[StrangeFox]

Thanks so much, Suzanna! Yeah, that wall-walk sounds doable for me! It’s the going upside down and depending on my arms for support that terrifies me. I suspect that’s where I’m failing with cartwheel mounts, too. I’m now getting my butt over my head but I just freeze once I get up there and I come right back down.

I’ve always wanted to be able to do a handstand. I’ve always been too scared. I think it’s time to start this journey, as I sincerely believe this is the skill I’m missing.

Amazing video and amazing progression. I’ve seen your IG posts and I am in awe – you look perfectly comfortable when you handstand. 🙂 You have given me hope that I can overcome my fears, too.

[StrangeFox]

Omg….freaking love this, Suzanna! I’ve been looking for an explanation like this, and some arm/hand exercises for handsprings/cartwheel mounts.

I’m another that won’t do twisted grip. I know I’m lazy and will hang off of that shoulder if given the option. I actually love cup grip and try to use it wherever I can. Plus my hands are small so I’m pretty much always in cup grip anyway. I don’t think refusing to do twisted grip will limit you in any way. Most of the times I see TG it’s only being used as an aide to get into a move with greater ease or for wow-factor and it isn’t actually necessary for the move itself.

[StrangeFox]

Thanks Veena!

[StrangeFox]

Thanks! I love the conditioning exercises and I do the elbow stands but I’m always freaked out once I get to the handstands. I have trouble maintaining engagement through a straight arm so I suspect that is where I’m missing something. I’m not sure where to even start with a handstand, though – just prepping for one makes me break out in a cold sweat. The silly thing is that I can lower into one, or walk backwards up a wall into one with no problem. It’s the actual act of flinging my body upside down while my head is pointed towards the floor that scares me.

I read somewhere learning how to do a cartwheel mount before you can kick up (with control) into a handstand is like trying to learn how to run before you can walk, which is exactly how I feel right now…

[StrangeFox]

Oooh wait…just re-read the half-cartwheel mount lesson – lol! Elbowstands and handstands are helpful.

Well, I do love elbowstands but I’m out of practice. I am terrified of handstands and have never lifted into one without someone holding my hips while I scream, protest, and grab at their ankles. Hmm… maybe facing my fear of handstands is a good start?

[StrangeFox]

Loved it – thank you for sharing. Just watched your performance video, and you’re super talented, so it’s comforting to know that even you struggled through nemesis moves.

This is so relevant to me right now. I just had an instructor correct me in my flexibility training and for the first time in months I’ve started to see progress again in my front splits. Also had my pole instructor give me some encouragement and help me feel less alone with my recent struggles.

I’ve found pole instructors to be a really down-to-earth and encouraging bunch in general. 🙂

[StrangeFox]

YES! You are totally encouraging me to run out and buy a bunch of Halloween costumes! I love Halloween so much…

[StrangeFox]

EbonyPoleArtist – your “boss like” response (lol – I love that!) is much appreciated and I’m glad to hear the perspective of a pole instructor. 🙂 The level I’ve moved to is a level that is designed to be repeated multiple times and because of that we get a wide variety of skill levels in class. Before entering a new level we do have to demonstrate that we are comfortable with pre-requisite moves.

When I first joined the class I felt challenged but in a good way. Now I feel like the class I’m in has evolved and left me behind. I’m still able to get into the moves, but not as beautifully as my classmates can. Part of the reason I’ve been so frustrated is because I have been trying to do something about this plateau. I’ve been conditioning, and working on my flexibility, but I’m not seeing much progress. It might well be that I’m not focused enough, which is why I like your idea of picking one or two things to work on.

Sp4c3Warrior – all I have to say to your post is: YES. What you’re saying was actually so relevant to me last week. I’ve recently stopped seeing progress in my front splits and decided to talk to one of the instructors about it. Turns out when I’ve been stretching for my splits I’ve been doing it with my weight over my front leg, so I’ve been stretching my hamstrings and putting pressure on my joint capsule instead of lengthening my hip flexors. A slight adjustment fixed that and I’ll hopefully start to see some progress in my front splits again soon. I also advanced quickly, and that’s because I’ve worked at it. Now I’ve stopped seeing progress, which is super frustrating when you’re used to being on top of your game. Perhaps it’s time to change things up?

Veena – I love my current studio and the teachers there, but I sometimes felt like I was being asked to go from 0 to 100. A lot of the other girls were OK with it, but I needed more of a foundation. That’s why I came on here, and that’s why I have stayed. I’ve looked at other resources, and they’re OK to get ideas for combos and things, but none of them offer the same level of instruction, or attention to injury prevention as SV does. Thank you so much for continuing to provide this incredible resource. 💕

[StrangeFox]

Veena – I completely agree. Pole is still a pretty young sport, and I feel like the pole community is pretty tight knit and still a bit “niche.” This means that pole stars feel “closer” (for lack of a better word) to the general pole population than say an NFL quarterback to the football community. I think that also makes it difficult to judge which moves are appropriate for the dancer who trains a couple of times a week, versus the dancer who trains 24/7 and is looking to go pro.

For other sports, there seems to be more awareness that going as hard as the pros means you’ll probably wear your body out while you’re still young. Most of us aren’t willing to make that sacrifice because we’ve seen the football star who suffered a career ending blow to the knee, or the hockey star who has suffered one too many concussions and is now paying for it dearly. Pole athletes make incredible sacrifices for their sport, and yet we don’t see pole stars the same way we see other athletes.

MdawWat – I’ve been thinking a lot about what you wrote here. I was so excited the first time I got into iguana. Then I watched the video later and realized how silly I looked leaping around with my bum in the air until I finally could get my foot hooked. Since January I’ve been trying to refine my iguana mount. I still don’t have this move down but it is always improving. If I can’t execute a move beautifully, then I can’t use it in a dance, and if I can’t use it in a dance then what is the point? What you wrote has inspired me to revisit a lot of moves I’ve just gotten and ignored (hello, scorpio and shoulder mount). I think if I have a more solid scorpio I’ll feel more comfortable working on allegra, and a better shoulder mount means a more comfortable (read: less scary) brass monkey.

[StrangeFox]

I’ll need to wait until after the session to suspend, especially since I committed to performing for a student show in October. Once this session is over I will probably take a small break for the holidays so I don’t burn myself out. I do still need to find my groove and I really want to focus on flow and movement (looking at the 30 day flow program!).

I’m both glad and sad that this post has resonated with others. This is, I suppose, a more common phenomenon than I thought it was. The pole community is one of the most supportive communities I’ve ever been a part of, but we’re all so hard on ourselves. I’m curious as to why it’s so prevalent here. I haven’t noticed it happening quite like this in other athletic communities, although I’m not very sporty so I could be wrong.

Runemist – I’m so glad this was helpful for you in your pole journey!

I still had class scheduled for this past week, so I went, and I had a really interesting experience. Usually there are enough poles for everyone, but this week we had to share and it was actually a secret god-send. It was really eye-opening to see that others were going through the same thing that I was. When you’re focusing on your own thing, you don’t necessarily see that. You just hear cheers, and then you see one of your classmates in a crazy trick. When you’re sharing a pole, you’re watching your classmate more closely – it’s more personal. You’re seeing them go through the same process you do – mentally, and physically. I was lucky that I was able to share with a girl I really admire, too.

Furthermore, I noticed that some students were progressing faster because they were willing to use grips and techniques that I’m hesitant to try. There’s nothing wrong with this…I just know I don’t have the body awareness to do those things safely. Realizing that it’s an issue of I WON’T and not I CAN’T made me feel much more in control and confident.

MdawWat – I have started cross-training more with yoga, chair, and strength training. It does really help. I am a distance runner but have had to lay off of running due to an over-use/muscle imbalance issue that I’m just getting over/resolving. Loss of one of my sports has resulted in a significant weight gain, some shame, and an unhealthy focus on the only athletic activities I can do. Not to mention running has always been very meditative for me and having to cut back on it has meant I’ve had to find other ways to help clear my mind.

Colleen – the difficult thing is that my studio is extremely supportive. No one is judging me. The issue is completely with me. I’m feeling burned out and left behind by the trick training because I want to advance and I’m not seeing any progress. The instructor is more than happy to let me work on an easier variation of what the class is doing, but I feel bad about myself when I compare my accomplishments to my peers. I know I shouldn’t make that comparison, but it’s easier said than done. Some can handle group classes. I’m not sure if I can. I may be more competitive than I thought. 🙂

I agree the lessons here are fantastic. I find Veena touches on a lot of really important things that often get brushed over. For example, injury avoidance – stretching out your forearms and why certain moves/grips might not be right for every body. Veena has totally opened my eyes and turned me off of twisted grip. I will NOT do it. I notice a lot that it’s being used to get into cartwheel mount/handspring before a student has developed the shoulder strength to get into it using regular grip. No thank you. I’ll stick to my shoulder exercises. It will take longer, but it will be worth it.

[StrangeFox]

Ahhh! You guys! Thanks so much for replying. Your words and support mean so much to me. I really do love this site. 🙂

Nancy – I’m sorry you’ve felt this way, too. The studio I go to has very few levels and there is such a huge jump between some of them. When I started in my current level it was OK. The progression felt natural, and I was learning new things and getting stronger. The other girls were progressing much quicker though, and of course, the majority rules so each session of my current class level became more and more challenging. I have friends in class and we always have fun together, but I just don’t feel like I belong at that level so when I do go back I’ll probably return to a previous level. 🙂

Runemist – I really needed to hear that right now. Thank you so much for responding. I completely agree with you on how being told not to compare yourself to others is easier said than done. You totally hit the nail on the head for me when you talked about your own experience. I guess I just feel like there isn’t a place at the studio for me anymore. It’s such an alienating feeling and the fact that I’m responsible for making myself feel this way almost makes it worse. I’m short, and I’ve got back. I’ve often wondered if I’m just not built for this. I require inhuman amounts of strength and flexibility to even get into the moves my classmates are doing with relative ease. You’ve asked some really good questions and I’m going to mull those over and explore them to see if I can find some answers.

Veena – I first got into pole because I wanted an outlet for my creativity and energy. I wanted to gain strength and be proud of what my body could do. I’ve always been a “no I can’t do that” person and in recent years I was really starting to hate my body. I wanted to love my body again. I wanted to dance and create beautiful shapes. I’m happiest when I’m freestyling, and unfortunately at the level I’m at we often don’t have time for freestyle. I’m having trouble freestyling at home due to some space and height restrictions but perhaps that’s just an opportunity to get creative. 🙂

LatinPoler – I can so relate to your journey and struggles. I’m similarly bothered by the push to learn more and more tricks without perfecting the ones I have already. I think that’s part of why I’m so discouraged. I can get into moves but they look awful and I’m unable to throw them into freestyles because I can’t get into and out of them gracefully. What good are these tricks? I’m also a distance runner and I find it takes A LOT to get me warm. My body also cools down quickly. I understand with time constraints in class we can’t have a 30 minute warm up like I do at home. My instructor does make an effort to include spin pole and combos in every class, and she’s always open to us working on different moves if we’re not a fan of what is being taught. The problem is, tricks are the most popular so it’s what we spend most of our time on. And I always feel pressured (by me) to do the things the other students are doing.

Maybe I haven’t been doing enough of “my thing” and that’s why I’m getting so unhappy and feeling so out of place and discouraged. I’m far more impressed with exotic dancers and burlesque artists than I am with acrobats and pole stars, so I don’t know why I’m so obsessed with tricks. I do think I’m going to suspend my membership for a while and try to home pole a bit. I think I need to make this journey about me again.

[StrangeFox]

Try X-Pole. They’re excellent quality poles and very, very safe when installed correctly. I think they’re good for up to 9ft out of the box, but you can purchase extensions to go higher. You have the option of either a pressure mounted pole, or a free-standing stage. I recommend checking out the X-Pole site and contacting X-Pole directly to see what would work best for you. Their customer service is superb.

X-Pole is a little price-y but def. worth it. If you’re tight on cash, check around and see if you can buy a second hand X-Pole. You’ll want to avoid any cheap, Peek-a-boo-type poles as they are not safe for trick training.

I also highly recommend a crash-mat. Again, it’s a bit expensive, but totally worth it. I can’t even count how many times mine has saved my sorry butt. I purchased my crash mat from yogaaccessories.com

Best of luck and let us know how you make out with finding a pole! 🙂

[StrangeFox]

Thanks so much, lovely!

Some of my favorites (in no particular order) are:

Gemini
Bomb/pike hip hold
Butterfly
Extended Butterfly
Iguana (just got very comfortable with lowering into it – my mount is still hidious, though)
Butt Superman
Genevieve (side sit)
Hello boys (wrist sit)
Genie
Golddigger drop
Tammy or anything from an inverted crucifix
Any laybacks (russian, x-ankle, x-knee)
Side climbs
Side V from gemini
Shoulder mount (from the ground)
Caterpillar
Scorpio to gemini switches – either the drop or the static rotation

Whew! I know that’s a lot but hopefully that gives you an idea of some of the moves I’m comfy with.

I might want to avoid certain moves or have back-ups just in case because pole students are permitted to play on the poles between the shows. Last year we were all getting our greasy pizza fingers and Halloween makeup gook all over everything. They’re cleaned before every performance, but some of that stuff lingers! XD

Not sure if it helps, but I’m looking to do some simple doubles moves, and the theme is going to be an 80s slasher movie cheese-fest. We’ll be doing some spin and some static combos. 🙂

[StrangeFox]

Hello and welcome! I’m sure there are a ton of trans female polers out there. 🙂 Pole is for everyone and I can see no reason being trans female should hold you back in any way. From what I’ve experienced the pole community is super supportive. At the studio I attend they even have a policy that allows trans students to use whichever washroom they feel most comfortable in. I think because pole was at one point heavily taboo and stigmatized, the community that has grown around it has become more accommodating and accepting than most. If you really want to pole…I’d say: go for it! Best decision I’ve ever made for my mental and physical health. 🙂

As for getting started, the lessons on here are wonderful if you have your own pole at home, and there’s even a program tailored towards students who have never touched a pole (the 30 Day Take Off – which helped me build a solid foundation). I’d also recommend looking for a studio in your area and asking if you can drop in on a class.

Hope that helps!

[StrangeFox]

Hey PixieStardust – and welcome! You’ve already received some great advice, and you’re definitely in the right place. Pole is so much fun and the community is really awesome. I like that Runemist mentioned not comparing yourself to others, because that’s something that’s really hard for me not to do and one of my biggest obstacles when it comes to enjoying pole. There will be times you’ll feel like you’re not progressing, or like maybe pole isn’t for you, but know that you’re not alone and feeling that way is normal. Also, I’ve found progress comes in waves so I’ll go for months feeling like I’ve made zero progress, and then suddenly one day I’ll make a whole ton of progress. Progress is not always linear, too. I’m constantly learning moves and losing them, and then learning them again.

As others have said, just enjoy the journey and don’t be shy about connecting with other polers if you need help or support! 🙂