[Amaranth]

Thanks both. If you have videos, that would be amazing 🙂 If not… what is a ‘jasmine’, please? Can you link to an image? Thank you!

[Amaranth]

I’d really say it depends on your height and what you’re happy to practice. I got so frustrated when I got beyond beginner moves because my ceilings were too low and so my pole was too short. It meant a lot of what I learnt ended up with horrible scrunched up legs, or with me kicking the ceiling. Lots of stubbed toes, really quite painful!

Maybe measure yourself standing on tiptoes with your arm stretched upwards (may need a friend to help!) to get an idea of the sort of space you’ll need to do inverted moves comfortably, and go from there. Essentially, 2.2 metres will likely mean you can invert, but it won’t give you much space to play with when you’re there. Moves like extended butterfly will probably be difficult to position. However, there will be plenty of tricks you can train, you just have to be ready for the limitations.

[Amaranth]

Thanks, both. Very helpful 😀

[Amaranth]

Hello! At the moment I am not subscribed because the area where I pole I can only play video on my iPad mini and I don’t know if this is a format supported on the site. Maybe something to clarify potential technical issues would be helpful?

I used to have an annual membership and I got a LOT out of this when I was starting off learning pole at home. However, I found the more I progressed the less useful it was to have online lessons; there was less content for the more advanced moves. I know you offer much more content no, including new routines, warmups etc but while I can view the title of a lesson I can’t always see exactly what it will offer me (e.g. the new Tsunami video. I can’t see what the move actually is!). It’s difficult then to justify the spend.

Hope this helps… if you can confirm on the iPad I’d also really appreciate it 🙂

[Amaranth]

Hey there.

This is just my two pennies worth, but I hope something in here helps you make a decision.

It’s tough when you feel like your actions will earn the disapproval of your parents, and you always want them to think the best of you. But try and remember that whatever their initial reactions, you’re their daughter and they love you, they just have their own views about the way the world should look and it will be hard for them when those are challenged. This doesn’t get any easier as you get older – you may always do things they wouldn’t do or they think aren’t right for you! Their feelings matter, but ultimately it’s your life and you need to do what you feel is right.

I think the other posters are right, there are alternatives to leaving home now. Having a ‘backup’ plan (ie. a qualification) is not a bad idea, but it needs to be something you’re interested in or it’s going to be really difficult to motivate yourself to study. There’s also little point in having a fallback to careers you’re not interested in! Look at your options, think about the subjects you like and try and find a course that sounds interesting. What about thinking along the lines of something that would compliment pole – something in health and fitness, perhaps? If you seriously want to perform or instruct, you can still follow those ambitions, but run them alongside: you’ll probably need to work part time doing something else in the early stages of setting up your own studio or while you’re training, if you want to perform.

There are lots of things you can do to train for pole when you’re not poling. Flexibility training and strength training at home will probably be more acceptable to your parents. Yoga and pilates shouldn’t cause any concern, but again will really support you for when you do get on the pole and start busting those moves. You could even try and find some contemporary dance classes more locally to help with flow.

Having a pole of your own is brilliant, but training at a studio has advantages too. You benefit from personal instruction, it’s safer (having someone to spot you when you want to try something new also gives you more confidence to go for it!) and you don’t accidentally learn bad habits you have to revisit later! If home pole isn’t an option right now, try and think of the advantages of taking lessons – think on the positives of what you have to work with rather than driving yourself a bit mad with all the things you can’t do.

No one else can tell you what the right thing is for you to do, but don’t rush to make any decisions without really thinking about all your options. Think with your head as well as your heart. A few years may sound like a long time, but it will go much faster than you think.

Keep bouncing ideas off us. This is a great community and there’s always someone here to talk to.

[Amaranth]

Chem's right: try for yourself and see because everyone likes different things! In my experience Veena's lessons are the most comprehensive I have found anywhere else online. This is just my two pennies worth, but I find:

– Lessons are easy to use with a progressive learning format (Veena tells you the best order to try things in to build up your strength and then build on the tricks you already know to try increasingly difficult things).

– Veena has a great system of demonstrating the breakdowns of moves and she includes other really useful information like the muscle groups used and the contact points you need to be thinking about. She has a clear teaching style and the videos are of professional quality.

– Moves are demonstrated several times and from different angles to give you the best chance of seeing exactly what you should be doing.  Veena often shows several ways to transition in and out of the intermediate/advanced moves which is also a nice touch and helpful when you're trying to learn how you can link things or simply giving ideas to allow you to be more creative with your dance.

– New lessons are added quite regularly, and updates are made on older lessons from time to time which keeps things fresh. Lessons include everything from moves at different levels (beginner, intermediate and advanced) to strengthening and stretching. There are also hoop and lap dance lessons if either of those things interest you.

– From a cost perspective, the lessons are really reasonable, especially if you go for an annual package. 

– The website is really well maintained and you get very prompt support if you ever have any issues.

Hope this helps!

[Amaranth]

 

 

I recently did a free trial of P&A and would just like to add to the comments already here.

P&A does have a good sorting system and you can search by discipline, instructor, language, level of skill… but once you've filtered down, there's no obvious progression laid out. That does make it difficult if you're new to pole, or even if you're more advanced but trying to work out what you need to do to build up to a specific move. Veena's lessons take you through a natural progression which is easy to follow and means you don't end up being frustrated by inadvertantly trying a move you're no where near ready for. 

I think someone mentioned the videos have clear backdrops so you can see what's happening – I actually didn't think the videos were brilliant quality, but it's possible I missed a setting. I'd also warn that any 'guest' tutors seem to have their own unique video set ups and they tend to be less professional with anything from poor studio lighting to low, echoey or even no sound. It's not a show-stopper but it's something to be aware of if you're expecting a complete set of professional videos. 

My biggest gripe with P&A was that the instruction varies dramatically depending on the move and the person teaching. Just because someone is a great performer, it doesn't make them a great teacher and unfortunately this does show in some of the videos which are no more than "Let's watch this performer do the move! And again in slow motion! Wasn't it beautiful?". There are only a couple of videos that I found to be this bad, but it is irritating when you're watching an 'instructional' video that doesn't really instruct. I can go to You Tube to watch the stars and try and break down the move myself if I really want to, and You Tube doesn't charge. 

I found it interesting that some of the instructors really seemed to struggle teaching the more basic spins but absolutely excelled when demonstrating the advanced moves and suddenly seemed to become much more articulate and detailed specifics where they hadn't before. I must say that once you get into the advanced and elite level videos, they are very clear and seem to give excellent tuition, so if you're at a stage in your dancing where you're ready for it then it would be more worthwhile to take a look.

Having learnt everything I know to date through Veena (and trial and error…) I would say that aside from the cost, the detail of the instruction here is unparalleled. As with anything, if you're struggling to get a particular move then you may benefit from someone else's teaching as they are likely to point out something you haven't considered before or frame something in a way that just makes sense to you, but ultimately unless you've already learnt all the moves Veena has to teach or do want an alternative perspective on something, you're far better off with Veena's lessons than the P&A set – in my humble opinion.

At the end of the day, the best way to find out is to trial both and see how you feel. P&A do a three day pass quite cheaply if you just wanted to have a look, and they do offer a set of free lessons to give you a feel for it too. I know Veena also has some free lessons and as others have mentioned, I'm sure she does offers on occasion.

Good luck!

[Amaranth]

 

 

Ok, thought I'd say thank you again for all the hints and tips. I practiced today coming in from gemini and side climb, and while I wouldn't say it was entirely successful (I didn't trust myself to release my top hand) I definitely felt like I was putting pressure on the right places and can probably make some progress with the open stance. Worrying about my feet was just distracting me and ruining any hope I had of getting everything else right, so I'll keep going as I am and hopefully not fall horribly when I finally risk loosing the top hand!

 

Thank you all. I'm sure I'll get there… eventually 🙂

[Amaranth]

Yes, I learnt the perils of the swivel chair, another fabulous comedy moment…

I'm going to look at the 'open' version I think, I had originally thought the closed should be easier but seems I may as well give open a shot as it may work better for me. I will watch the lesson again though and see if I'm getting it wrong somewhere else (likely!).

Thanks, Veena 🙂

 

 

[Amaranth]

 

 

Hi ladies, thanks for all your suggestions. Veena, I am using the lessons and have been trying with a chair, but only have a swivel office chair and it's really not very stable. I tried the 'next step up' so to speak, and I genuinely think my leg placement starts off right, but as I am still struggling with my feet placement it all goes a bit wrong. When I try and lock my feet I end up flapping, then sliding my top leg down in the process and everything gets more and more painful and just crumbles beneath me. I feel like a wally because I can see what you're doing (I think) but I'm finding it difficult to replicate. The side climb I could try, and will see how it works for me – thanks, Cheryl.

Amy, I appreciate the link, I'll make sure I read through and digest.

I'll have another go on my next pole day (Wednesday) using the other hints you've given and see if I get any further. Thank you 🙂

[Amaranth]

Hi Kate,

As I understand it, you're buying time slots so if you buy 30 days, you get 30 days from the time your subscription is activated. Personally I went straight ahead and bought Veena's lessons for a year and don't regret it at all! 

I am self taught and pole three times a week at home, so effectively I'm only using the lessons for a fraction of the time I'm paying for. Having said this, they're the best I've seen despite buying numerous DVDs (another option if you think that would be better value for money for you, different ones are often discussed on the forums).

You can check out some of Veena's free lessons, they're linked in this post:

https://www.studioveena.com/forums/view/FREE_LESSONS__20110319122124

They're really clear but concise, you get demonstrations with a number of angles and Veena's great at listing points of contact too so you know exactly what you should be doing. I've also found Veena's very active on the forums and she will offer advice if you're struggling with something (as will everyone else here!).

Hope this helps! 🙂

[Amaranth]

You weren't wrong, Veena. Attempted the tuck again today and not only did I manage to do the full invert several times but I dismounted without any pain. 

Thank you!!

[Amaranth]

Sues,

Join us in chat on Tuesday night at 8pm here – we do European Bendy Buddies and we all stretch together for front and side splits. It's always good fun if you can make it, and if you don't already have a good idea about which stretches to do then it will definitely give you some ideas 🙂

[Amaranth]

Still under the weather so I don't think I'll be about. Being ill is rubbish! Hope you have fun though 🙂

[Amaranth]

Not feeling too well today but will see how I'm doing later and will be there if I'm not too busy feeling sorry for myself! Glad the hammie's better, Vinter!