[LatinPoler]

Thanks for all the advice! I made some progress today in class. I went as low as possible in basic invert before releasing the hands, sliding down while still in the basic invert position. When I was at arm reach to the floor and feeling my legs with good grip, I released one hand, then the other and got it! Not very fluid and definitively not high, but at least something. I also used a mat and I guess this helped me mentally 🙂

[LatinPoler]

I like the sensual style of Alethea Austin and Doris Arnold.

[LatinPoler]

Yes, let a professional have a look. You might want to avoid partner stretches in the future, unless the partner is an instructor. The other person doesn’t know how you are feeling so you cannot fully control what’s going on…

[LatinPoler]

I agree with Phoenix, I have Alethea DVDs and don’t like them. Some sections are really advanced and she uses some techniques that are very risky (ballistic for example). And I dislike the music. Cleo’s Rocking Leg and Abs is OK, at least it’s more fun, even though there is risky business there too. I like her Back is the New Black much better, it’s the best from what I know. Besides back and shoulders, this one has a good section for hip flexors, so if you add hamstring stretching, you’ll have side splits as well. In my opinion, most programs neither warm you up enough nor hold the stretches long enough.

[LatinPoler]

Thank you Alice, good point, I will try what you suggest. I need to gain confidence in the position and the exit. Girl, bat is also foundation move in my studio, so I cannot avoid it totally 🙁

[LatinPoler]

Thanks Runemist! You are right, some days are better than others (or should I say worse!). It depends on my mood, but also if I’m going to class after work and I’ve had a hard day, my mind does not cooperate at all with more hard things like this. I’m also afraid of spiders BTW, and I’ve never had a bad experience with them. I will keep trying and pushing a tad outside of my comfort zone. I’m confident that whenever I get to let one hand go in my handstand position, I will start gaining confidence and it will start working…

[LatinPoler]

I also vote for beginner to intermediate quick lessons/combos. Also, more “sexy pole”, I mean, body waves, figure eights and that kind of stuff. It’s good for everybody: beginners can do it, and more advanced polers can add it to their flows to add variety.

[LatinPoler]

I can relate! Currently I was feeling always exhausted, and for a reason. I was very busy at work, just progressed to an higher pole level class and started to invert, was training for a half marathon and working on back and leg flexibility. It turned out that I was feeling so weak that I was afraid to hold pole tricks like the Figure 4, which I had nailed before. I was not enjoying my pole practice anymore and I was scare of falling. I talked to my instructor and she recommended exactly the same as Runnemist, to stick to floorwork, flow and lower level pole classes for a while, at least until I ran my half marathon. I’ve been off the pole for 3 days now and feel much better, I am planning to take one flow class tomorrow. Bottom line, we are not machines. I also love this quote: the man who chases two rabbits won’t catch any. I have to remind this myself all the time.

[LatinPoler]

Quick lessons and combos are key to me. If you want to dance, you cannot learn only tricks! You need to know the tricks of course, but if you don’t know how to chain them, it won’t look that good. Both tricks and flow are important and complement each other.

[LatinPoler]

I also have dry skin and I keep moisturizing my skin as I used to do before I started dancing: when I take a shower, in the morning and before going to bed. The only caution is not to put too much if I’m taking a pole lesson in a few hours. Right now I’m using Nivea Essentially Enriched and it works well, it doesn’t make me slippery. It’s not very natural though, it has mineral oil.
For something more natural, I like Trader Joe’s Midsummer night’s cream. It does have petrolatum, but overall, I think it’s not that bad.

[LatinPoler]

I agree, stick to a quality brand. However, standard finish is Chrome. I also have sweaty hands, I recently discovered Tite Grip and it works wonders. You may want to try. I use Tite Grip about 30-45 min before my pole session and Dry Hands during the session. I also use iTac extra strength on my body: inner thighs, etc.

[LatinPoler]

Choose songs that you really like and feel. Plan a little. I mean, decide upfront what key tricks/spins you want to use, then glue them with transitions like step around, pirouettes, body waves, etc. Also use poses like squat or goodness to rest and think what to do next. Also, dance frequently, practice combos (Veena has many for different levels) and watch other people’s videos. Sometimes, I found myself kind of copying a move I had seen in a video and not formally taught.

[LatinPoler]

Sexy pole flow

[LatinPoler]

I like Cleo the Hurricane’s hot pants. I don’t think that long and loose pants are good for pole, unless you are not going to climb or sit at all. Nevertheless, they can save your knees in floorwork.

I have not tried Yandy. I’ve tried other brands that are sold in Amazon: Music Legs, Dreamgirl, etc. But the quality is not good in general. I wouldn’t recommend it for pole, perhaps it’s OK for floorwork/Chair/Lap.

[LatinPoler]

I just found this, in case anybody is interested too. It looks very comprehensive. Many exercises are the same as Veena’s 🙂

http://orthoinfo.aaos.org/PDFs/Rehab_Shoulder_5.pdf