[StrangeFox]

Hey – I started around the same time as you (April of this year), and I still have some trouble with tuck spin. I can now execute a very slow tuck spin but it’s gradually looking better as I get stronger and can put more momentum into it. Check out Veena’s lessons if you have them. Also, I found working on other spins as well as thigh rest and pole holds helped me build the strength for this spin

[StrangeFox]

Will do, Veena! 🙂 I actually like the caterpillar a lot better than the butterfly (I think it looks a lot cuter, and it’s easier to flow into than butterfly). Thanks so much for all of your help!

[StrangeFox]

Okay…I (sort of) got it but it’s quite an ugly butterfly! Haha! I’m waaaay too scared to extend my back leg any further yet. I’m going to post a pic in a couple of months and it’s going to look way better. I promise. It’s a lot easier to get into this from gemini and I feel way more secure. I love gemini so much… It makes me feel so safe and cool.

Ps. You probably can’t tell from the pic but I’ve got my hand at the very bottom of the pole, wedged between the crash mat. Any tips to prevent sliding down the pole while doing this one?

[StrangeFox]

Gah! Hannimator – that’s me, too! I have issues with split grip spins and up until a couple of months ago I had to really concentrate when I did them. My elbow hyper-mobility is much better now but still causes problems if I’m really tired. I’m glad to hear things will get better. Actually, I also have hyper-mobile shoulders…or at least I used to before pole. In a few short months my shoulders have gone from being hyper-mobile to just plain mobile as I’ve gained muscle. Pole means no more fun escape artist party tricks, but it also means no more disconcerting “catching” sensation in my shoulders. 😀

You’re right about slow and steady winning the race! If split grip was easy for me I’d be doing it constantly. I love the look of split grip spins and moves, but because they’re so much work for my core and my elbows I always keep it slow with those types of moves. I hear too much split grip can cause injuries, too.

[StrangeFox]

Thanks Veena! I’ll give that a shot! The hyper-extension is definitely much better now that I’ve built up muscles around my elbows. Gradually it’s getting corrected as I build strength, but I still have to be mindful of it in certain positions. 🙂

[StrangeFox]

So I can get into position for the basic butterfly (pictured with partial split grip) just fine from inverted crucifix, but I cannot do it from basic invert for whatever silly reason. I don’t find this position as scary anymore and can see myself doing butterfly in the future…after I’ve mastered caterpillar and basic butterfly. I can go into full split grip and push myself away from the pole, but my extended elbow still hyper-flexes a bit and that feels iffy, so I have to work on that, too. Any tips for locking out my elbow without hyper-flexing it?

[StrangeFox]

Thanks Veena! I love your saying about having to be a caterpillar before you can be a butterfly! 🙂 I think the caterpillar program sounds perfect for this. I see scapula exercises and core work in day 1 and …those are my weak spots! 😀

I’ve seen a lot of other students nail the butterfly consistently after being spotted for it once or twice, but I have no clue what their background is, and we’re all different so I’m trying not to compare. There are things I’m really comfortable with after one or two tries that others are still learning, and vice versa. We did do caterpillar push ups before we learned the butterfly – probably to make sure we were strong enough and that we were comfortable with the leg motion for the butterfly. But for me it’s the positioning of the top portion of my body, and the push-pull while being upside down that totally messes me up, so I think getting my caterpillar solid is going to be key to rocking the butterfly.

[StrangeFox]

Thanks Hannimator! Next time I try this move I think I’ll give it a go from gemini. That option hurts my brain less than thinking about how I have to do it from basic invert. I’m having trouble keeping my legs in a stable position while I swing my top half out so I’m in line with the pole. Plus it looks a little more low-ceiling friendly. I’m also having a hard time getting that bottom hand locked… I can’t seem to get my split grip activated when I’m upside down… Caterpillar might help with that. 🙂

Sometimes, I’m stuck on a move for what feels like forever (backhook spin and reverse sunwheel…I’m looking at you!), and one day it just clicks and I do it like I’ve been doing it forever. Usually I end up being able to do my “trouble” moves better than the moves that I get right away. Fingers crossed that happens with the butterfly…

[StrangeFox]

I’m working on my splits, too. I just started, so I’m not very close to achieving them yet, but I was able to get a whole 2 inches lower by following the flexibility training here, which I highly recommend, and also using an app on my phone that focuses on the stretches required for achieving the splits. Everyone else has already given you excellent advice about warming up, consistency and using a variety of stretches. I have to agree that all of those factors are key and have helped me gain flexibility safely. It can be hard to stay motivated because it’s going to seem like it’s not working at first. Flexibility gains happen so, so slowly but stick with it and you’ll start to notice you get lower and lower to the ground. Take pictures and measure how far your crotch is from the ground every couple of weeks.

For the first week of stretching, I hated it (it’s pretty uncomfortable if you’re not used to it!), but after about 2 weeks I started to like it, and now I look forward to my splits training days. I have never tried the Adee videos but they look excellent and I think I’m going to give them a go! 🙂 A word of caution: if you are poling in close quarters, you may start to kick things as you increase your range of motion. 😀

Good luck, and take care!

[StrangeFox]

Looks like I’m in good company! I don’t feel so bad for finding this one difficult and scary if you talented ladies struggled with it, too. 🙂

PoleAdventures – You’re right…there is a ton of other stuff to work on. I tend to get fixated on a move sometimes and then I have to step back because I get frustrated with it. Oddly enough, when I go back to it later I usually get it no problem and I can’t remember what I was struggling with before. I think there are a lot of other moves that will help me build the strength and skills necessary to butterfly. The elbow stands are a great idea because they’ll help me with muscle activation while being upside down, as well as balance. And my pole sits and basic planks could always use more work!

Cherished – Haha! Yeah! With some moves it’s like I’m missing a piece of the puzzle. The instructor told us to get right in front of our pole in a straight line and everyone else just did it no problem but I was like: “Uhm…where is the front of my pole?” *facepalm* I just didn’t get it, which is silly because I do it all the time to get into inverted crucifix. Whenever I turn to face the pole and grab I get all twisted/confused and collapse out of the move. Basic butterfly and caterpillar will probably help with that.

Thanks for your replies and advice, everyone! It makes me feel a lot less anxious and alone and there are a few new things I’m excited to try next time I get the guts to work on this move again.

[StrangeFox]

One happy thing came out of my butterfly struggles, though. I bonded with some of the girls in my class. 🙂 Most of the girls have at least one close friend in the class, and although everyone is super nice I was starting to feel like the odd man out. I do talk to some of the girls, but nothing beyond small talk. I was the first one to try the butterfly, so everyone was watching as I was dragged off of the pole three times by the instructor before I finally got the move. After that I was being included in group conversations. Even some of the girls who were a bit distant with me were joking and laughing with me at the end of class. Go figure! LOL!

[StrangeFox]

Thanks Cherished! I’m glad I’m not the only one who feels weird in this move. Some moves feel so natural to me (gemini and inverted crucifix are my faves right now, and cross knee release feels stable), and others are kind of shaky for me. I’m just starting to feel OK with scorpio, but it never feels completely natural. Butterfly felt terrifyingly unstable, though.

Watching the videos here again, I realize it’s not actually the “basic” butterfly I’m doing but the butterfly (split grip, but not extended). I haven’t even done basic butterfly. Would mastering a basic butterfly make it easier to master the butterfly? The huge issue I’m having is getting my body away from the pole and activating my push pull grip.

[StrangeFox]

I’m not yet strong enough to deadlift, but those are excellent options to keep in mind for when I am. 🙂 I like the sweeping backwards option a lot and will definitely give that a try. Thanks polekat!

[StrangeFox]

Thanks Veena! Phew…okay, that’s a relief! As long as I don’t need this to get into the intermediate moves, I’m okay to wait. I’m a long ways away from having enough strength to do aerial inverts, and there’s so much more I want to learn before I start to do those. I plan to start the invert program after the 30 day take-off.

I got obsessed with trying to nail this move because it’s like the pole equivalent of that claw game you see at arcades (the one where you try to pick up a stuffed animal). It looks so simple, but there’s so much more going on. And I keep getting close on my good days, but I’m not quite there. The closest I came I got my hips up but couldn’t keep them up and had to come into a regular invert. And after that my body was jelly and I couldn’t invert for the rest of the class. I think it might be a combo of not yet being strong/coordinated enough to lift the hips and extend the arms at the same time. In a few weeks I’ll try again. 🙂

[StrangeFox]

This is what I wound up doing in my pole room with that mirror and the chair rail. I’ve never touched a power tool in my life, but now thanks to pole I know how to find studs, how to cut chair rail off of a wall, and how to hang mirrors/pictures/lights. 😀