[jodienormore8800]

One thing to add: On Day 3 of learning pole, I was inverting from the midair on a spinning pole.
Definitely this moves requires strength. Video reference: https://youtu.be/AJF9wzomB70

The technique is fairly easy to implement once you are strong enough. You don’t have to be flexible either.
INVERT= STRENGTH

[jodienormore8800]

Just for reference this is a video of me on Day 2 of my pole journey: inverting. At the end of the day it’s all about power: https://youtu.be/AJF9wzomB70

[jodienormore8800]

Maybe I can help you better understand the whole inversion thing.

I am still a super beginner but I actually learned how to invert the very first day I tried pole.
It was something I didn’t think I was going to be able to do for a few months… and after doing it I can see why! It honestly is SO HARD if you don’t have a lot of natural strength.

I’ve thought long and hard about this comment so that you aren’t wasting your time reading it. And I do believe what I say to be true for most.

_______

First we need gage where you’re at in terms of overall likelihood. By comparing an INVERT with something MOST regular athletes understand, you can better figure out your probability of achieving this trick.

MOST OFTEN MOVES WILL REQUIRE 1, 2 or ALL OF THE FOLLOWING: Some moves will require more over the other…
These three things are:
1 – TECHNIQUE
2 – FLEXIBILTY
3 – STRENGTH

I will not ignore the importance of technique on this move. Technique IS important. Flexibility not so much. What is most required for this move (over the others) is STRENGTH. That’s all there is to it.

ALSO: HAND STRENGTH!

I THINK THIS GETS forgotten about a lo of the time. For an invert, in the end you are using nothing but your hands to squeeze the pole and keep you in place. Your arms are locked into a straight position, therefore taking the tension off those muscles… ladies… get out the stress balls. I guarantee you will notice a difference if you have smaller hands. I personally have huge hands and believe it helps dramatically with my pole work.
____

Personally I don’t think this move has a strong likelihood of being achieved if you cannot do ALL of the following (You may have to google to better understand):

-A series of regular pushups
-A series regular chin-up (aka pull-up)
-Tricep versions of both pushups and chinups

-A series of reverse crunches with straight legs (done with proper technique, stopping your legs at the vertical mark and placing hands in correct spot (i prefer hands latched onto something near your head, such as the end of a bench) You want to be able to reverse crunch using little to no momentum.
-A series of lateral side leg raises past 90 degrees, hands free with no kicking. This is a side leg raise with no hands.

**** I am going to place emphasis on the CHIN-UP. If you don’t have a chin-up the rest won’t matter.

______

____________

FOR INVERTING it is not a matter of how much you weigh, but on whether you can lift your own weight.
If you’re not strong enough to lift your own weight though a static full range of motion you simply can’t do this move. And it’s not just a matter of core-strength. To be able to lift your core, you have to first life yourself.

If you think of a chin-up…you are lifting your entire body with your arms from 180 degrees, past 90 degrees, all the way to 0. And then lowering your body using that full range of motion. Your body remains placid. A chin up is done correctly if it’s slow and controlled using absolutely no momentum from kicking or swinging in the air.
When you think of the proper inversion, your body goes through much of the same states and rules, only more complicated.

Your mind must also be capable of controlling all those muscles separately, knowing when to combine them with other parts of the body . It’s not just body awareness, it’s muscle awareness. It’s like in KILL BILL when UMA is trying to move her big toe.

You must control your muscles to stabilize the upper half and move the bottom half.

_____

Also… don’t underestimate inverting. I see a lot of professionals making it look super easy, but even after learning it on Day #1, I found it HELLA HARD. It required every ounce of my mind body and focus to get me there. I know it will get easier as my strength improves, but for now I am stuck focusing really hard on how to maximize my strength with timing and technique.

The 3rd day I tried pole, I was inverting from midair. But it was sloppy and I barely got up there. My only plan to improve this particular thing is to get stronger.

______
PS.
Climbing is literally the most painful thing I have ever done.When I first learnt how to put my body in the areas of contact against the pole for certain moves… I could not believe how painful some of the ‘mistakes’ and ‘fails’ were. One wrong placement and you’re wondering if it’s really worth it.

However, after learning many of the ‘harder’ tricks my first day, I grew bored and focused my attention on pole flow choreography. To me, having beautiful pole flow is more important than any intermediate spin or inversion.