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The good side and the bad side :)
It’s Thursday night and I’m sitting outside the gym waiting for my son to finish basketball practice so I thought I’d get a little convo going…
I’m all for even-ness, especially when it comes to strength training or even stretching… But there are some things I don’t feel feel like I need to be able to do on both sides…. I don’t try and write with my left hand after all!!! I don’t throw a ball with my left hand! I only practice dentistry with my right hand (mirror holding excluded).
I usually try moves on both, sometimes I’m surprised by the result… Like it’s easier to Gemini on my bad invert side because it’s my better knee grip.
Now I think moves like inverts and Gemini are good to work on both sides because they are good transitions and I can see that being important….
Mostly I mean moves that require building up some tough skin… I always climb with my right foot behind the pole. Does everyone else do this? Or do you mix it up? Things like Teddy.,, yeah, I don’t think I’m going to work on my non-dom side teddy too much.
I try and keep it even if I think there is a strength component I can gain from practicing it… But sometimes with some moves, I think “eh, I don’t care enough to really get it on my other side”. I know sometimes you’ll end up in a spot in your dance that will transition into a move on your bad side… But a move like teddy or yogini I just can’t see that happening. And if I was choreographing a routine I’d make sure not to put certain moves on my bad side.
How does everyone else feel?!?
I’m just feeling chatty 😠and of course I’d always rather chat about pole than anything else!
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15 Replies
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I think a lot of the merit to practicing things on both side can be muscular balance in general. Like I treat a lot of clients with chronic injuries just cuz they use the computer mouse with the same hand for years or tattoo artists who always maintain the same position when they work. So I’ll train both sides to get as close in strength as possible but the further I get down the line….the worse I am about it 😳 (I’m the absolute 100% worst when training hooping both sides cuz that is just SO much harder for some reason….but trying to be better…)
On the foot climbing thing…I always seem to climb with the same foot behind too…if I’m purposefully practicing climbing and thinking about it I’ll switch from left to right but I haven’t been doing that much. I also do a weird thing where regardless of what side I’m inverting on, my left leg tends to hook. So if I invert in my right side I’m almost guaranteed to naturally invert into gemini, if I invert on my left I’m pretty much going to invert right into scorpio. I have NO idea why this is. Maybe it’s like your the knee grip strength, I hadn’t thought of that!
Yogini and teddy I’m not dead set on training both sides cuz neither are moves I find to be super beautiful, although I do like some of the teddy variations I see so maybe that will change. They are such killer lat strengthened though….but so are shoulder mounts!
When it comes down to it, training both sides can be incredibly beneficial as a dancer for fluidity but I train both sides more to achieve muscular balance. Things like inverts you sort of twist your body so it’s good to twist it both ways if that makes sense? And climbing engages your front and back foot differently so it’s good for both sides to get each type of movement. But I don’t see much sense in going super crazy perfect for everything on both sides unless you really want to ^_^
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Good point Lucca, I hadn’t thought of it like that.
I do always TRY to do it on both sides… it doesn’t always work that way though. I’m not really training things over and over again at this point so I don’t really feel like I’m prone to those repetitive task injuries… but that’s silly, and I guess now is the time to do it, when I’m in the early stages.
I never really thought about things like this until I started pole but I always carry my purse on the same shoulder (left) and really have a lot of habits like that that are very one sided… it honestly makes me not feel so bad about climbing one way. 🙂 But maybe I’ll try and mix it up a little
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Trying is pretty darn good I think! I mean do pitchers train to throw both left and right side? Do gymnasts train both sides equally? Ice skaters? I’m not really sure (and am going to text my figure skater friend…) hahaha
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One of my instructors danced for FIVE YEARS only working one side and said she kicked herself later for having to relearn everything on the other side >_
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I agree with training both sides on tricks that require strength like you mentioned; inverts, shoulder mounts, leg holds. it’s probably not necessary for teddy, yogini. the only benefit in trying those moves on each side is to see which side you prefer. I think it probably is important to climb using both sides. I have to make myself switch foots when climbing.i’m really bad about that! 🙂 I think switching which foot you climb with actually works the grip of your non-dominant hand too. I dont think you have to be perfect on both sides. and yes, maybe working both sides does prevent you from injuring your dominant side of your body. it gives that shoulder, hand, etc. a break while you work the other side. I have found I dont have a true dominant side. it’s kind of weird. every trick is different for me. so I find it essential to work both sides evenly. but teddies and yogini, not really. I will do both sides because I’m a little ocd like that, but it’s totally not necessary. I recently took a few boxing lessons and felt weird when I was told to only work my dominant side. I really felt like I should have been doing both sides! haha! yes, I wonder about other sports and types of gymnastics if they work both sides….
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Ice skaters typically only train one side too, few are ambidextrous. Not saying it’s right for pole, but in case anyone’s curious >_
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(At the same time im pretty inspired to train my non dom hoop side now)
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As a former artistic and rhythmic gymnast, yes they train both sides if you go to a good gym. Actually, a few years ago, RG changed their code of points that half of your elements needed to be on your weak side to decrease injuries from over-training the good side.
I think training both sides is important, but not total equality. All moves require strength so continually working one will result in imbalances that will result in injury eventually. I always do both, even though one side can do more advanced variations.
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I think it’s good to try new things on both sides, and I have surprised myself on occasion. And I think it’s good to do conditioning work on both sides. Sometime, when I’m really motivated, I add an extra set to my non-dom side. I do work on climbing with both feet, and sometimes inverting, I don’t really do much pole practicing on both sides though except spins. I can do all my spins fairly evenly on both sides and am weirdly proud of that. 😆
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I try everything on both sides. However, I really work on climbing and more transition work on both sides so that I can trick on my better side.
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I make a point of always working my weak side as well, pretty much everything I do i will always do two, one each side. cos it just feels like it balances me. It’s funny when I first got my shoulder mount it was equally scrappy both sides, but within a week or two I could already feel the difference that one side was much easier! It made me laugh because from the beginning I had always tried it equally both sides =^ so that just makes me work my weak side more haa! And I do find that different moves feel better on different sides so it’s good to juggle!
And yes definitely good for giving your muscles a break on your strong side – there is no way I would be able to pole as long if I only practiced one side I would be ruined! ! I find chopping and changing between sides evens out the oww and ache haha. I would be walking wonky for a week afterwards if I only poled one sided! My teacher has not learnt a lot of things on her weak side and it doesn’t seem to affect her at all but personally I wouldnt like to only be able to do everything on one side- i like to know whichever way I end up on the pole I can know that my body knows what it’s doing both sides =p
random extra point though – I’ve started seeing a local physio/PT who specialises in movement function, and it turns out my left shoulder is much stiffer and more inflexible than my right which is not what I expected… interesting !! (Although I am right handed, but my naturally stronger invert side is stood to the left of the pole..) funny !! It’s harder than it seems to keep everything even haha.. -
I do everything both sides. My ‘good’ side is generally much better but my bad side catches up eventually. I also try to sometimes start with the good side and sometimes with the bad, so it hopefully becomes habit to be able to do either as needed 🙂
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I definitely work on both sides and I agree with everyone, it is good practice to do so. For some reason, climbing on my opposite side eludes me without thinking it through A LOT, and my bracket grip is hopeless as well. I am left-handed so I tend to learn things “righty” to follow along with my instructor.
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Ha climbing! I can side climb both sides no prob but basic climb, x ankle climb, performance climb etc etc I can only do right leg front. If I need the other leg in front I just climb up right leg then switch front legs once I am up there!
I just cannot climb left leg first, I mount the pole and freeze, my body won’t cooperate. -
Here are my thoughts.
Always try both sides when learning something new, you never know which side will feel more comfortable or be stronger.
Learn beginner and as many intermediate to advanced things that you are COMFORTABLE with. As long as you do the basics or other off pole strength work, on both sides you’ll be fine. And there’s no reason to push things like extended butterflies, pencils and things that take a good amount of balance, grip security and place you in a head down (towards floor) position.
Really as long as you to strength work on or off pole on both sides you’ll be ok.
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