[cristinaap]

I do lyra as well and it was easier for me too because I pole. I think silks is more similar although there are some tricks that resemble pole tricks. For me hoop hurts the most and bruises me the most. But I love doing it!

[cristinaap]

I didmpole for over a year before trying silks and it definitely helped a lot! I progressed much faster than others because of all the things I knew how to do in pole. Some things are very different but some things are similar. It is much more tiring though, but I do feel I’ve gained so much more strength from doing silks. Plus it is really fun and for me it feels more circus-like and I love that. I wouldn’t give it up for pole but it is a nice complement

[cristinaap]

My dog loves the taste of itac and she will lick it off my pole and even lick my bottom hand while im doing moves such as the butterfly lol
She loves the yoga mat and my crash mat and she thinks its her playtime whenever i get it out!

[cristinaap]

Exact thing happened to me after 8 months of poling. First day I went back I didnt have the strength to do many things. So instead of getting frustrated, I decided to regain my strength by learning to do everything on my ‘other’ side. I went through everything much faster than the first time around. It was challenging and fun and kept me away from the frustration. After one month back on the pole, I am now good with my ‘other’ side and have regained a lot of my strength. Another thing that has helped me is to practice routines as doing that helps build strength and endurance, instead of focusing on learning new moves I am not that strong for yet.

Don’t give up, keep at it and you’ll be back in no time!

[cristinaap]

Congrats on getting your pole set up! I know it can be very frustrating having to stop poling and then getting back on and not being able to do much. This happen to me very recently. I go to a studio and I was one of the most advanced students, then I had to stop doing any kind of exercise for a little over 2 months and then when I got back on the pole (last week) I couldn't do half of the intermediate/advanced things I could before. Frustrating to say the least. I just went back to the studio this week and I see all the students at the studio that have progressed so much and now I don't have the strength to do what was a regular trick for me. So after one class of trying to pick up where I left off… I got to thinking. I gained the strength to do those tricks by going through a progression of tricks that also helped me understand the balance I needed. I then decided that I would do the same thing. I would go through the same progression but on the other side. That way I will still be learning something new and build up my strength. I am not going to think about others being more advanced than I am, I will just enjoy the challenge of learning things on my "bad side." When I learned the spins I did learn everything with both hands, but once I started inverting, I just stuck to my "good" side. I could invert and do a scorpio and that was about it. The good thing is that tricks come a little easier the second time around 🙂

So don't be afraid to re-learn the moves you already know, the progression will help you gain the strength… and like others have said, don't just learn tricks, learn tricks then put them in small combos!

Good luck!

[cristinaap]

The first time I touched a pole was at my sister's bachelorette party. I loved it and from then I was hooked!!

It started with a routine done by the instructor.

Then the instructor showed us how to:

walk around the pole

do a fireman spin and a chair spin

leg hooks

She showed a really really short routine linking those things together. For the ones that were more interested she showed us some floorwork. At the end volunteers did a freestyle and the one that got more applause won.

There was this one heavier girl who couldnt spin and she was taught a pole sit.

The only thing I didnt like about it was that I wasn't warned that I should wear shorts and I wore skinny jeans!! I was so desperate to try it that don't ask me how I managed to pull up my cuffs up to my knees https://www.studioveena.com/img/smilies/icon_e_surprised.gif

Don't forget to take a good dancing playlist!

And Good luck!!

[cristinaap]

I think the speed of your progress depends a lot on the natural skill and the strength of the student. Also, I believe that if you take classes with a teacher, it makes it easier and safer to advance faster.

I have the problem of sweaty hands as well. When I learned the spins I had to wipe the pole constantly and then when I started inverting and needing grip in my hands it was almost impossible for me to do moves because my hands were so sweaty I left drops on the pole. I get sweaty hands when watching the teacher show me the move I'm about to learn… or even watching pole dance videos on youtube! It's also a matter of nervousness so I bought myself some tite grip and itac2 and I use it. It's wonderful for everything but spins for me. I use it until I gain confidence in the new moves I'm learning. It has helped me a lot and now some moves that I used to need the grip aid to do because my hands were so sweaty I couldn't grip the pole, I can do them without it! I hope that will happen wih all of the tricks I learn, that with time I will be able to do them without getting nervous and sweating.

If you need grip, use it. Pole dancing for fitness in your own home or for your own is not a competition, so nothing can really be considered cheating. If you're being SAFE and having fun, it's all good.