[FlyingFireBird]

I’m working on my iron x too, and found a little trick to help with the body position. Like the Aerial Amy video shows, you want to rotate into the position instead of lowering. I found it’s easier to do that if you go into your Ayesha (any grip) and pike your legs with your ankles on the pole and really sit back in this position, hips pretty far from the pole. From there, open your leg out to the side as you rotate your chest. Your second ankle will unhook as you fully settle into the iron x. Quick note the pike isn’t supposed to be supportive, just a reminder to open your legs to the side.

[FlyingFireBird]

I don’t have my phoenix yet, but one teacher I had suggested that when you learn it, feel free to use your feet a bit. She had us do the spin, then when our arms were in the right spot, plant a foot and mount like a normal handspring (no adjusting the hands after the spin though, the point is practising getting the hands in the right spot during the spin. If you need to adjust the hands, you need to spin again). Then when we are comfortable with the spin and grip, switch to just “tapping” the foot instead of planting it, so you don’t loose momentum and start weaning off the foot. The theory is that this helps you break down the parts and slowly reduce how much you rely on your feet. This worked for some of my classmates. I’m still at the “plant the foot” stage though. 🙂

[FlyingFireBird]

There are a few things that helped the handspring “click” for me.

1) This will look and feel silly, but set your grip and just practice turning your torso from facing down at the floor to facing up to the ceiling with your feet on the floor. This helped my body “remember” to go upside down instead of facing forward.

2) I would recommend practising an Ayesha of any grip. I have my split grip handspring, but I don’t have my split grip Ayesha. However practising my elbow and twisted grip Ayeshas helped me better get the feeling of what position my hips were supposed to end the handspring in.

3) Play with how far apart your hands are. Everyone’s proportions are different, so this varies for everyone. If your hands are too close together, it’s really hard to get up, but if they are too far apart, it it is really hard to hold steady.

Good luck!

[FlyingFireBird]

Hey I just want to say thanks to everyone who replied here! I just hit the sweet spot on my true/baseball grip and elbow grip (still can't find Twisted Grip, but I'll take my wins where I can get them)! Those of you who said arms closer together hit the nail on the head. The handstand training helped too. For those of you still working it, don't give up! It will suddenly happen.

[FlyingFireBird]

Thanks for the advice and the support. It's nice to know I'm not the only one struggling to find this "sweet spot." I'll keep working it, practicing my handstands, headstands, and forearmstands, and try moving my hands a little closer together. 

[FlyingFireBird]

I have and I was really slick. It might have been because of the poles I was using, but I just couldn't get a good, secure, feeling grip. Others at that studio also complain about how slippery it can be, so it might just be those brass poles.

[FlyingFireBird]

I’m going to repeat what everyone else said about the scale – ditch it. My scale just told me I gained 6lbs but my pants told me I dropped a size. If your current pants are big you’re doing something right.

[FlyingFireBird]

I’ve understood embodying music as a combination of things, primarily musicality, emotion, and attention to detail. Pick a song that resonates with you. It can make you feel silly, happy, sad, ect, just make sure it makes you feel. When you choreogragh your piece pay attention to details. What are your fingers doing? Your toes? Head? When do you look at the audience and when do you look away? Some of this will come and happen naturally, other parts you’ll need to think about. Then practice until your body could do it in your sleep. If you practice enough to get the muscle memory down, nerves won’t matter. The music will start and you’ll just dance. Good luck!!!

[FlyingFireBird]

Laybacks/cross ankle releases will stop bruising but you do have to give them time to heal. Mixing up your practice a little might help. At the same time I totally get it. My husband has had to watch out for spots on me too sometimes.

[FlyingFireBird]

Sometimes support comes in the form of a gentle reminder to take it easy. My husband is super supportive but knows that I’m the type of person who will push myself to the point of injury to get a move. He reminds me to take it easy so I don’t injure myself.

[FlyingFireBird]

My hip also pops out of alignment. For me it was from 10yrs of ballet and forced turn out. It got so bad I couldn’t dance, run our walk long because my hip would be misaligned and the joint would hurt. (On the plus side I found pole because of my hip. Being in the air means less pressure on the hip joint lol). Depending on how you misalign you’ll need to strengthen and stretch different muscles. I recommend finding a pt before it gets as bad as mine did. I was able to fix mine, but waiting did damage to the joint and I don’t think I’ll be doing ballet anytime soon.

[FlyingFireBird]

I find it so funny how people automatically connect pole to bedroom play. People often respond with how lucky my husband is that I pole. Pole is a little more like this in our relationship – 

http://pole-dancing-adventures.blogspot.com/2012/11/my-wife-pole-dances.html

(love this blog btw).

[FlyingFireBird]

I agree ChemGoddess with the idea of not broadcasting, but there is a difference between not broadcasting and hiding pole fitness. I don't go out of my way to talk about pole fitness with certain members of my family, but if it comes up or came up I would (If they asked me where I got a bruise from, I wouldn't lie about it – I would explain my sport). I feel like this is the "not broadcasting part." At work I hide pole fitness from my co-workers. If I'm asked about a bruise – I lie (my coworkers think I do Aerial Silks/Trapeeze and Kickboxing) or, more often, if I have a bruise I do my best to hide it. The lines between broadcasting and hiding can be blurred, but coming out can a form of simply not hiding it.

[FlyingFireBird]

Let us know how your comming out goes. A bit of advice, if you have a smart phone, keep a video of one of your favorite, least provocative performaces bookmarked on your phone. My favorite is Natasha Wang's on the View because people are more likely to believe it is innocent if it is on the view. If you have it on hand you can show people that pole dance is different than stripping (not that there is necessarily anything wrong with stripping).

Good luck!

[FlyingFireBird]

If the kick up way of learning freaks you out. You can familiarize yourself with the position by decending from the move. You can go from a crusifix and push up like you do for a catapillar climb or to set an ayesha, then set your hands and slowly work on releasing the legs. You can also take it from an inside or outside leg hang by placing the top hand (after you've inverted) under your head, thumb down. You pull your hips away and the weight sinks into your bottom arm and you can release your legs and lower down.

Here is a video of the first http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hwOQCMqEmDw

And here is a video of the second http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MyeeKM3ZaHk.

Also if anyone has tips for building strength in the top shoulder to get better control over the move and hold it longer I would appriciate the advice. I can get the move, but I can't hold it for very long and my progress has been slow. Very slow.