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I just cannot get these moves!
I've been poling for over a year now and can shoulder mount, iguana mount, basic elbow grip aysha….. but I just cant get…..
– a no handed scorpio
– allegra
– superman
– CAR
Scorpio – the bane of my life. I slip down instantly and have no grip at all (it's not my pole… it's me with this move https://www.studioveena.com/img/smilies/icon_e_sad.gif), I learn this about 8 months ago and I keep going back to it in the hope I will one day it will click into place but no luck. I have done it a handful of times, so I obviously can do it but no where near to the standard that I want. If someone asks me to do a no handed scorpio I instantly think…nooo! lol
My gemini is fine, it's just the scorpio is giving me so much jip. I've tried with my foot hooked at the top of the pole, I've tried having my whole calf contacting the pole. I can do it holding on no problem…. I simply cant get the grip to stay up there with just my leg https://www.studioveena.com/img/smilies/icon_evil.gif
Allegra. I've been taught two different ways of doing this and cant seem to get either. I feel I have the strength now (especially after trying to do it for so long!). My body kind of falls down too much and then I don't have enough grip with the one hand to hold me up. I can do it holding the pole at the bottom but not in a way that looks presentable!
Superman. To try and get into this I invert, gemini (outside leg hang), pull up and try and turn around. When I'm at the point of turning around it's as if the pole is too far back so I don't have the grip at the top of my thighs.
CAR – Another one I've been trying for months and months. I've read ever help thread possible on this one, tried all the techniques I could find and still cant get it. Again I can't seem to get the thigh grip and if I do just about get it, I slide down so have to pull myself back up again so I dont hit the floor. Is there a particular leg that is meant to cross on top or does it not matter?
My pole is not particularly slippy, at this time of year it seems to be the best for grip so I think it must be my technique *sigh*
It getting really frustrating and the more frustrated I get the less I can do it! ha. So if anyone has any other tips or tutorial videos that might help any of these… please share! (I dont have Veena's lessons so YT or user vids on here would be great)
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12 Replies
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scorpio: couldn´t it be that your grip problem depends on your skin? then you could try it of course with grip aids, although this wouldn´t be the best solution. but as you already tried different hook variation, i can´t figure out what else might be the problem.
allegra: i struggeled a bit with this to, for me the easiest way to get into it is from the flatline scorpio. because in this way it´s easy to grip around you leg.
superman: when you pull up you should grip with one hand under yourself, so that you are in the "side v". then get as close to the pole with your booty as you can. another way to get into it is from the pike hip hold, just grip over your booty and lift you upper body.
i hope trying to get the tricks in another way can help you as it already helped me sometimes.
when i do the ckr i have my right leg at the top, but i think there´s no difference. but you should definitly try the other side, if you haven´t yet. maybe it´ll help.
furthermore i think it´s easier and safer so learn it from a handstand than from the polesit. in the handstand you can always hold yourself with the arms and change your leg position to find the right one, which will allow you to let your hands go without sliding down.
wish you good look with your tricks, i´m sure you´ll get them! you could also post videos, then it would be easier to see, what you could do different
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I tend to have the opposite problem to you in that my legs are really grippy, but my hands slip easily, but here are a few tips I've picked up that might help:
Scorpio – Just a terminology check: this is the outside leg hang, right? It seems like it from your description, but I've heard a few people from the UK who use scorpio for the inside leg hang, so thought I'd check. Invert into an inverted V / chopper first, but keep your chest up, rather than dropping your body back against the pole like you would for a gemini. This will help you get some side grip on the pole. (Make sure you have a bare midriff). I find side grip is just as important as leg grip. Hook your leg with a slight bend, so the pole runs across your thigh. Then, drop your other (free) leg down as far as you can, before finally lowering your body. Once it's lowered you can add some back of armpit grip too, but I find I don't need to. This feels much more secure than the way I first learned it (but is also more painful on my thigh).
In general, I think the scorpio is under-estimated. It's easy to sort-of do, but surprisingly difficult to do properly.
Allegra – I haven't managed this one yet, so I don't have any great advice. My problem is the opposite of yours: I try to roll my body over and just get my leg fat stuck and my love handle pinched and I'm in too much pain to even get close! And I don't even have that much love handle dammit! Anyway, I think perfecting the scorpio is actually the key to an allegra anyway. (That and keeping your chest up until the pole is running along your back).
Superman – This one seems to just take lots and lots of repetition. Can you do it by inverting, going into a handstand, sliding your legs down until they're parallel to the floor and then reaching back with your hand? Anyway, from the gemini, make sure you drop your lower hand a fair way below your body. It's okay if your legs grip the pole at mid-thigh instead of right at the top, as long as they grip. The way I finally got it was to grip the pole mid-thigh. Plus, it means you don't need as much back flex to get into a figurehead.
CAR – Not sure if you've heard all of this, but here goes. No, it doesn't matter which leg is on top, so just stick with whatever's comfortable. As well as squeezing your legs together, roll your knees inwards slightly (this is one of Veena's tips which helped me). The other thing that works for me is to tilt your legs up towards the roof before you let go with your hands. So you kind of drop in 2 parts. 1) legs point to ceiling; 2) head points to floor. What this does is makes the point of contact run the whole length of your thigh, as opposed to in a plank (legs parallel to floor) where only 50mm of thigh skin is in contact with the pole.
In general, try rubbing some shaving gel or shaving foam into your legs (no water) just before poling. Just make sure you then wash your hands with soap and water, because it doesn't seem to work as well on hands.
Finally, I would seriously recommend Veena's lessons if you can swing it (I'm not being paid to say this, honest!) Even if it's just for a month, it's great for covering any gaps in your knowledge. It really helped me with so many of my skills, both in getting them in the first place and improving form. So if you have a spare $20…
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thanks for all the tips so far girls… they sound really helpful so I will try the today and let you know how it goes!
The reason I don't have Veenas lessons is not because of the money, its because my pole is in the garage and I can't get internet connection in there so I can't watch them when I'm poling. Unless you can buy them then watch them offline??
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I'm not sure about offline, but what I've always done is just written notes and taken screen captures, and then printed it out and taken it with me to practice. Usually that's enough for me. The only time I've ever watched the lesson and followed along at the same time is with the beginner floor work and dance moves.
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Hey!!
The superman was my nemesis!! I thought I was never going to get it, then my teacher showed me a different way of getting into it from a flatline scorpio! Ive put a video up on here titled superman! With 4 different ways of getting into it. The last one is the one that emotioncatcher talked about, coming from a pike. I struggle with this one as my hand ends up to close to my bum but does mean you dont have to do the turnover for the superman.
Hope it helps!!! 🙂
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There have been members who watch the lessons and then later go back and work on them. I break it down so you can even make notes if you want. They are not like dvds where you have to try and follow along. I show a number of ways to get into these trouble moves, Sounds like there are just a few key things your missing that would allow you to master this moves.
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Becca Butcher taught me superman!
The easiest (and currently only) way to get into it is normal invert, pike, and then turn your body to front of pole, reach up with your arm to grab it. If you are confused I can try posting a video… it's something I'm still working on.
Sorry I can't help with the rest. I have no idea what the moves are other than scorpio which I got on my first try cause I'm sticky person, so I have no tips 🙁 Maybe squease more with your arm that has the pole in the armpit and obviously get some contact with pole on stomach? The more contact the better?
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With the lessons, you don't have to watch them and follow along at the same time. I do do this sometimes, but often what I do is pick which move I want to learn next and watch the lesson, even if I'm not going to try it right then. Then, right before I start practicing the new move, after my warm up, I watch the lesson again. If I feel like I'm still a little confused, I will have it running while I'm practicing the move, but sometimes it's hard to watch and process exactly what Veena's hand/leg/whatever is doing while I'm upside down trying to figure something out. I find the handiest thing is to just watch the video beforehand as many times as I need to, then try the move, and if I'm struggling, watch the video again. The lessons are super helpful and have gotten me to nail several moves I was formerly really struggling with in just a few tries; Veena's lessons are the best I have seen so far at breaking everything down in a way that makes sense, and they are fabulous at explaining exactly what muscle group you will be using and what part of your body needs to be on the pole to ensure best possible grip.
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The Superman was kicking my ass until I discovered that you can get into it from the apprentice. I don’t think Veena has a lesson on here for it but it goes: apprentice, hero, superman. This is the easiest way I’ve found to get into it. If you want a vid let me know, it’s hard to explain without standardized names.
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What made the difference for me in the scorpio was not relying on armpit to grip (with a little side) but making sure I was arching/leaning back into the move so the pole was in the nice soft bit between hip bone and ribs. Getting that side skin contact got me hands free.
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Just a thought that maybe you are struggling to get grip because ur skin is dry? Do you moisturise night before poling? Or use something like ? You have mastered some advanced moves but most of the ones you have stated as problems seem to rely on a good grip — CAR, no-hands scorpio, Superman. 🙂
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it does sound like you need more grip with your legs (so maybe give grip aid or shaving cream a try), since you certainly have the strength for these moves. i completely agree with horsecrazy about veena's lessons. what helps is studying the lesson before practicing, not trying to do it at the same time. it's impossible to see all the little details that way. let us know how you do!! 🙂
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