Runemist34
Forum Replies Created
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Pole Traceuse – I'm having a really difficult time picturing the suggestion you're trying to describe. Should I be trying to do something like an advanced plank (the pole move)? Should I be trying to do a pushup position with my legs around the pole and hold it that way, like a superman? Should my legs be gripping the pole around the thighs, knees, ankles? How is this different from a plank/push up position?
Perhaps a picture would be easier?
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If you dress like Bowie, you have to make sure to keep adding socks to the front of your pants.
That's what he did in Labyrinth, each scene he would add a sock. 😉
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Hey!
I've done that random hiatus thing a LOT, so I feel your pain. School is really sucking it out of me… but I'm determined!
The move you mentioned sounds like a CKR, or Cross Knee Release- it's a form of "layback," and is currently my preferred way of being inverted, though I'm working on my CAR (Cross Ankle Release, where both legs are straight and crossed at the ankles, and you lean back), it's still pretty scary for me!
If you do those, work on sitting back up from that pose, rather than coming down to the floor while inverted. It really strengthened my abs!
You could work on the Advanced plank (same as basic plank, but placing one hand below you, rather than one above you on the pole, and using your free hand to reach out away from the pole), the Wrist sit, the Bridge (also known as the Crescent, or Crescent moon, and can be done from the CKR), regular pole sit and crucifix, and variations from that (learning the kinds of things to do from that position, like twisting your upper body to the other side of the pole), the Apprentice (or Thigh hold, as Veena calls it), and doing basic inverts from the ground, in order to figure out your leg grip.
Other things that can be good are smoothing out and strengthening those spins you may not feel totally comfortable with, and working on linking moves together. A Reverse handstand (in which you walk your legs up the pole going backwards, hands on the ground) can also be a good way of getting into an Inverted Crucifix, which is another strong teacher of leg grip.
Whew! Who would have guessed all those breaks I had would come in handy, eh?
Keep it up!
I'm usually around most evenings (PST) on Skype if you want to jam, and see some of these moves, too. I'm not the best shower-offer, but I try 😉 And you can look them up on Youtube, the PDC (pole dance community) Syllabus, and maybe a few other places 😉
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First of all, unless you're a superstar gym bunny, most of us started out being untrained. I know that I started out uncoordinated, very low strength, and I still struggle with my flexibility, as well as a few other things. It's sort of part of the journey we go on!
Strength comes with time and effort. Veena's lessons are great, she starts off slow, so that if you are less experienced or less active, she'll get you going in a way that is totally manageable, while also pushing you just that little bit to help you gain strength. Jamilla's Art of Pole series goes a little further… I believe there's a reason for her impressive musculature, and it is probably the amount of training she does. She kicked my butt, and… well, I'll be going back to it soon! I'm really looking forward to pushing myself.
And I hate lifting weights, going to the gym, etc. Closest I get to a "gym" is my climbing gym, where I go and climb walls and make my hands grip things they don't think they can, push my legs harder, and work on some upper body strength (but, with the right technique, you don't need much at my level).
Flexibility is more or less the same. You work for it, it takes time. Some people work toward the splits for years before achieving them. I've been working consistently for them for over a month, and seeing some vague improvement. I think I'm reaching a plateau, but that's okay. I'll get there! Just be aware that, like strength training, flexibility training is very tough on your muscles- you should never cause yourself real pain from doing it, and you need to take rest days.
Finally, I think you need to look at this from a different angle. Saying "I'm weak and inflexible" may be somewhat true, but it's more like… you've got improvement to make, and you want to make it. Rather than looking at what is behind you, look at what you want to put in front of you, put it there, and make it happen. Believing you can learn something is the biggest step. We all start out in ignorance, or in this case, uncoordinated and weak and inflexible, and work our way toward knowledgeable, graceful, strong and flexible. Everyone has their own journey to take, and you might surprise yourself!
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I was, at first, interested to see an article written by intelligent individuals about pole dance… but I was a bit surprised to find it was a blog (you can see "blog" written in the URL) written by someone who hadn't even tried pole dance at all.
I found some of the facts wrong (ONLY for WOMEN! Ha! How about Steven Retchless? Our own Poledancefan? Hmm?), and I found a lot of it to be simple speculation and wonderings… more like a personal essay, rather than an article (an article putting me in the mind of something researched, possibly peer-reviewed).
I have recently discovered that Pole Dance is being offered to the grade 12 girls here in town, which I think is pretty awesome. Miley Cyrus' "Pole dancing" was hanging on to a pole-like apparatus upon a moving platform (I looked it up on Youtube, saw no actual pole dancing).
Further, the "pole dance was set up for the satisfaction and pleasure of men." Umm, what about Burlesque? Belly Dancing? Those are both considered female-empowering dance styles that are highly regarded, particularly in our culture and European culture. Burlesque was the original stripping, and women were arrested for it. Belly Dancing was said to have been something to entertain men, and also said to have helped the women through childbirth, and as a bonding experience. There's a lot more behind "women's empowerment" than just our feminist movement these days!
Finally, I often have the thought to pole DANCE when I hear an excellent song. Grinding on my pole, or any other pole, has little to do with the music, the beat, etc. and more to do with being silly, or being slutty. Either way, it's the woman't choice, and I encourage her to do that… but it has nothing to do with pole dancing.
Just because it's done WITH a pole, doesn't mean it's pole dance. I think a lot of builders would agree with me on that one, too!
Anyways… I hope that this person takes the time to explore the world of pole dance, and find out that it's a lot more than 'grinding on a pole,' because it's sure changed my life for the better, and I would hope it would do the same for others, even if it's just an opening of the mind!
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Thanks Polefly!
Should I lean away from my hooked arm? I assume that I should be making sure my arm stays in front of my face, or should I allow myself to move down, away from my arm, so that my elbow points upward upon the application of weight?
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I agree with Robinb! You should not be "waiting to do something till you're thinner or stronger," you should be doing what you want to do, NOW, and if you get thinner or stronger as a result, and you want to be those things, then, bonus! Veena's lessons will give you lots of beginner work, as well as conditioning for the pole, so you don't need to worry about "getting up to it," you can start doing it.
And yes, the 30 day take off is excellent.
Work at your pace, and at what you can do, and you'll see major improvement!
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Hi Novo!
It's actually really hard to tell which Polekatz dvd's you're talking about… upon further inspection, there's about a million different kinds of "Pole cats/kats/katz" out there, with studios, DVD's, previews of DVD's… it's kind of crazy. Some of them do appear to boast some strength training, but some are hard to get any kind of handle on.
Personally, I find I like Jamilla's Pole DVD's best. She really is careful to explain the whole move to you, break it down into little bitty steps, and show you what's going on from a few angles. She takes her time, there's good lighting, the audio is clear. She even puts things into a mini-routine. She has sections on correct spotting, and takes her time bringing people into things like inversions.
She has strength training sections in all of her DVD's… and they KICKED. MY. BUTT. She's a powerhouse, and it's clear to me why, after trying that.
If you're looking for something to increase flexibility, I strongly recommend Felix Cane's Flexibility DVD. She has a whole set, but I didn't find the rest (other than her floorwork and Artistry one) to be particularly thorough or helpful. She has a few great ideas, but… it's the Flexibility where she really shines. You do kind of have to keep an eye on the screen, though, as she's not great for audio cues.
And then, of course, you have the online lessons here. They're pretty awesome. Everything you could want, including the ability to ask the instructor (Veena) questions if you come across something!
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It’s okay! It happens, and I know that the webmaster here is working on it 😉
Peekaboo and Carmen Electra poles are just for posing with- I’ve heard of some pretty bad accidents happening with those poles!
It’s always good to look into things!
Oh man… One day, I’ll get to go to Ireland!! -
Hey Pebblerz!
This website is probably the best place for beginners. Veena's lessons, which are fairly cheap (especially compared to DVD's) will take you through a lot of strength training and flexibility training, as well as giving you the knowledge to continue through your pole journey in a safe way. It's very important to know what kinds of things you need to do in order to engage your shoulders correctly, for example, and Veena is very adamant about that!
I would also highly recommend doing your research into different brands of poles, and which are considered "reliable" by people who pole dance often. I know that, in North America at least, there are three brands we swear by: Lil Mynx, Platinum Stages, and Xpole. Each has their quirks and occasional issues, but they'll never drop you or fall apart, so you'll be safe with them. Please, be careful about buying anything from Ebay or anywhere else. There have been fake Xpoles around, and there are also a lot of poles that advertise themselves as being safe for inversions, or used by professionals, which is simply not true.
If you have any studios nearby, I would also suggest you take a taster session with them, or even their first set of lessons, if you can afford it! It can be very helpful having someone right there, in class, to spot you and that you can ask questions of.
Otherwise, the people on this website are very helpful. Videos, posts and blogs all help us get to know each other and create a community. I've asked some pretty stupid questions around here, and all I've gotten is help!
I still can't do the splits, after 5 years of dancing 😉 I'm working on it, though!
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I'm really enjoying this topic 🙂 You guys have some really good arguments and some very interesting points to make.
Mine may not be so insightful, but… watching that video, I actually had a hard time watching or finding the pole dancers, let alone figuring out what the heck they were doing! Some really awesome, advanced moves that are basically lost in the visual effects and the focus on Rhianna herself. I also found myself totally confused… why would she have fingernails on the outsides of her gloves? What the heck kind of top is that to wear, especially with those awful cut-off jean shorts? Why does she have a giant throne in a big, watery room? Why is that sort of booty popping considered "sexy"? It just looks violent! If I was a guy, I would fear for my manhood, thinking a girl would do that.
Soo… yeah, I honestly don't think that our "reputation" will be tarnished by this one. I agree with Lilyxxx! Where would pole dancing be without strippers? They invented it! That's like saying "Do you think Burlesque does bad things to the strippers reputation?" Burlesque created strippers, who then got on a pole and made pole dance, and now we're doing it! And we love it! Thanks, strippers! You're awesome!
That's… basically how I see that, lol
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Hey Cherished
Well, in my experience, the idea of achieving something like the splits can take years. Many of our most highly prized dancers were either exposed to dancing, and thus keeping their flexibility high, from a young age, or they had to work on it for, well, years, like Alethia Austin.
Six weeks seems like a very short time, and a lot of stress on the muscles being stretched.
I suppose it may also be a personal bias, but I found the website to be very poorly written. When I see something that lacks proper grammar, spelling, and/or punctuation, I suppose I don't consider that website to be particularly professional. I wonder if they are just some person talking to the internet from their basement. I would hope that, if they did have professional training, they would seek to convey themselves in that way.
Otherwise… I read something on that website that basically stated "You get the last inch or so through pain." By pushing past the pain and down that last inch or so, you risk doing extreme amounts of damage, the way I damaged my hamstrings, for example, during that yoga class.
I fully admire and support anyone who wants to take on the challenge of this website, and I did my very best to give it a proper look.
But I cannot condone any kind of flexibility, or strength training for that matter, that would advocate pain. Pain is the ultimate warning of your body. Pain can lead to incredible injury. Pain is your body's way of saying STOP NOW.
I endure certain pain with the understanding that I will recover- such as the pain of piercings, or the pain of my pole gripping my skin between my thighs. But, at a certain point, I know to stop. At a certain point, I will cause myself injury. When it comes to muscles, tendons, ligaments (do you know what the difference feels like?) pain is just not an option I can agree with.
And thank you for asking 🙂
…Sorry for the rant
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Sounds like your lats are sore! Those crazy things!
From what I've seen, placing a certain amount of pull on one of your arms, and allowing your body to stretch from that (though not curve) should give you a bit of a lat stretch. It's a difficult area of the body to access for stretching, but I know it can be done.
I also tend to wrap both hands around my pole at head height, and pull back through my hips, so that I'm leaning away from the pole. It seems to work for me for a back stretch!
Just between the shoulders (also lats, just another place) you can pull your arm, shoulder in neutral position, across your body. If you get it right (I do about 50% of the time) you'll feel it right where you want it!
I hope you feel better soon!
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I think the explanation was that you are tearing the muscles too much, and they would heal in an uneven way. There weren't really any studies cited, though, and I really did wonder about that.
From what I understand about body mechanics and biology (which isn't much, mind you) I thought it was a strange thing, too. So… yeah, I think I'm just not going to worry about it! Haha
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Suezann- That's an amazing idea, I always seem to forget about the "doing the reverse" for exercises like that!
I'm curious… I heard about this from my Fitness trainer class (which I didn't take the final exam for, lol!), that doing the reverse of an exercise like that will result in "lumpy" muscles. Could this just be because of an extreme?
I'm definitely trying to do that with my Pole ups, too! I'm not terribly good at them (as in, yeah, feet not leaving the ground), and they would also really help me with rock climbing, too!
KoiDragon- That is actually a really interesting suggestion, doing more of a… reverse push up. I'll have to try that, too!