[Runemist34]

Hey there!
You sound like me 😉 I like to tell long stories, too! I’m currently working on my first book, but as I’m sure most of the people here can attest, I also tend to write a lot in responses and blogs. Sometimes, you just need to wax verbose in order to explain something!
Much of my pole journey was spent feeling weak and inadequate. I didn’t really know how to create my own workout program, and there was very little help for me at home (I also had a jerk husband at the time who totally demoralized me).
Honestly, I don’t think most of us can hold ourselves up on the pole at first! I know for sure that I couldn’t, for a long, long time!

I now have a studio to go to, and have been learning a lot about how I, personally, progress and learn things with pole dance. It can still be rough- everyone in my class are deadlifting their inversions, and I’m… well, I’m not! I’m still working on it. And really, that’s going to be true for the rest of my time pole dancing; I’ll still be working on something!!

Specifically for holding yourself on the pole like that, make sure your shoulders are pulled away from your ears (this is true of ALL pole moves- your shoulders and ears should never come together! It can be really hard!) and just lift one leg, put a little weight into your hands. Get to know the feeling, and slowly increase how much weight you put into your hands.

However, this isn’t really a move you need to know right now! It’s something to practice, more for conditioning and strengthening the body than for actual dancing right now.
Veena’s lessons are really good, and you can always post videos and ask questions here on the forums! It can be really hard for a lot of more advanced people to remember what it was like at the beginning… and, their beginning may not be the same as the rest of us! There are always ways to modify something to make it easier, so you can practice, get stronger, and move toward your goals.

And seriously, we don’t judge. We’re all happy to have you here!

[Runemist34]

Hey Latte!
It really depends on your preferences. Just as the pole itself is part of our equipment, the shoes can be just as tricky to have, and use. And, just like there are different preferences to pole size and finish, spin or not, it can depend that way with shoes, too!
I really enjoy my Ellie’s, but they are they only shoes I’ve ever had, so I can’t specifically say whether they are better or worse.
I also know that use of shoes is going to be different when training. Like, if you started learning spins when you had pants on, and then switched to wearing shorts, it’s quite the different experience, and you need to subtly adjust things to accommodate. So it goes with shoes, too!
If you have the chance to try some at a studio, or can pinpoint specific issues you may have with your current shoes, you could get some new ones and keep trying!

[Runemist34]

Hey there!
It sounds like you have the basics down, and if you’ve been inverting normally for a while, then you are definitely working toward it!
But, my main question is, are you able to do a tuck invert? Basically, this would be the same invert you are doing, just with a deadlift, instead of the most basic invert which includes some momentum with a swing of the leg!
Transitioning into a tuck invert includes things like having both feet “in front” of the pole, set slightly wider than hip’s-distance apart. You’ll assume the position as normal (shoulders down, pole right up in your armpit business, etc), and then you bring your knees up. Think of it like bringing the knees up into the shoulders, and tilt back!
If you can do this already, then I would suggest doing it nice and slow, lots of control! You can also “drill” this one as an exercise to get your inverts even stronger. Bring your knees up, tilt back, and then come back down the way you came, with control! Making this one harder would be doing things like putting the legs down into a straight or “pike” position, but not touching the ground, and then going back up again. You could also use the pike position going upwards, trying to get your legs parallel with the pole.
The V-Invert is pretty tough! So don’t lose heart. If it helps, I should point out that most people don’t begin to invert at all until they are 6 months into their dancing, because most people do not have proper shoulder and back engagement to keep them safe! People like to try to rush into inversions, even going so far as to jump up into them, which can put your back, shoulders, and arms into very serious danger!!

Also, can you do the inverted V move without going from the ground? By this I mean the stationary chopper position: From a basic invert, you would bring your back leg (the one that is behind the pole) down, knee first, toward your shoulder and then extending out straight. And then, follow with the other leg! It can be a tricky position to get used to at first, as you really need to keep your bum up close to the pole, and maintain your tuck. This is also helped by making sure your arms remain somewhat bent throughout the move, and especially when fully extended!
Keeping the chest lifted, throughout all of these moves, is also super useful to me!

Best of luck! Remember, this is a journey, and yours is just yours 🙂

[Runemist34]

There was a similar question asked about three years ago, here: https://www.studioveena.com/forums/view/Spotty_XPole_20131017032323
If this sounds similar, I would call X-pole and see if they can help you.
If they’re super small, you may not be seeing any residue coming off yet. It’s hard to know if the spots are very small… but it sounds like this may be your issue.
Best of luck!

[Runemist34]

Spotting should never be done in a way that you are fully supporting a student’s weight. You should simply be guiding them, and giving them the support required to make them feel safe.
For example, with myself learning to do an inverted crucifix, I am fairly heavy (200 lbs since I started running 2 years ago) and have quite a lot of fear about being in that position. My instructor had her hands on my hips, but really didn’t add any force or anything else. I feel safe with her being there, but I know I don’t require (or want) her to hold me up. Were she to try to hold me up, though I’m certain she is capable of completely lifting me off the ground, I may not have had an appropriate understanding of how my body hangs on the pole, and the force of my weight falling may have been too much for her, if I were to fall. Lifting me up is a very different thing to catching me when falling.
For any falling situations, you will want to guide them into a position where they will land safely on a crash mat, by pushing their hips or shoulders away from you.
Taking their weight, either when they are lifting or falling, could place you in danger of injury as well. They may become dependent on your support and not be able to execute moves on their own (or learn new moves without you). They may also attempt to compensate for any accidental movements by you, or even be placed in a poor position that you may not notice, resulting in injury for them.

Otherwise, I’m not sure what else would be needed. If they are moving too quickly and need to be pushed up and supported, they should not be doing the move. If they cannot support themselves, they aren’t strong enough!

[Runemist34]

I use knee pads from the sport store- you can get them for volley ball and they work well. A bit grippy on a hardwood floor, but sometimes you want that.
Also, I have tried knee pads similar to Veena’s… umm, let’s say they don’t work for ladies with big muscles? I’m a runner, so I’ve got fairly large calf muscles, and the Larges barely fit me… I really had to work to get them on and off!

[Runemist34]

Well, technically speaking you are engaging in a risky sport when pole dancing, and should be made aware of those risks. If there are many people in class and only one instructor, they may not always be right there to spot you.
However, I’m sure you could always go in and talk with them about any particular passages you feel uncomfortable with. Having a conversation with them will also help you establish a connection, and get an understanding of how the studio runs and acts with people.
What is the studio called?

[Runemist34]

Hey there!
It really depends on what part of the move you’re having trouble with. There can be a lot of factors, and depending on your more foundational moves, certain strengthening would do very little, and others could do a lot for you.
So, to start out: Can you do a one handed fireman spin? How about a one handed front hook spin? One handed Chair spin? In order to start working on the reverse grab, I would very seriously suggest being very comfortable with a one handed chair spin, on both sides, without allowing your shoulder to slide up toward your ear AT ALL. Your shoulder should never slide up toward your ear.
This should engage the larger muscles of your side and back (lats), as well as many of the larger muscles to support your shoulder stabilizers. If you aren’t able to do a one handed chair without losing integrity in the shoulder, then your weight will end up on those little teeny shoulder stabilizers, and you’ll end up being injured very quickly… not to mention finding the reverse grab spin quite uncomfortable, if not impossible.

Next, getting your hips forward and around the pole requires quite a lot of core strength, especially if you are swinging your legs fairly far out (which is better to gain momentum for the spin, but is much harder, so should be considered a progression thing). Your back, obliques, and lower abs should all be working here to keep your hips up, your back supported, and lift your legs (that way your hip flexors don’t have to do that job and then get mad about it). This can be one of the hardest things about this move, because you really need to lift that leading hip and twist your body around the pole. Spins like the cradle and tuck can be great for getting your hips up a little more, and for getting used to that position. The corkscrew spin can also be a great one for getting used to the movement.

Finally, the technique to a good reverse grab can be a little illusive, and take a lot of practice. The swing out at the beginning is very important for having appropriate momentum for this spin, and even just working out how to transfer the movement and your body together can be hard. Veena places this spin as “Advanced” for good reasons!
So, if you feel like you’ve got most of the foundational moves and spins behind this one really, really solid, then just keep practicing.
If you don’t have them solid, though, then go and give those a shot for a while. They really are beautiful spins and moves that you can add to your repertoire, and are great for strengthening your body!

[Runemist34]

In a perfect world, ladies, we wouldn’t care about cellulite, because it is simply a fact of our bodies. In a perfect life we wouldn’t care about what the scale said, or about the tag on our clothes saying “Size S.” In a perfect time we would care more about what our bodies can do, about the joys that they are capable of and the feats of strength, stamina, or flexibility that we care capable of creating. In a perfect society we wouldn’t feel judged, by ourselves or by others, because we wouldn’t need to constantly feel like we are competing against each other for the affections of others, for the acceptance of others, or for the love that we can give ourselves.
I have cellulite. A lot of it. All over my hips and thighs, my butt, and sometimes my arms. I have it all over the place. Because, that’s where most of my fat is, and scientifically, we know that this is how it works.
However, I don’t want to get rid of it all. I also have fat on my belly, but I don’t believe the idea that it’s somehow “dangerous.”
I do not work out to change the way I look, or to change who I am. I work out because I love myself, because I love to do it. I work out because it’s good for my health, not in a “gee I should lose all this fat” kind of way, but in a “Working out and pole dancing makes me feel amazing” kind of way.

All of this discussion about who’s right as to why we have cellulite, and how to get rid of it, entirely defeats the idea that perhaps we shouldn’t care about it at all. Perhaps if some stupid hypothetical guy said “Ew, what’s that?” and pointed to our cellulite, we should be kicking him out of our bedroom so fast he wouldn’t have time to put his pants back on. And, we should be doing that to everyone else, too. Even our own judgmental minds.

The pole dancing community here is body positive and accepting. We celebrate women who are larger, or skinnier, getting their POLE goals, their strength and flexibility and stamina goals. Their strength of mind goals. The pole community here, as far as I’ve seen, doesn’t exist simply so we can look hot.

So maybe instead of encouraging the self-judgement and constant worry over what ways our body lays down fat, and how much of it we have, we should actually be reassuring each other that we are all beautiful, powerful, magical things that don’t have to fit in with the idiot society’s closed-minded idea of what beauty is. Maybe instead of implying that “if we want it hard enough” we could lose our body fat and no longer have cellulite, we could take the conversation more toward wanting to love ourselves enough that it no longer matters.

[Runemist34]

Hey there!
Fear is actually pretty common with inverted moves, and the butterfly is a fairly advanced move with fewer contact points. Personally, I find the inverted crucifix terrifying, but I can still do laybacks just fine.
Fear is, unfortunately, not necessarily something that will go away. It’s something you need to manage, and by working slowly with a spotter for a while, and then eventually with someone just watching you, and then in time, on your own, you can perhaps help to mitigate the overwhelming parts of your fear.
Also, simply learning to do the moves slowly, with control, as well as learning ways to exit safely, can really help, because you must face your fear while in the move, and you will learn that the fear, as well as the move you are doing, will not harm you.
It sounds a bit like you may be moving a bit too quickly- Scorpio to butterfly? There are a few things to learn in between those. And, if you found Scorpio good only with a spotter, I would say that you reached your comfort limit there. Working within that, and very slowly exploring that limit, will definitely help.
For right now, maybe work on handstands, your inverted crucifix, and maybe the inverted thigh hold. There are so many other things to learn, and it may help you to get used to being upside down, and also, learn to manage the fear.
Good luck!

[Runemist34]

Also, I went and read some of the comments (which I do not recommend, apparently I’m feeling masochistic), and the author of this article is so… very defensive, biased, and closed minded. She has made it clear that she has absolutely no respect, and no interest in a balanced version of journalism.
So, I stand very strongly by my statement: Not our circus, not our monkeys.

[Runemist34]

This article is clearly very biased, misinformed, and making some pretty large leaps in their opinions.
To indicate that us “polers” are anti-feminist is to paint with a very, very broad brush. To say that “All Johns are scum” (Johns being the men who engage in sex with prostitutes and pay the money) is also an extremely broad brush.
For these people to say that putting caution tape around a sex shop to be “a holistic approach to feminism” is, to be frank, so beyond my current understanding of logic that I simply feel I may be reading some form of alien language at this point.
I couldn’t continue the article after that, because it’s taken such leave from reality (or, at least the reality that I understand, skewed in some ways though that may be) that I felt I was reading a very terribly written, depressing fantasy article written by someone who doesn’t like the word “research.”

Just… don’t listen to them. We, as females, as feminists, as polers, as sexually empowered women who feel amazing in stripper heels and also in crocs and slippers, are always going to be under fire. At least, I expect this to be so for the rest of the time I am on this planet as the way I am right now.
Letting their drama get to you is like letting the dramas of a bunch of catty 14 year olds get to you. Not our circus, not our monkeys. Keep doing what you love to do, because that is literally the most amazing, radical, and feminist thing you can possibly do.

[Runemist34]

This is terrible, and I’ve seen it come up a couple times before…
No one can tell women what empowers them! We choose, that’s the point of empowerment. It seems so weird to me that this kind of thing happens…
But, on the other hand, not at all weird because society often says “Oh yes, be empowered,” but then it turns around and goes “But not that way!” Pole dancers are often associated with sexuality, with being in control of their own sexual selves and not needing male approval for it. Society seems to have issues with this.
Hopefully things calm down soon!

[Runemist34]

Yay! Happy Birthday Veena!! I hope you have an awesome day being pampered in whatever way you like!

[Runemist34]

Hey!
I realize this can be one of those super frustrating things to hear… but it can take a lot of time! I know a lot of people who said it took them years (up to 5 years) to really get their splits flat.
I’m happy to hear you aren’t pushing yourself too hard! I did this a few times during a hamstring stretch, and injured them pretty bad. 6 months to heal, and it would hurt SO MUCH sometimes! Seriously, stretching can be just as hard on the muscles as strength training!
I think you look lovely in all of these poses- your hips are open, your Jade looks quite flat (especially taking into account those deliciously meaty legs you have! I’m super jealous!) and you look comfortable in these poses!
Perhaps, for doing it on the floor, you just need to take your time. It may simply be a mental block, which is causing you to tense up and feel like you cannot do it, and then you get stuck! When not doing these gorgeous aerial moves, you have much less to focus on- thus, you focus on how it feels in your legs, and whether you’re closer, and all these things. I know it causes me to tense up a lot!
I’m super impressed by your dedication to getting more flexible! This might be a silly question, but how do you find the time for a warmup, and 30 minutes of flexibility training, so very often? I’d love to implement this into my weekly routine… I just seem to have a mental block around time 😉

Seriously, though, you look fantastic and I think you’re on the right track! These things can move slowly. You should see how rediculously tight my own hips are 😛