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I feel as if I have plateaued..
I am stagnant.. I haven’t gotten any better in a long time. I am not flexible enough to do anything involving flexibility… and I don’t know if I just can’t BECOME flexible enough for the splits… is that possible?? That I might NEVER be able to do the splits? And I can’t do split-grip “hold your body off the pole” moves.” I am strong, but apparently, again, something is wrong with me. I WANT to learn more spins, but I am stuck at where I have been for the past several months. I am just frustrated. Especially seeing videos of how awesome everybody is and all the amazing moves they can do.
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5 Replies
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I don’t know if you will believe me when I say this is normal and something almost everyone who poles (or dances, or trains in any creative or movement discipline) feels and goes through. It can be cyclical as well, it often comes before a period of growth and it’s like you have to go through the Autumn and winter of slowing down, or no new growth at all, before it all starts growing and rising up inside you again. Nothing is linear, all of life is about cycles of rising and falling, growing and slowing.
We should not expect constant non stop growth and progression; nothing on this earth has that naturally and anything that tries to force it crashes and burns out.
It’s hard though (can you tell I am in one of these funks myself at the mo?). All I can say is, keep the faith. You may not think you are getting better, but you are. If you practice, all is coming. Practice what you love to do. I forget which world class pole athlete paraphrased the martial arts saying ‘I do not fear the pole artist who has a thousand tricks; I fear the competitor who has practiced HER tricks a thousand times’. And she’s right. You do not have to have super sonic splits or strength powers to be the best you can be, to amaze yourself, to delight yourself with what you can do.
It might be one simple transition that you do from the pole to the floor that becomes YOUR perfect pole moment that defines your dance style – but the way you do it on that beat, with that hair toss, with that look of love on your face because it makes you feel beautiful – that is what makes you a beautiful wonderful pole dancer. And from that transition, you play, and you move, and you build a dance vocabulary through trial and practice that becomes your own. And that’s where you graft and practice, for love, for yourself.
And you know what? By doing that, the other stuff will cone anyway. Because you will get stronger and flexier. But it won’t be something you beat yourself up about any more.
I’m writing to myself as much as you.
Keep dancing.
Keep going.
Keep the faith. -
There is absolutely nothing I could possibly add or subtract from TropicalVertical’s post.
Except to say this: Alethea Austin worked for over 5 years to achieve the splits. Like, nonstop, every damn day, dedicated training. 5 years.
Stick with it, keep going.
To keep yourself interested and engaged, you could always try some new things, like a different style, some tricks you don’t do very often, or putting the things you do well together in weird ways.
Keep working, keep going.
And have faith in yourself. -
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Best advice I’ve ever received came from the best guitarist I’ve ever met:
“Now…I gotta tell you…nobody just picks it up and rocks this shit. You’re gonna suck. You’re gonna suck for a lonnnnnnnng time. It’s okay. Everybody sucks. You will get better but that’s not the goal. When you enjoy playing no matter how you sound that’s how you connect w/ it. All of a sudden you notice you don’t suck anymore and you’re like ‘Okay, cool.’ Just keep playing.”
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I so relate to your struggles right now. Feeling stuck and slow, but hoping to keep at it and feel a surprise here and there 🙂 Thanks for starting this thread $
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