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Mechanics of Pole Climb/Pole Squat
Hello! I apologize if this a silly question. When doing a pole climb or squats on the pole, does the outside of the heel of the front foot press strongly against the pole in one direction to provide counter-pressure for the inside of the knee to press against the pole in the other direction? I’m relatively new to pole and struggling to master the climb. (The suggestions on another thread to improve grip were very helpful; thank you for all the great advice!)
Thank you, everyone.
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2 Replies
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Well…yes and no! the front lower leg does pull back into the pole and exert force (like squeezing front to back with the lower legs rather than side to side), but it’s not the front *heel* that is making contact. If you watch many advanced dancers, they often climb with the contact point much higher on the front leg and in fact the heel may even be a significant distance from the pole. It depend on how much they externally rotate in the hip of that leg. So use the meat of your calf and don’t think about what your front heel is doing (except pointing those toes). Hope that helps!
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Oh, that does help. Thank you for describing that. I have been trying to do more side to side squeezing with my front leg. Your explanation of squeezing front to back will really help me. And I will pay more attention to the heel position when watching advanced dancers. Thank you, PolarGirl!
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