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Shoulder mount
Hi guys,
I was introduced to doing the shoulder mount on Sunday during my lesson and after many attempts, I finally got it today! *high five* The only problem is once I have got both of my legs up to the pole, I feel quite unstable as I am inverted and my legs are trying to grip, at the same time my hands are cupped and in an awkward position.
There was one attempt where I wasn't quick enough to grip with my legs and I slid down the pole really fast, (but gripped in time before I hit the floor) which scared me a bit. I'm worried that one day I'll slide off and land head first into the floor.
I've only just got this move so it's not yet controlled and very clunky as it is when u have just mastered new moves. I'm practicing some techniques to build up strength and control, but meanwhile what can i do to ensure that I am securely gripped onto the pole when going into an invert from the shoulder mount?
any advice greatly appreciated!
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11 Replies
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I practised my SM from the floor first as in bum on floor, I would ,ift it from here then straddle it and drop my legs back down without hooking. It was only when I was confident in lifting and controlling this move that I attempted to hook on. I think that when your lifting it you are able to raise you bum higher and get a good grip of the pole. It defo is a scarey move and could be dangerous so I woukld advise you to make sure its lifted and controllled before hooking on? The lift from floor method is a great way of acheiving this safely. I witnessed a friend slide straight onto her neck at full speed as she kicked into the move and hooked on, not fun to see she was very lucky! Hope this helps and good luck 🙂
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You lose stability in a double cupped grip when your hips come too close to the pole and your weight is no longer pulling away from the pole. Pay attention and you should be able to feel the shift in balance as your hips get closer to the pole. To stay stable, Keep your hips as far away as you can and just wrap your shins and knees around the pole, then gradually release your hands and slide your torso down to go into inverted crucifix.
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I'm definitely going to second practicing from the floor first. You don't want to be kicking into this move at all–it needs to be very controlled all the way through. Lifting from the floor will ensure that you don't have very far to go if you slip, as well as helping to build up strength without worrying about falling on your neck.
Also, are you subscribed to Veena's lessons? If so, I would take a look at her SM video–she actually uses a different grip than a lot of people do. I generally use a regular cup grip, but I've been trying Veena's version out lately just to see which I like better. You might want to try her grip if you have access to those videos.
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Not sure how strong you are, but I practiced the shoulder V and (half) super invert until I felt comfortable with them before I actually did the full shoulder mount. From the shoulder v I can put the legs on the pole as slowly as I want to while making sure the grip is secure. Also it looks better 😉
I can't shoulder mount from the floor because the thought of having my head that close to the ground freaks me out.
And like the others said, try the Veena grip, it's easier to hold the weight when you're up there. Although for me that only works on a 45mm pole. On a 50mm the veena grip feels very insecure for me.
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Hi guys,
Thanks for your input and advice. Looks like the most secure way is to lift slowly in a deadlift way? The problem with that is that it very painful on the neck as the way I lift myself up securely is pulling the pole into my neck bit with my arms to create that pressure lock. 🙂
I haven't yet got a subscription to see the veena grip but will do soon!
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WHat Aerial Amy said. WHen I got to standing up, I kept my hips away from the pole and focused on lifting cleanly through my upper body. To invert onto the pole, I kept my hips up and away from the pole ( like a acaterpillar) once my feet were hooked so that I could safely "unroll" without smushing my collarbone. If you start with your shoulder i the right position on the pole to begin with, there shouldn't be any pain. I have yet to find that sweet spot on my left side…I can SM but as soon as I invert onto the pole its COllarbone Pain City. No problem on the right.
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I actually learned the shoulder mount coming DOWN the pole, from a crucifix. I really liked this method because i was able to learn what it feels like to balance in this position in a V/straddle, and it hurt way less!
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I also learned it in reverse–I had a lot of fear and figured if I could control it coming down, I could control it going up.
Before I tried that, though, I did a ton of conditioning from the floor, as previous posters mention. 🙂
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Hi! This is one of those moves you'll have to practice and having a spotter would be great! Even once you get this move down, you'll want to still practice it atleast once a week so that you don't "loose it'. I met a lot of girls who learn it and don't do it for six months and than can't do it again. Good luck!
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