Nothing discourages a newcomer more than a ribbon that is knotted after just a few swings. The difficulty is almost never in the ribbon, but rather in ragged circles, sudden stops, or tension in the wrist. The ribbon follows the hand, so any hesitation or jerky movement immediately manifests as the loops running into each other. Begin by holding the stick loosely, as though it might slip from your grasp at any moment. This will help you move smoothly rather than clenching it so tightly that you are apt to develop a stiff, choppy motion that binds up the ribbon.
Draw slow horizontal circles alongside your body before moving to waves and spirals. Envision the ribbon tail tracing a ring on a wall. If your circle gets bigger or tilts, the ribbon will sag and crease. Novices tend to move their whole arm from the shoulder, creating wobbly circles. Use your wrist to guide the motion, letting your elbow move as it wants. This smaller movement will maintain the size of your circle and keep the ribbon from cracking on the ground.
The height of the working hand is also important. If it falls too far down, the ribbon will lose air and fold onto itself. Make sure to keep it just above waist level to let gravity help you to pull the ribbon downwards. If the ribbon still gets tangled, it would be better to slow down instead of rushing through. Rushing without control only causes more mistakes. A good remedy is to give the ribbon a chance to settle fully after each pattern. This simple action prevents any leftover loops from interfering with the next pattern.
Even a few minutes a day can make a big difference. Warm up the shoulder and wrist a little, practice single circles, first clockwise and then counterclockwise, calling out loud to keep the timing correct. Then practice small figure eights, where the top and bottom circles are even, and then try a walking step and try to maintain the ribbon while stepping, don’t worry about speed, just synchrony. Watch yourself from the side to see if your circles are forward or backward.
Newbies often assume the fault is their own when the ribbon doesn’t cooperate, but in truth the ribbon is just amplifying any irregularity of motion. And so you persist until the ribbon, once knotted up all the time, begins to unfurl into smooth figures in the air. When it goes smoothly, it doesn’t feel like manipulating a ribbon so much as pouring a river of ribbon that unfurls at your whim.