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I seriously need some words of encouragement!!
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Ok. I am going to share this ONLY to help you out, because it is the most embarrassing video of me ever. This is my routine after 8 weeks of lessons in the studio.. omg… i am cringing over here. If you go to my profile you can see I just finished a year of pole and the improvements I have made are huge. It's slow in the beginning but you get better faster as you progress..
ahhh ok here it is, why am I unburrying this…
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4l7DyVkG4msobviously, the focus was way more on "sexy" than on tricks. I remember Level 1 was a lot of learning to walk on toes, hair flip, and simple spins like the fireman. It seems so simple but its HUGE in laying the foundation for looking good later.
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I personally started trying to do pole holds, tucks, squats, plies, and the "row" style movements with the pole. I also started working towards flexibility right away. I would make sure I DANCE every time I am with my pole. Even if you are just hopping around and not doing any "pole moves" it will be fun and equate your poling with dance and fun rather than "working out". And don't just squat, make it sexy lol. You can slow a squat down, it works your muscles, and it can be very sensual. I DO like doing latin dance, and before I was poling, I was hooping, and doing small things like pushups on my knees (I can do full plank pushups now!) putting my hands on the floor behind me and doing little presses, leg lifts, mainly things I got from 80's exercise videos. I definitely found that POLING is what works the muscles I need to develop for pole. It was really hard at first to know "When I started I could barely do a pushup, now they're a breeze! And I can't even hold my own body weight with the pole…" HAND strength is something I have had to gain. Stress ball, hand squeezy things, whatever just to make sure you can grip the way you want. I did feel like I had to get in shape to get in shape. I feel that way about some other things too, like I have to be fit already to do some things that are supposed to "get you in shape". To do a side plank on the floor was IMPOSSIBLE in the beginning. Its still very difficult. Find variations of things that work for you if you can't do a full move. I love the knee hook side crunch, I feel so cool doing it, even if it isn't a "pole move" exactly. Stick with it, you will be amazed with yourself if you just give it a few more weeks. 6 weeks at least just to SEE and FEEL definite changes. If you already are fit and take up poling, or have a background in dance or gymnastics, I think it is easier to progress faster. Its so important to be proud of what you CAN do. If you focus on what you CAN'T do (yet I might add) it will always be discouraging. I spent the last few months viewing my pole as the enemy because I was in a bit of a rut, but I just kept practicing what I can do, going back to basic climb, and that in itself builds muscles. I could not do a climb for the longest time when I started poling, it was at least 2 months probably more. I JUST had my first invert the other day, and I've been working on this for 2 years.
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Thank you ladies!! I love reading all of your advise and encouraging words :). I am going to keep up with it, and go slow, and not focus on what I CAN'T do.
Sassypants, thank you for that video!! lol. Honestly, that's a lot more than I can do. I cannot do one handed spins, nor can I do body rolls like you!!! But, I watched your "one year" video after, and I LOVED it! Definitely gave me more hope lol. It was awesome! Thanks for sharing 🙂
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I learned one handed spins the week before! You'll get there!
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Keep track of your accomplishments. I remember the first time I had girls climb and how they never thought they could reach the top of the pole, and then a month later they got to the top, and then a month after that it got easier. The strength comes quicker than you would expect but it does, just be patient with yourself.
I have been at this for over 5 years and there are moves I have been working on for YEARS. But I still love pole and am constantly amazed at the things I am able to push my body to do. 6 months from now you will look back at this thread and laugh at yourself.
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Hey! It looks like you've got lots of encouragement so far… but I thought I'd add my own to the pile!
I TOTALLY know how you feel! I have NO dance experience, and for much of my life, I avoided physical activity like the plague! I wasn't strong, and much of the actual "dancing" I still don't completely get…
BUT it's all coming! Since starting pole dance I discovered a love of what I call "alternative" workouts- I go rock climbing twice a week, I pole dance, I love to ride horses when I can… I'm not the go-to-the-gym type! Boooring!
And yes, I aspire to LOTS of moves that, sometimes, seem totally impossible. I have been working on the Inverted crucifix ever since I got my basic invert… that's more than six months now! And it's still terrifying, I still don't trust the hold… but I am going to keep trying. One day…. One day I'll get that Jade split, that handspring, that shouldermount. You know I dream about doing shouldermounts all the time?
When I started, I didn't even know those things existed. I could barely do a fireman spin in my first week… I had no dance experience, so trying to do anything else than "power moves" felt stiff and foreign. And sometimes I still stick to just practicing my "power moves," because at least I know why I fail- lack of strength or technique, rather than a lack of some nebulous artistic quality.
And the dancing comes too. It does… and it's going to improve over your WHOLE LIFE. And hopefully, underneath all the cringing, you feel some excitement in that!
Personally, I looked up a lot of "beginner pole dance" youtube videos. Some are crazily cheesy, and some are sensuous and slow, and all of them are totally possible! Give the cheesy ones a try. Give the sensuous ones a try.
Everything comes with practice. None of us were born with a perfect body wave, pointed toes or incredible strength. I know you can achieve all of these things!
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I too have a LM rotator pole, which i am so glad i went with it! I am pretty sure i also have a video up of me doing some things after only a few weeks.
however, i will say that i first learned pole from a stripper round about 10 years ago. I learned nothing of proper form, or safety issues and i was doing tricks i should not have been doing at all. I had no strength and ended up falling out of inverts quite a lot. Im suprised and lucky that i ended up with only bruises.
Also, when i picked it back up in October, i had all ready been building strength for years so I had a good base to start with. My grip has always been an issue for me, evn in the weights, so i have been doing lots and lots of spins. I have a few tricks i work on, like the others said to do. I would still classify me as an "advanced beginner". I can do pretty much all of veenas beginner things, and a couple of the intermediate things, but thats about it. so thats what my practices consist of, all of the tricks/spins i can do, and then a few i am working on, then dancing around having fun, throw some floorwork in there, and stretching and i got about an hour or 2 workout. I do this about 2 x's a week.
Now i also take silks and hammocks class, weight lift 4 days a week, plus teach spin and muscle pump classes every week. so there are lots of other things you can do to help you learn pole, but all of them take time. And if you give up easily, then you will never accomplish anything.
Maybe look into a way to structure your work out, perhaps like this: Warmup – strength – spin/tricks – dance (fun) – stretch and cool down. Just a suggestion but it may help you feel more like a "poler" and be less boring if you have a plan.
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So, lemme give you my pole story (in a nutshell.) I started poling after a long fitness hiatus, due to college. I could not hold myself up! The first YEAR of pole was just spins. After 1 year I started learning basic tricks like a sit and CAR. I started inverting at this point, but looking back on it, I do not feel I was ready to be inverting. I had a 9 month break off pole, moved, bought my own pole, and found SV, where I picked up from the beginning with the spins I remembered and a pole sit. It took me 9 months to get a half-assed invert. I have been at the pole on and off for almost 5 years, and I am still nowhere near some of the other girls levels, some of them only having been poling for less than a year. We are all different. Enjoy the little triumphs you have! That's how I kept myself from getting frustrated. There are some beginner moves that I STILL cannot do!
It does get frustrating. In those times I lose my motivation, I step back and try other things. that is how I ended up with my omni gym and lyra. My pole drive always returns, though.
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Oh and work on floorwork and transitions!
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Hi there, welcome to pole! My pole path has been pretty 'stop and start' and 'on my own', so it's quite a bit different than most who started in a studio and/or with this site. To answer your questions…where did YOU start? What did you start with, and how long did you practice the one specific thing before you threw ANYTHING at all else in?
I started at home and didn't step foot into a studio or meet another poler IRL until 2 years ago. I didn't have a plan really, only a list/dvd of beginner spins and some pictures and descriptions of more intermediate moves, such as climbs, sits, inversions, etc. I started with spins, and I only knew a few so I got really good at them, lol. Same thing with everything else, I had a very limited repertoire. I didn't know many 'pole conditioning' moves per se, but so often our pole moves are conditioning moves anyway.
BTW, my pole girls start prepping for climbs after 3 months with me and start climbing/sitting at 4 months. I really stress to them to be grounded FIRST and why that's important. If you think of pole in 'phases'…the first phase is long. Or it seems that way to students. It's acquiring strength, body awareness, appreciation of the difficulty, patience, learning to move in a circular way which is so different than what we're used to…it's an important foundation and I do not like to rush through that phase, because to do so means missing out on some important things, and in the grand scheme things it's not really that long overall. 🙂
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Hi, I know how discouraging pole can be, we all do, Look at what stuff you can do, When i started in the very beginning i got so discouraged i quit, If i didn't quit i would of been poling for a year and i would of been so much further then what i am now. If you watch my videos you will see my improvements in my last video. I been poling for 2 months this year and i can do side spin, standing fireman, i did a front knee hook once, but i keep working at stuff i know i can do. I also watch the videos everyone posts to keep me interested in pole. have you seen blondebirds videos? I read in one of her posts that she was going to quit when she first started. Look at how much she accomplished. Thats how much you can accomplish if you stick with it.
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Don’t give up! It took about a month for me to start to see strength improvement & a lil bit of progress when I first started poling.
If the 30 day isn’t working for you, try just starting at the beginning lessons the pace of those lessons vs the 30 day might be a little better for you.
You can work on strength & conditioning lessons on your rest days or use as warm ups to poling.
Also finding a pole buddy who you can practice with either in person or Skype will help TONS with inspiration & motivation. I have just recently started doing pole chat on Sundays with the flexines & it has ignited my pole mojo again, I now practice 3x a week since I started doing pole chats with them. You are welcome to join us!
Hang in there!
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Darlin', I was a HOT MESS when I first started poling. Couldn't hold myself up. Couldn't do a body roll to save my life. Could barely walk on the balls of my feet. It was weeks before I could even do a basic fireman spin. SEVERAL weeks. Now I can do pretty much anything I set my mind to, and I teach pole to students ranging from absolute beginners to advanced levels.
I promise it gets better. As others have suggested, try just putting on some music and dancing. Flick your hair. Wiggle those hips. Practice moving slowly (IMO, much more difficult than fast dancing). Toss in a spin if you feel like it. Keep trying to hold your body weight. You'll build strength in spite of yourself.
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Thank you so much for even more feedback! You all are so awesome! And each post definitely put a smile on my face. Even though I KNEW in the back of my mind that all you amazing dancers did not just start out knowing everything, it feels better to actually hear it. It also is good to know that I am not the only one who has felt discouraged, and it's awesome how you all pulled through that, and I will too!
Tonight I tried again on my pole. I did about 45 minutes on there. I was hoping for an hour, but I stopped myself when I was getting tired….because I knew FORCING would just make me reluctant to continue. My body told me that was enough, and my crazy mind always thinks "well, I didn't even get a workout from 45 minutes"….but I DID, and I'm glad I didn't decide against getting on my pole tonight. I didn't do the 30 day take off, or any beginner lessons; I just put on youtube music videos & did my thing. Just danced, did some squats, pole hold, and a couple spins over and over. I tried to pole climb twice & wasn't THAT bad…very sloppy, but I got myself up for the most part, and could slide down instead of just plopping…so instead of looking at the negative of it, I am happy with the positive. I know I have a LONG journey ahead of me, and I think that I was really just getting ahead of myself, I will try not to do that anymore!
I really am so thankful for all of these posts, and SO thankful that I found this site!! So much encouragement and helpfulness. Thank you!!
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I get more discouraged if I practice at home than in a studio or with a partner. Please keep at it and don't give up because as soon as you get something else down you will feel amazing and so proud of yourself. If you have to put on some music and forget the lesson just dance and walk around the pole. I can't do the lessons at all and I've been poling for almost a year. Whatever you do don't make yourself miserable it should be an escape and something you can't wait to do. And trust you look better than you think you do. We are all our own worst critic.
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