[Kyrsten]

I had been poling for less than a year when I did my first competition. I really wasn’t expecting to get in. It was a regional competition and you had to send a video to get in – I think I’d been poling maybe 9 months or so when I applied? I didn’t score well, I believe I placed a few points away from dead last lol. So no, I don’t really think I was “ready”, but it was a great learning experience for me, I met some awesome people, and overall I am very glad I did it. It was awesome to share my dance for an audience and be on stage and I couldn’t wait to do it again. I’d guess almost no one feels “ready” the first time they perform or compete because it’s a new experience, but it’s very rewarding!

Just make sure that if you choose to do a competition for the first time, go in knowing it will be much higher stress… try not to worry about scoring, just focus on bringing out the best in yourself rather than winning or impressing the judges. Same advice applies to a performance – it’s never going to be perfect, so just focus on sharing your awesomeness with the world. Either way, performance or competition, you’re putting yourself out on the stage which is a huge accomplishment in itself! If you’re considering it, I would encourage you to do so because it’s so much fun, a huge adrenaline rush, and great for pushing yourself in ways you normally wouldn’t. Hope that helps!

[Kyrsten]

I’m the opposite – bad low back flexibility with a ton of hip flexor flexibility. I definitely think I have a few stretches I could share. I really like the one Veena does in her splits tutorial, but I’m guessing you use that already. My personal favorite is using yoga blocks underneath my front foot in a deep lunge (with the back knee on the floor). Leaving the back knee on the floor seems to be more effective in hitting my hip than leaving it straight, and elevating your front foot increases the angle there and intensifies the stretch a bit. You can also try doing it in heels – same effect 🙂 You can also use the blocks under your hands in a regular lunge and you’ll be able to sit up more into the stretch, but that may not be as helpful if your problem is putting too much of the stretch into your lower back.

[Kyrsten]

I saw this article and thought it was really interesting. I have really long arms and a really short torso and whenever I do a backbending pose you can see almost all of my flexibility is in my shoulders and mid/upper back and hardly any in the low back. I wonder if that is part of the reason why? I find it hard to hit the low back in a lot of poses.

[Kyrsten]

Someone posted this on facebook the other day and the consensus was “superman split”.

[Kyrsten]

Pleaser makes a version of those with ankle straps. The model number is TABOO-708. 🙂 You can find them on amazon

[Kyrsten]

I really like higher shoes because they make your legs and extensions look so much longer. The shortest ones I wear are 7″. I like a big platform for floorwork, as some people said, and I also like the additional weight of a heavy platform as I think it forces you to move a bit slower. I have one pair of 8″ that I think the platform is hollow and they’re really hard to dance in because it feels kind of like walking on air? It’s weird. I definitely like a big, heavy platform in my shoes.

[Kyrsten]

I have done many in-home pole parties and usually the format I use is to teach small sequences of 3-4 beginner moves and let everyone have their turn trying it out. Depending on how large the group is, you can get a lot of pole time or only a few turns, but everyone always has fun. If there is a “guest of honor” like a birthday or bachelorette, sometimes after the lesson I task the group to choreograph a short routine for her using what they learned and she then performs it for the group. If not, if time allows, we’ll do a freetyle at the end where I turn on a song and let everyone go up and show off for a minute or two.

[Kyrsten]

I can see rules against straight up thongs, underwear as bottoms and things like string bikinis as tops, but I don’t see why a little cheek or cleavage is a problem… Usually in my beginner classes I will wear a tank and t-shirt and some of my less revealing shorts as usually the students are shyer and I don’t want to make anyone uncomfortable, and it seems like most of our instructors do the same (save the cheekier stuff for the “sexy” classes and advanced classes). My studio is definitely more on the sexy side of pole though.

I have a story too – we had 2 girls come for class one day who were exotic dancers wanting to learn doubles tricks for a show. They come from the dressing room and one is wearing some yoga shorts and a sports bra and the other girl came out in a full-on thong and bra. Her friend was horrified like “girl, where are your shorts??” The other girl looked bewildered and said “these are my shorts!” and looked to me for approval. I just laughed and said “cheeks are ok” because it was only other instructors in that class but I think it definitely would have made some people uncomfortable.

Trying to take away heels and regulate inseam length is going a little too far for me, though…

[Kyrsten]

Do you mean the allegra with the back leg straight? It takes a deceptive amount of flexibility… I’m working toward it now and the only tip I can give is to turn out your torso as far as possible. If there is a “trick” to it I’d love to know but I think you just need to be a contortionist LOL. I have the flexibility in my hips for it but not in my back.

[Kyrsten]

When I pole with ankle weights I just do the reverse of things I can already do well and with control (ie slowly lowering into a shoulder dismount, from a V invert, Iron X, headstands) etc. Don’t do this in any move you don’t already have good control in though!

I also use them for leg lifts/kicks just like Danielle said (I lift to the front, side, and back 8 times then pulse on the last one). Another one for legs is what I call a V Pole-Up… basically hold on behind your pole, lift your legs into a V and squeeze the pole with your legs, then slowly lower down. Try it without touching the floor.

[Kyrsten]

I’ve been able to do a true grip/twisted grip deadlift for almost 8 months now and I lose it all the time. 75% of the time I can’t do it and 25% of the time I can bust them out like it’s nothing. Lol 🙁

[Kyrsten]

Also, are your beams exposed or under the popcorn ceiling? And what kind of pole is it?

[Kyrsten]

I’m not sure about the beam width but I have a popcorn ceiling in the room where I first set up my pole… if you use a thin piece of cardboard between the ceiling and the stud finder (think like a piece of a cereal box) it will help you get an accurate reading. Worked perfect for me.

[Kyrsten]

It will hurt at first! I could only go to one lesson a week at first because my arms would be so sore. I remember literally having a hard time writing after a pole class because my arms were so tight and sore! Any time you do a new activity it is going to take a little while for your body to build up the muscle and get used to using them in a new way. Try starting with strength pole moves just once a week (like your spins, holds, climbing) and work your way up. And if you really wanna pole more often, you can always work on dancing and transitions. Hang in there, it will get better!

[Kyrsten]

I have tried it about 4 times… I really wanted to enjoy it because it’s great for flexibility, but I just honestly hate it. I bought like a 10 class package and just couldn’t bring myself to finish them all. I spend half the class laying on the floor with my instructor yelling at me not to close my eyes, lol. I feel really tired and drained and gross after I do it and once I had to leave because I got so uncomfortable and nauseous that I started to CRY. In class! LOL. It’s not for everyone but a lot of people love it. My best friend (who convinced me to go all those times) loves it and says it makes her feel amazing.