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Ok so I just re-checked cause it’s been a long time since I’ve checked Veena’s climb lessons, and her performance climb from the legs down is what I teach for first climb, but I teach to place both arms in an extended arm pole hold to start, place inside leg, then outside leg against the pole. Keep both hands on the pole for the climb/squat up.

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Jenka, where is the slide originating from? Is it from slippery hands, slippery leg grip, or is it bent arms unable to hold the position and straightening out?

I’m also a fan of the squat and stand method, especially for a first climb to teach or learn, because it uses two legs for pushing into a stand on the pole. This is a clip of a two leg squat hold exercise (not an actual climb) http://youtu.be/JbiNRIPZohY but it can kind of give an idea of how this type of climb would work. Basically from the knees down your legs are gripping similar to crucifix hold, and from there you use the leg grip to push your body up rather than having to use mostly arms to pull up. I actually teach it with both arms in a straight arm pole hold starting out (which my students practice from day 1 with correct shoulder placement “shoulders engaged back and down into a neutral position” and I’m always queuing it and watching for bad form so they know the drill).

Veena’s basic climb will build more arm strength because there’s only one leg engaged on the pole for the push/pull up, and it is definitely important to have that benchmark arm strength once you start climbing and you have to hold yourself up with your arms or else… I find I like to build arm strength with pole ups or bent arm holds rather than a climb though because it’s more easily controlled and there’s less risk of injury.

Veena you should totally make a lesson on the two leg grip/squat up method! I know I would have loved to have had that resource when I was first learning climbs. I think I quickly moved on from your basic to other climbs I researched because I didn’t like the way it looked and I think I also had the sliding issue for a long time with it.

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I do a free Intro class/open gym so that new students can try pole and regular students can bring fiends and have some free practice time. For the intro I like to teach a few moves from my entry level class, as well as teach or demonstrate a move from each of the other classes.

So to show what my beginning class is like we do a full warm up including practicing forward facing and side holds and slides with correct form (assisted or feet off the ground depending on each student’s strength). Depending on how much time each move takes, I teach a few feet-on-ground spins, pirouette, and a feet on ground combo. If strength level permits I sometimes teach a fireman or back hook spin.

I explain the difference between the 3 classes I teach and we learn at least 1 move from the “All Levels” choreography class to show how move variations work.

Then we usually do a crucifix hold from my Pole Tricks class. Students who wear pants, or are not able to lift off the ground yet, practice crucifix positioning from the ground. Once students are all practicing their crucifix hold I explain the process of strength building to work up to inversions and demonstrate how in Pole Tricks we learn things in a natural progression (example: upright crucifix from ground, crucifix off ground using hands- then no hands, inverted crucifix from the ground, then inverted crucifix close to ground with spotting, and inverted crucifix from standing w spotting, and finally inverted crucifix from standing. (At first I was reluctant to do a demo of more advanced moves in my intro because I was afraid I’d have all these beginners trying to flop into inverts left and right, but in every intro at least one student asks about inversions and then it’s harder to control the way I’m presenting inversions to the students, so I make sure I present them in a way that is realistic (“you have to work up to them”) but not intimidating or discouraging (“these are the steps we would follow in class to get you there”).

Then we do a cool down and usually students take pics of some of the moves they learned.

So basically I make sure I teach a few moves they can be successful at, as well as some that might challenge their ability, and shamelessly advertise for all my other classes.

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Squats are great to do while watching a movie! Leg extensions are too. I also like doing my stretching routine while I watch tv with my husband.

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I used to feel exactly the same way, and i’m still not the epitome of grace but I feel like i’ve made a lot of progress there. I watched the last video you posted to see if I could pinpoint what you’re talking about, and for the most part legs look really good to me, I think you have a great toe point. When you stood with your back to the pole and spread your feet/legs it did look a bit stiff. I suggest starting that particular toe drag movement by dragging in first leading with your knee, whole leg turning in from the hip, before turning and dragging out. For arms, it looks like you’re aware of what they’re doing and making a good effort to move them gracefully but your hands seem stiff. For arms I usually try to imagine that i’m dragging them through water and let my fingers and wrist follow the movement of my arms with slight drag. Your hands finish off the line of your arm so if those are stiff then it will make the whole arm look awkward. Also, practice, study the type of movement you want yours to be more like and take note of what’s different. Watch video of your own practices frequently. Awareness is the first step to make improvement so obviously you’re on the right track!

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I try to go to hot yoga once a week. I used to run and that helped so much for my cardio and endurance but i havent been running consistently and i can definitely tell a difference with my pole endurance (I tend to get out of breath more quickly now). I really don’t want to start running right now because of the cold, it makes my asthma go crazy, but I plan on running more when the weather warms up. I’ve recently started doing bodyweight exercises (the ZWOW workouts on YouTube) a few times a week and it has helped with my triceps and other “pushing” muscles in my upper body which I had neglected. It has also replaced my running a little because its like interval training and plyometrics (explosive jumps and stuff) depending on the workout.

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I find strength fluctuations are natural for my body. If i’m far past strong enough to do a move then I don’t notice the fluctuation, but if I’m doing a new move that’s on the edge of my strength level I fluctuate in and out of being strong enough to do the move for about a month. As a rule of thumb, if I’ve been doing a move consistently for about a week then I figure it will take about a week of not doing the move (or moves similar to it) to lose the ability to do it. If i’ve been doing the move consistently for two months I figure it will take that long not doing the move to lose it. I’m not sure if that’s true for everyone and i haven’t tested it with longer time periods of like a year or so (don’t want to!) But for the stretches of time that I usually work on moves for, or am out of practice for (due to time constraints or sickness or whatever) it has been a pretty good indicator for me to know what to expect of my body.

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I love the hot yoga classes I go to! Moreso in the winter than the summer for obvious reasons, but I find that when I keep going in the summer my body tolerates the heat of summer a lot easier. With a towel I haven’t had problems slipping. At my first class the humidity was a little hard to tolerate but my body quickly acclimated. I think you can get most of the same benefits from unheated yoga if the heat makes you dread it though. The things I like about the heat are: the detox from increased sweating (I think that’s what makes me feel so amazing afterward and it’s hard to get a deep sweat sometimes in the winter just jogging outside in the cold), the warmth helps with flexibility (as long as you understand the risk and avoid stretching too deeply you’ll be ok) and lastly, i just love walking into that hot humid room in the wintertime. There’s just something so comforting about it for me, like going into a safe womb. I’ve found yoga practice in general helps cut down on injuries from everything else I like to do (pole, jogging, hiking) so if the heat is intolerable consider practicing yoga un-heated.

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Black Orchid I meant judgment in the moral sense, as in “You must be morally inept a.k.a. a bad person if you pole dance, or like this or that style of pole dance”. As opposed to judging something to be not very sexy, or even disgusting. I think there’s a big difference between the two. I haven’t seen Ludacris’ Tip Drill Video. *resists urge to look it up*

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Forgot to add, the OP is an entirely different issue than what I was addressing. I don’t think the pour it up video sets pole dance back in any way shape or form. No more than this video sets back the reputation of tight pants: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J1c2KzJbcGA

It may not be my idea of sexy (which weirdly is the ultimate insult for some people), but it’s one of those things you just gotta respect because of the WTF factor.

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I can’t speak for Little Kitty on what disgusted her about the music video, but I don’t think finding something disgusting or being turned off by something necessarily signifies judgement. If you can be nauseated at Miley’s performance without being considered closed-minded or judgmental, why couldn’t a person feel the same way about Rihanna’s “Pour it Up” video? Taking such a stylized approach, dripping with sexuality, carries a risk with it: the risk that not everyone will have your same idea of what’s “sexy”.

If I walked in on my parents “pouring it up” I’d probably have about the same reaction that I have seeing Rihanna’s “pour it up” video. Not only am I not that into it, but because it’s so targeted at being sexy in a way that I don’t find all that sexy, then it actually grosses me out a little. Would I be judging my parents if I walked in on them? No. Would I be closed minded because I don’t agree with someone else’s idea of sexy? No.

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At least one part of Rihanna’s “Pour it Up” video is seared into my memory forever: DENIM THONG

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Well shoot, how did I miss that.

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paintilady, Pandora does have a paid option for business use that covers licensing. http://www.dmx.com/pandora/why-pandora-for-business/

It's $24.95 a month and you must also purchase the DMX media player for $99.  For a smaller business it's more affordable than getting licensed with all the different licensing agencies.

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Thanks Chem, that makes sense.  So far when guys ask I recomend they take my Pole Tricks class which focuses on holds, climbs, inversion prep, and basic inversions like handstands, CKR, and jasmine, ect.  We don't do any choreo in the pole tricks class.  But the last guy who came to Pole Tricks had some trouble with a pole sit, and I wasn't sure if male anatomy made that one harder or impractical for men, or what.

My Level 1 and 2 classes focus on basic holds and spins for the first half of class, and then the other half incorporates those into a short routine.  My biz image/branding so far is geared towards women, but even though I have choreo in my Level 1 and 2 classes, I focus more on the physicality of pole than the spiritual or sensual aspects.  I pretty much just treat it like any other form of dance.