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Tips/Advice for Tiny Hands?
After asking for advice on both Studio Veena and other online pole dance communities, I recently bought a 45 mm TG X-pole to use at home. I’m finding that as a beginner, I’m definitely having some grip issues, but it also feels like it’s being made worse by my small-sized hands (about 6 inches from wrist to tip of middle finger). I’ve attached a picture of what my grip looks like on my 45 mm pole – my fingertips still don’t touch. I’m really glad I followed everyone’s advice and got a 45 mm over the 40 mm since 45 is the standard, but sometimes I get frustrated by my small hands. Does anyone have advice for improving grip and overcoming tiny hands? I sometimes use Dry Hands but don’t want to overrely on it.
Thanks in advance!
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4 Replies
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Hey Macabre!
I think that it looks fine. In my case, I have very large hands (I could get my fingers completely around a 50mm) and it really never helped me at all! On my 45mm, the fact that my fingers are longer, and that my hands are large, hasn’t helped or hindered me in any way.
Mainly, what I’ve found, is strength to be an issue, rather than reach! My forearm strength has dwindled a bit since I stopped rock climbing, and without that, my grip strength has gone. I struggle sometimes, but I’ve been working hard to get the strength back.
You can purchase grip-strength, uh, strengtheners? They’re often at placed that sell climbing gear and such. Some look like rubber rings (that’s what I have) that you squeeze as hard as you can! Depending on where on your fingers you place it, the harder it gets- out toward your fingertips is hardest!
Also, for actually gripping the pole, I don’t find that I ever really try to grip it super hard all the way around. When I spin, most of the strength and grip comes from right around my main knuckles, and is created by the force I’m placing on my hands pressing outward away from the pole. No thumb required 😉 And, for anything split-grip, the “gun position” makes a lot of the finger wrap a moot point. Any kind of climbing or other things is more about what’s happening between thumb and other fingers, with your palm, instead of actual finger strength or grip.So, I think you’ll be just fine working with the 45! Remember that, as a beginner, your grip strength will simply grow and get better! Be good to your forearms, and they’ll be good to you 🙂
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I have little hands too… Your grip strength just gets stronger the more you practice. There’s really nothing special you have to do. Just keep poling and it will get stronger. Nothing wrong with using dry hands if your hands are slippery 🙂
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Hey there Macabre! I feel your pain for sure – I have tiny hands as well, I actually just measured them because I was curious and they’re about the same size that yours are (middle finger just barely passes the 6 inch mark, measuring wrist to tip of middle finger). I’d also say my grip on a 45mm looks about the same as yours.
I’ve been poling for a little longer than 1 1/2 years, and these days my grip feels pretty solid on a 45mm. I can hold a split grip pretty well and I’ve got a good, wide reverse grab spin on a 45 that feels very secure. I use Dry Hands pretty rarely on a 45 (usually only when I start to get pretty sweaty). So there is hope! You will get there!
Honestly, I’m pretty sure the reason my grip feels so secure on a 45 despite the size of my hands is because I’m forced to work with a 50mm pole most of the time (3-4 days of the week, I only get to use a 45mm once a week when I go to lessons). This is a good way to get a solid grip, but man is it frustrating as hell. I’ve actually fallen out of quite a few reverse grabs that I’ve tried on a 50mm, even when I just used Dry Hands and I thought my grip felt solid. I can only hold a split grip for a few seconds before I come sliding down, and I use buckets of Dry Hands all the time whenever I work with a 50mm.
Other than that, your grip strength will grow as you pole, regardless of what diameter you’re using. It will get stronger even if you never touch a 50mm 🙂
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Everyone is right–you can improve your grip strength even if your hands are small. We do some grip exercises in my conditioning class. Aerial silks and rock climbing are great ways to cross-train your grip.
For people with small hands, it can be beneficial to focus on cup grip (for things like handsprings). When you are using cup grip, it doesn’t matter how big the pole is since you’re not trying to wrap your thumb around. So for any move that has a cup grip variation, try learning it. It seems hard at first but once you get used to it it’s fine!
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