[calipolepixie]

Planche, b girl moves like one handed press ups & handstands, handstand pop ups. And I’ve see a lot of meat hook variations, machine gun & chopsticks lately. I do notice a trend of more crazy moves that have very few contact points & kamakazi type jumps on to & pop offs the pole. And some variations of Chinese pole moves being modified for regular pole.

I too stopped really trying to do every hot trick out there because well, a lot of pole tricks are just not for me for one reason or another & I found out that when I obsessed over getting every hot trick, I had more pole ruts & started to dislike pole…it was not fun anymore, it was frustrating. When I started just enjoying my journey wherever it took me, my love of pole started to grow again!

But for the most part, I’m 42, the possibility of hurting myself far out weighs my desire to acquire a crazy new move lol. Nowadays, if I feel comfortable in trying a new hot move, sure I may try it but if it doesn’t feel right to me and/or the contact points feel unsafe to me, I won’t do it. It’s always good to be open to try new things & step out of your comfort zone here & there but knowing your limits, respecting your body & safety should be forefront. However, I do try to visually & mentally learn how to get into & out of the popular moves that I personally won’t touch/don’t care for, so if my students want to try it, I can properly spot them & explain/teach it to them in the safest way possible. And I always make them do it low to the ground using a mat for quite awhile until they get super comfortable with the move 🙂

I didn’t think like this at first (took me 2 years to wake up!) but now I think that poling should be about following your niche, finding your style & growing in your element. Layla is a perfect example of this. She & other polers like her, have inspired me so much & made me realize that I needed to stop trying to win the race & just enjoy the challenge.

[calipolepixie]

Oh or you can go into titanic from it!

[calipolepixie]

This vid really helped me https://www.studioveena.com/videos/view/51fbb772-81dc-477b-987a-5f910ac37250 & it’s how I explain/help my students get into it now too.

I also teach it via pike hold (& my fave way to get into it too), which a lot of my students find easier. To get out you can reverse it or figurehead

[calipolepixie]

A lot of stretching & strength conditioning to keep your strength & flexy up until you can get back on a pole. Working on handstands, forearm stands, wall dancing & floorwork will keep you busy too. Also look for a pole buddy in your area that you can pole with 2-3x a month & pole at their place; a lot of women who pole, like poling with a buddy/having pole jams. Just don’t give up! Make due with what you do have the best you can until you can get back into the studio.

[calipolepixie]

I had friends who were exotic dancers, so my husband & I spent a lot of time hanging out at the strip clubs in the late 90’s. I fell in love with pole then(back in those days girls did a lot of pole work in strip clubs–not so many do now) & wanted to do it too but back then there were no pole studios or home poles that you could buy, so about 10 years passed before I actually got to try it (S factor–I wrote a review an online publication) and then another 4 years to actually sign up for classes. Been poling 4 years now 🙂

My first 2 years of poling were the hardest because I worked a 50+ hours & traveled for work, so my progress was slow & I often wasn’t able to pole for 2-3 weeks at a time because of work & then I’d have to build strength back up & gain moves back. Pole can be hard, confusing & frustrating at times but it has changed me & my life & has brought me so much joy & happiness that’s why I have stuck with it for so long!

If you start to feel frustrated, don’t give up…have a pole Studio Veena video pole jam or Skype pole jam with a pole buddies
, seek out other polers in your area & pole jam together whenever you can, video tape your practices, so you can see your progress (this really helps). If there is a studio 1-2 hours from you, see if they have workshops & try to go a few times a year if you can, workshops are great for additional support, tips & you get to socialize with local polers.

And come to SV anytime & ask questions, post videos for feedback…there’s a GREAT support group of gals here!!!

[calipolepixie]

Btw we all started where you are with strength! It took me several lessons before I could lift my feet off the ground…it takes a little time but pole strength does come with practice.

[calipolepixie]

Welcome to SV!

Veena’s lessons are great if you haven’t gotten them yet, I highly recommend them! You build strength as you learn & progress in pole but you can also do additional strength & conditioning exercises, which are in Veena’s lessons. Veena also has the 30 day take off, which gets people off to a good start, which has/is a mixture of beginning pole moves, floorwork & strength & conditioning exercises.

[calipolepixie]

I wear wigs long & short & I just discovered wig comb clips. You get them at the beauty supply store, usually near extensions &/or clip on hair section. You sew them into your wig & it keeps the wig on securely even during inverts, spin mode, hair whipping…you name it! Here’s a vid that shows you how to do it: http://youtu.be/WzaH7aL-sWU

[calipolepixie]

Yep she’s awesome. Just proof that pole really is for anyBODY 🙂

[calipolepixie]

I hear golf bags work. Or you could box it up people check boxes all the time. Just would have to pay extra because of weight of it & pack a box & tape with it to bring it back in!

[calipolepixie]

I’ve visited fun pole fitness once I liked it…great atmosphere & variety of classes.

[calipolepixie]

Any move involving a good knee pit grip-cupid, knee hold, marley, side climb etc. I can “sometimes” get into them (with struggle) but slide out of them immediately! I’ve tried itac on my knee pits too & nothing works!!! So frustrating! Idk what it is. So many instructors have tried to help me with too it & they are baffled lol. I kind of put most knee pit moves on the back burner though, I attempt them periodically but still no go usually :/

Also my 3 major nemesis right now are the caterpillar, ayesha and handstands been working on them for about 10 months!!! UGH! However, I went to a physical therapist recently who told me I have weak lower abs, who thinks that is probably the reason as to why I can’t get my center balance to land my Ayesha & handstands, so I’m trying to work on my core strength…it’s so frustrating because I’m working on my advanced pole teacher cert right now & I really need these three to complete my cert requirements!

[calipolepixie]

There are all ages in pole! It’s never too late to start! There are a lot for polers here & in the pole community who are in their 40’s & 50’s who have been poling a few years or more who are bad ass! I’m 42 with no plans of stopping anytime soon 🙂

[calipolepixie]

A lot of polers don’t come from a dance/gymnastics background. Anyone can pole! I started at 38 & the last time I had a formal dance or gymnastics class prior to pole was when I was like 10. I was on the cheer squad & drill team during my teens but I was the non flexible one who always did the “fake” james brown splits, while everyone else did the real splits with ease. I am now 42, still poling & still not very flexible but I definitely have improved flexibility wise since I started 4 years ago that’s for sure.

You build strength as you learn pole but you can also do strength & conditioning exercises to help with strength to & you can become flexible with training & conditioning exercises.

[calipolepixie]

Totally Normal. It happens regularly to polers why? idk lol