane, utilizing centrifugal force, akin to the principle of a hula hoop. When starting practice, begin by slightly reversing direction, swing the arm to provide initial momentum, then gradually reducing the arm’s swinging amplitude. After ample practice, try starting with the least amount of momentum and attempt to stop at various speeds and positions. It is advisable to wear gloves during practice to prevent friction burns.

Rotation commonly encompasses palm rotation and thumb rotation, which are widely applicable in almost any situation. Rotation typically involves one complete rotation, occasionally less than one for some movements, and consecutive four-finger rotations for certain Flower. During Rotation, the hand and the fan always maintain a single point of contact and do not separate.

The key to this technique lies in stable control, accurately starting and stopping, maintaining fast and slow speeds without the fan flying out during rotation. It’s recommended to begin practicing palm rotations first, then thumb rotations. Recommended introductory practice combinations is Wall Plane Flower (refer to Flower for detailed introduction).