[dustbunny]

Moth has it right, but it is worth repeating.
Front knee points up, back knee points down. Also try to keep your back straight. https://www.studioveena.com/img/smilies/icon_e_smile.gif

[dustbunny]

Thanks ladies! I will keep at it, I love spin mode so much but it’s such a pain not being able to invert whenever I feel like it. https://www.studioveena.com/img/smilies/icon_e_smile.gif

[dustbunny]

Ok, I bought one of these as well off ebay. I did not buy it thinking it was an x-pole, I bought it because I could not afford the real deal. It is, I believe, a cheaper chinese rip off. The instructions contain some excellent "engrish" if you want a laugh. https://www.studioveena.com/img/smilies/icon_e_smile.gif

I LOVE IT!! <3 <3

No it is not an x-pole, yes it has the same design specs as an x-pole. It is strong, sturdy, and stable. My spin mode works excellently, the dome is metal not plastic as some people have suggested it may be (although check yours, I did not buy mine from the same e-bay user), and I have no major issues with my pole.

Minor issues you may wish to consider:
1. The chrome finish is not as nice looking as I would like. This is asthetic only as it is not peeling or anything like that, but having worked in the manufacturing industry for nearly a decade I know how good a plating SHOULD be.
2. My DVD I received in the box, did not work right. I contacted the seller and they shipped me another one free of charge, however it does not work right either. I gave up at that point, and me and my hubby (who is very mechanically inclined) figured it out our selves.

Any way, my point is have a good look at it before you send it back. Consider that you may get your original investment returned, but you may have to pay out of pocket to ship it back. Consider also, how much more you are willing to pay for a "name brand". My pole has been installed in my living room for almost a year now. It is not a flimsy pole that will fall down or anything like that. I love my rip off x-pole and wouldn’t trade it.

I saw that everyone was saying the opposite and wanted to leave you with some thoughts from the other side of the fence…

Feel free to email me if you want to ask me anything about my pole mailto:dustbunny.00@gmail.com

[dustbunny]

OMG! I would love to have a stage pole, I want one soooooo bad. And I am in Fergus (just north of Guelph) Ontario…but I really can’t justify the cost right now. https://www.studioveena.com/img/smilies/icon_e_sad.gif Too much else going on that requires $$$. I have no doubt you’ll find a buyer before I can come up with the dough, but if I can figure something out I will contact you.

[dustbunny]

I only just got this move recently and I have been poling for nearly a year and a half! I never felt secure enough to actually lay back in it, and any time I did try (with a spotter or mats of course) i would slide right down to the ground. I had only ever held it for a split second by going into it from a handstand, and immediately proceeded to slide right down again. LOL
I had heard a lot of people say that the planks (particularly the advanced version, with your hand underneath you) are much easier to learn once you can do the CAR and since I couldn’t CAR I had never really put much effort into them. Well, I finally got fed up with trying and trying and trying and failing miserably no matter what I did, I had tried every tip I had ever heard; turning knees in, turning knees out, squeezing bum, etc. and had absolutely no luck. I decided that it was going to be a move that just wasn’t going to be mine but I decided, well what the hell maybe I can learn that damn advanced plank anyway. Everyone kept telling me to get the CAR first, but I decided to go at it my way. After a couple practices I nailed the basic plank (I had done that one before but never put any time into learning it nicely) and could do a rough advanced plank, not necessarily pretty getting into it, and couldn’t hold it long but you get the idea. Then one day in an advanced plank moment that felt pretty secure I had the thought to tilt my legs up and try to walk my hands down lower and give the old CAR another go…and whaddya know? I did it! Not only did I actually hold the pose, I didn’t get into it from a handstand (which I always though would be easier) I did the layback part too! And then I thought, this is great…but can I get back up? Sure enough I even pulled myself back up into a pole sit. In that practice I completed the layback twice and pulled myself up twice (with one attempt failing miserably in between LOL). Just goes to show that sometimes move progression is different for different people!
So my advice is to just forget about the CAR for awhile, don’t even think about it. Work on those planks and one day it will just feel right to try it again, and it will happen! <3 <3 <3 Good Luck!

[dustbunny]

I really enjoyed the series very much! Thank you for sharing, I love to promote anything pole, so you got my vote. Good Luck. https://www.studioveena.com/img/smilies/icon_e_smile.gif

[dustbunny]

I totally agree with everyone here. Video your practices! When I got my home pole and stopped going to the studio, I didn’t have a mirror so all I had was my video camera. The only issue is that I have a continuously growing file on my drive, currently it is 20GB!!! https://www.studioveena.com/img/smilies/icon_e_surprised.gif (that’s not bad actually, it was over 50 at one point!)

I used to be the same way as far as not being able to watch myself in my spins, and I’m still not great but it does get better with practice. https://www.studioveena.com/img/smilies/icon_e_wink.gif

[dustbunny]

Pole nerds unite!

This is kind of a tangent, but being a pretty big nerd I had to say something. https://www.studioveena.com/img/smilies/icon_e_smile.gif
I will say that I am not very happy with the chrome finish on my pole…I am afraid that it wont last long term (I have had it since the new year). I wrote an email to the manufacturer when I got it, basically saying that the chrome finish on the bumper of my 10+ year old truck is in better condition…and I live in Canada…it sees rain, sleet, hail, snow, ice, salt, heat, humidity…etc. I never got a response but I guess that’s what I get for buying the cheap Chinese X-pole rip off! Don’t get me wrong, it’s very strong and sturdy (same exact design as the real thing), but the finish was just cheaply done (although I’ve never seen a real X-pole up close, so I don’t really know if it would be better or not). I worked in manufacturing for 8 years, and I’ve seen a lot of different finishes, I know a good chrome finish from a bad one. I don’t know how long it might last…so far it hasn’t gotten any worse, no peeling or anything. If it bites the bullet, I guess I’ll just have to buy replacement sections…or go for broke and get a real X-pole…

Sorry for the rant… https://www.studioveena.com/img/smilies/icon_rolleyes.gif

[dustbunny]

If I had the abs strength to slowly lift myself off the floor I would feel much more confident but I just don’t have that strength yet (and I don’t know the technique to do this properly)

I started learning how to lift my feet off the floor from an elbow stand today, it’s not pretty, but i did it! Now I don’t have to kick or swing my feet up. While doing it I realized that it must be the same technique as lifting into the iguana/pencil mount. Which I am not ready to do yet…or rather, I do think I have the strength to do it, but like most moves my sweaty hands really don’t even allow me to try.
Anyway my point was, if you want to work on the lifting your feet off the floor without jumping or kicking, doing it from an elbowstand rather than the iguana/pencil mount position might be safer and make you more confident the next time you do try that iguana/pencil.

[dustbunny]

Yes, I am hoping that polishing up the basics will help improve other moves and hopefully push me to the next level. I want to compete someday! Not at a national level or anything (I’m okay with the fact that I will never be Miss Pole Dance Canada) but an amateur competition would be so much fun!

[dustbunny]

Good invert exercises in this basic invert tutorial Lola made.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XaZjyXTIgfg

[dustbunny]

Besides all the good points mentioned, some days our bodies are just stronger/more flexy/whatever than others. You may never know why exactly you can’t do today what you could do yesterday, or if you’ll be able to do it tomorrow. IT IS NORMAL, so don’t stress about it (stress certainly isn’t going to help anything https://www.studioveena.com/img/smilies/icon_razz.gif). Just do what you can today, know that you did your best and learn to be happy with it.

I don’t know if you record your progress is any way (journal, writing how many inches to go on the calendar, etc.) but maybe you wouldn’t feel so discouraged if you knew that even on a ‘bad’ stretchy day your AVERAGE was slowly getting better. For example, say you write down somewhere how many inches from the floor you are every time you try. When you get to 10 measurements, add them up and divide by 10 to get the average distance to the floor. After another 5 sessions and measurements, add up the MOST RECENT 10 and divide by 10. This way you are tracking a running average, and should help you see your ‘real’ progress without focusing on ‘good’ or ‘bad’ days.

Good Luck, and I’m jealous by the way…I’d love to get my splits, but I don’t have the motivation to make the time required. https://www.studioveena.com/img/smilies/icon_e_sad.gif Good for you for taking the time to really try!

[dustbunny]

To get out of a gemini you can try going into an inverted thigh hold. I like this transition a lot, bring your free leg around and grip the pole with your thighs as well as your gemini hook, then move your torso around so the pole is in front of you. Ta-da!

[dustbunny]

Not exactly my first trick, but my first inverted trick (besides the invert itself) was as the inverted crucifix. Check out the video (my first ever), I was so super thrilled even though I only let go for like a half a second. The moment of awesomeness is at 5:30. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h3DRb1nxGjY I watch it and laugh now… https://www.studioveena.com/img/smilies/icon_lol.gif

[dustbunny]

My father-in-law gave me my nickname. When my hubby and I first started dating (back in high school) I would hang out at his parents house after school and on weekends. Like most teenage boys, his room wasn’t the cleanest place ever and so, because I spent so much time hanging out in there, with the dustbunnies, his father started to call me dustbunny. Now I use it all over the internet! And if I ever want a "stage name" I’d use Dusty Rose because Rose is my maiden name.