[lazydaizy]

My trick is to really twist my torso so that my belly button is to the ceiling.
From there bend your outside foot (the one further from the pole if you were standing next to it) and pull it to your belly button as you take weight off your inside foot. Your weight will be transferred at that time so that you can bend your inside leg.

One thing I’ve noticed that people do that makes this trick wayyyy harder is that they keep their arms really close. Try to open your "triangle" by putting your bottom arm lower and top arm higher. It will give you more leverage. Hope this helps. Let me know if something is unclear. https://www.studioveena.com/img/smilies/icon_e_smile.gif

[lazydaizy]

I love how slowly she does everything. It takes really crazy strength and control to do a shoulder mount that slowly.
I was so excited that I met her last weekend!!! https://www.studioveena.com/img/smilies/icon_cheers.gif

[lazydaizy]

Thanks everyone!

hookedonpole – did I meet you this weekend? I spoke to quite a few people at the after party, but I was so tired after the competition that I don”t actually remember anything https://www.studioveena.com/img/smilies/icon_e_smile.gif Glad you enjoyed it!!!

[lazydaizy]

here is my rant: I don’t think that you should do TG anything until you can do it in true grip. Because true grip is harder strength-wise, you will know when you’re truly strong enough. TG allows you to hang there and get into the bad habit of not engaging your muscles (particularly your lats). It’s also terrible for your shoulder and wrist.

With that said, handspring is definitely a trick that requires lots of repetitive practice because you need to learn to bring your body into the right place and find your balance. I learned it from the floor with a kick, and it took me quite some time to not be too scared to let my body invert all the way as I brought my legs up. It helps to have someone hold you in the right position to get a feel for it.

If you do want to learn TG, I think that it’s easiest (and safest) to do from a basic invert. Place your hands in the right place and begin to slowly release your legs.

handspring is an advanced trick and I think that before you learn any advanced tricks, you should have mastered the basics. So be able to do a controlled lift into a basic invert (no kicking, jumping, etc.), be able to shoulder mount also with no kick, and be able to climb without struggle. After that I would work on elbow or forearm grip aysha and once that’s comfortable, start working on handsprings. Everyone’s ‘progression’ is different though, and I wouldn’t be surprised if you can do the HS before the aysha. However, the first few things I listed are definitely important pointers of whether or not you’re strong enough.

[lazydaizy]

You mentioned trying to fit in a lot of tricks in 2-3 minutes, I think judges are looking for more of a well rounded performer so don’t worry you don’t need to trick out every second. If you have time, you should reshoot with the suggestions already given and maybe just include your strongest and favorite tricks and maybe just a dash more dance in there.

I think you are doing awesome for only 5 months and I think if you slowed down just a tad and like Roxy said really extend each trick the judges are going to be extremely impressed!!!!!

I think you have what it takes!! https://www.studioveena.com/img/smilies/icon_cheers.gif

Also, though on a side note because you haven’t been dancing long I do hope you are ready for a situation where you are being judged because it can be painful. I’ve seen girls cry, I have personally let nerves get the best of me in a competition and I have seen a lot of hurt feelings. So if you do it, do it for fun and don’t let the seriousness of it take away your joy of pole dancing.

I agree with Charley. First of all, every girl who makes it into the competition will be able to do the same tricks, so the judges will look for more than that- they will want to see an individual style that will be memorable! Add more dancing, take some tricks out, and hold everything longer.
Also, I just competed for the first time in USPDF West Coast and it was extremely emotionally draining. Even if you’re going in just for the experience, there is definitely a part of your ego that can get a little bruised if you don’t do as well as you expect. But it is exhilarating and exciting at the same time, so I would not recommend against it, just want you to think if you’re emotionally ready more than physically.

[lazydaizy]

Agreed! I often have girls asking me to teach them really advanced moves that require lots of strength and control and sometimes I don’t even know how to nicely explain that they’re just not ready! Although I wouldn’t say that being able to do a hand stand is a prereq for a handspring. Also, sometimes there is no clear progression to build up for a trick. I honestly don’t know that I was strong enough to hold a handspring when I first started trying it, but as I found my balance, I could hold it for longer an longer, and I feel like this was what helped me build up the strength. Similarly, I was able to do aysha and handspring before I could do a simple caterpillar climb comfortably! I think it was just me unable to find my balance. Anyway, don’t watch other people – take things at your own pace.

[lazydaizy]

For the iron x, I recommend trying a slow decent from twisted grip handspring over and over again. You can go all the way down, as slowly as possible, or go down a little bit (literally an inch or two), and then come back. Repeating that and adding a little bit of distance each time will slowly build your strength for the iron x. I also think that learning to lift into your TG handspring rather than kicking will use many of the same muscles as the iron x.

[lazydaizy]

do you take classes? Ask an instructor to spot you through it (or hold your hips and bring you to the right position). If not, I’d suggest taking one just for that. I had a huge issue is the cartwheel mount because I was afraid to go all the way upside down as I brought my legs up. Eventually, after being held in the right place, it became less scary and I was able to do it (after about a thousand tries).

[lazydaizy]

I would not do jacknife out of extended butterfly because you have to shift your weight and that makes it harder. I think that the best way to get jacknife is just to keep trying to do a basic handsping/cartwheel mount until you get it. It’s definitely a trick that you have to try over and over and over again until you get it. There is nothing more to it other than practice in bringing your body into the correct place to have balance in the pose. Keep at it! https://www.studioveena.com/img/smilies/icon_cool.gif

[lazydaizy]

http://www.youtube.com/user/fleurthefrenchcat#p/u
Watch this video of Amber at 1:44. She really emphasizes the rotation of the body toward the pole, and then the tilt back as the leg opens. Hope this helps!

[lazydaizy]

When you invert on spin, you can’t just pick up your body weight straight (that damn Newton had to go and complicate everything for us…). To do the invert on spin, let your body come diagonally in front of the pole and rotate toward the pole. I tend to bend my outside leg. Then tilt your body back, bringing your hips up, and rotate your body back away from the pole as you straighter your leg to the side. It’s like doing the helicopter. That way you are not fighting against the centripetal force as much. Hope this helps!

[lazydaizy]

I haven’t seen Veena’s vid so I don’t know exactly how she teaches it, but the way I would explain it is once you’ve settled into a position with your leg pulling across (right leg pulling across to your left side, if you’re right leg is front), let your torso almost do a side bend to the right so it isn’t straight but rather hugging around the pole. In that position, you leg should rotate in the hip so it is no longer pulling forward but rather to the side (like if you were lying on the floor on your back and lifter your leg to the side toward your head instead of to the front). I hope this didn’t confuse you even more! It’s hard to explain without showing… https://www.studioveena.com/img/smilies/icon_cyclops_ani.gif

[lazydaizy]

Does someone have a link o a video of this? Can’t seem to find one.

Pretty much every video of Jenyne has it.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u8RkLoSlp94 at 4:01

[lazydaizy]

rotate your leg in the hip socket so that the knee is turned, your toes are closer to your face and your heel is pointed out and away from you. also make sure you push your butt up and into the pole with your back hand! in the jade, your hips don’t have to be square like they do when you are training your splits.

That’s exactly what I do. I actually find myself better locked into the position that way than with square hips.

[lazydaizy]

I’ve had soooo many! First I have to say that I’m really flexible and hyper extended everywhere but my back; particularly in my shoulders and elbows.
I pulled my rhomboids when I began inverting because I hadn’t built up enough strength in my back. It’s now a recurring pain. I later partially dislocated my left shoulder while in butterfly on my weak side (left). I’m in PT now for it because I damaged my rotator cuff.
I’ve learned that I have to be much stronger than the average poler to do certain tricks because I’m very prone to injury in my joints.
Most recently I fell out of a straight edge aysha because I didn’t know that I had to rotate my hips when bringing my legs up. I landed fine on my feet, but for a brief instant I was convinced that I was going to break my neck. That was definitely one of the scariest moments in my life. In general, I’ve been really lucky with my instructors (fleur and ottorsocks), who have watched out for me and have tried to keep me advancing at a slower pace than I would have wished to make sure I don’t give myself any permanent injuries.
Congrats and good luck with your teaching! https://www.studioveena.com/img/smilies/icon_e_smile.gif
-D