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Almost getting a move (progress) then losing it :(
I am feeling SO SO down with my poling tonight 🙁 Last week I managed to get my Cartwheel Mount from kicking up and then coming back down, to suddenly getting my legs up near the pole and holding for a bit before coming down. My body wasn't straight, it was bent, but my legs were up there and it felt amazing. I was SO happy. I did it again for several days.
I rested for a couple days and then tried to do it again, and couldn't, and then I slammed my swinging foot (heel) into my grounded foot as I tried to swing my leg back and jarred my big toenail badly causing extreme EXTREME pain and bleeding etc 🙁 Today it feels better and I tried to do a few mounts tonight and I am back to square one… kicking up and my feet not even going up above anymore. I am exhausted from trying!
Is it normal for this to happen? Will I ever get my progress back or should I just stop for now and quit trying 🙁 I feel I can't do anything cool or impressive except for my elbow grip straight edge holds and everyone else is cartwheel and handspring mounting, doing twisted grip stuff and I can't do those things at *all*
Tonight I told hubby I want to sell my pole and pack it all in. This feeling SUCKS! Stupid pole 🙁
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10 Replies
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Yes, this sounds normal. Actually, both "losing" movements and feeling frustrated are normal. Don't be so hard on yourself, though, I myself am very impressed about how you are progressing! A few threads ago you were struggling with the aysha, now you hold a beautiful straight edge confidently and you have managed the cartwheel mount – even if it was during one practice… You are rocking it! Keep working and you will soon be doing it perfectly! Good luck.
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Thats not uncommon at all! Actually it tends to happen with most new moves, I will be getting the trick over and over again, take a break, then I cant repeat the trick to save my life and am forced to start all over agian. Its also happened with moves I used to be able to do blindfolded and one hand behind my back (metiforically of course) and just not doing the trick in so long that I lost the trick and was forced to compleatly relearn a trick. (The latter happened with my elbow grip ayisha, and superman). Almost have it back again. But the one that gave me the most issues like what your talking about was the knee hold.
Just dust yourself off, yell at your pole for being difficult, and do a fun session with some of your favorite moves. Then go back to it. You WILL get there again.
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Happens to me a lot. One month I'll have it, next month gone. Just breathe and try not to be frustrated. Remember, there's many other tricks you can do, there's always time to relearn.
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shellectra, tricks aren't impressive. dancing is. stop putting so much pressure on yourself and it will come back, whne you're not overthinking it. your body knows what it's doing, your head is getting in the way.
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Not uncommon at all! I lose the twisted grip all the time, then it comes back again. I believe I overthink tricks sometimes, and that gets in my way. I got the regular handspring on Saturday, but I have a feeling it will be gone by Friday when I go back and practice with my friend again! I lost the cartwheel mount a couple times also, it is frustrating, but with persistance, they come back!
Don't give up, just keep working on things 🙂 Give yourself a break from the frustration of the lost move, and practice things you know, or something new you want to try. Then go back to trying the lost trick and you may be surprised – it may be waiting for you!
I've said the same thing as you, about selling my pole and packing it in, because of my serious lack of flexibility, but I'd be sad without my pole time!
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It happened to me recently with the chopper. It took me a very long time to get and now I’ve lost it. While its very frustrating I find that I benefit from a little time off to practice dancing instead of just tricks. I love when I can see progress in my movements and fluidity as well.
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As someone currently writing up a PhD thesis that's related to motor learning*, I can confirm that having skills and losing them is 100% normal in the learning process. When you learn something new the way you do it will be subtly different all the time, and things like your balance point, which muscles you use, the exact positioning of your limbs, etc, etc will vary wildly. This is because your brain needs to work out exactly how to activate itself to get you to do the move, and it does so through trial and error.
In something like a gemini, you won't really notice how variable you are, because you have a huge margin for error where you can do it completely differently but still stick to the pole, and the only difference is in your lines. So even a reasonably large difference in how you do the trick will still technically be a gemini. In an aysha or a cartwheel, your balance is much more precarious so even a small variation will cause you to fall down.
The thing about learning a lot of skills very quickly (which is something I do too) is that it means that from a neurological point of view, you probably haven't mastered a lot of them. You need to keep repeating, and repeating, and repeating until all the variability goes away and your brain can give stable, consistent instructions to your muscles. Even then, every time you move to a different pole, lose or gain weight, get more flexible, get dehydrated, etc, it will make you more variable again. So you keep practicing, and gradually your brain gets better at compensating for all of those factors and you really master a move.
Personally, I can say that although I can aysha and sometimes cartwheel, I am still months away from mastering them. I face the same problem that I think you do that I get a big payoff for learning new tricks, but find it harder to feel happy about my improvements in fluidness, confidence, or consistency. And I wonder if you're as unfairly hard on yourself as I am on myself. So what do we do?
Amy's suggestion of working on some dance is a good one, because you haven't mastered any trick until you can work it into a dance. I can tell you now that while I'm advanced in terms of just getting up and doing tricks, I'm a solid intermediate when it comes to incorporating anything into dance. And almost still a beginner at free dancing. Seriously, the other day I inverted, got into a pole handstand and just froze up and didn't know what to do next. But incorporating tricks into dance will really help your brain learn to do them in different contexts.
Also, video your dancing and combos, watch them back and black out the backgrounds on pictures like you already do. That will help you to notice your improvements in dance skills, and in your lines. I don't know how you black out the backgrounds, but I start out by drawing a black outline aroung myself in Paint.net which helps me really notice my lines. Hopefully that will help you to feel a sense of achievement out of mastering new moves as well as just learning them.
* I hope this all makes sense. I'm trying to recall Esther Thelen's fascinating work on dynamic systems theory as it relates to infant motor development and apply the theory to poledancing, so I hope I didn't get too cringe-inducingly pop science, or conversely too confusing. Incidentally my PhD is looking at dynamic systems theory as it applies to children's speech.
Sorry for the novel, but this is a really interesting topic to me. Sending lots of encouragement your way, and remember this is a totally normal part of the learning process.
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LOVE your post, cinara!!
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Its totally normal sweetie, dont give up!! I used to be able to do the shoulder mount and then one day I tried and couldnt even get my feet more than 10 inches off the ground. No matter how many times I work on that move I feell like its never coming back…as a matter of fact I was better at it the first time I eveer tried it than I am now!! Its super frustrating but I've learned to stop focusing on it…I give it a try every now and then some days I feel likee crying cuz it seems so far gone and then boom, I'll surprise myself and get just a little better..but my time and energy is no longer wasted on redundantly trying to master it…theres a ton of stuff I cant do, so I work on a move or two and just have fun dancing with the moves I do have totally down already. When ur really in need of a pick up put on a good song, forget the move all together and just do what flows from you and dont forget to glance in the mirror at your self 🙂 Dont throw in the towel over one move, not when you have already come so far! Celebrate what you have accomplished so far girl!!
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Thankyou all so so much! For all your amazing and detailed responses! I feel a lot better today, last night I was tired and emotional I guess. I just wish I could keep the same progress with this move – I was so happy less than a week ago when I kicked up and held…sure it was not a perfect mount, but feeling that “hold” was amazing. Now I think about it too much and over analyse the move and feel a but hesitant.
Cinara I love your post, I’m sure its what is happening with me. The mind sure gets in the way sometimes!! Cartwheel mount and tg handspring are 2 of my ultimate goals…but I also have to remind myself they are 2 quite advanced moves and to b patient!!
Today I poled for 2hrs and did a very cool shoulder mount which felt easier than it ever has, held an elbow grip s/edge for ages and got the gemini-scorpio switch so I had a good session. I feel “stronger” for sure even tho I still look sloppy most of the time !
As soon as I get some sort of video editing program (what do u all use?) I can put up some vids, they are all on my camera just waiting :/
Thanks guys!!!
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