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Confidence lost using home pole?
I got my pole earlier this month. I let it up at my moms house (due to spacing) and thats where I practice. The past few times ive been there I feel like I cant accomplish anything! Its not a distraction issue. but its like all the moves I can do, I seem to not do them with my pole. I thought about it for a bit and these are the ideas I can come up with.
Not used to the Chrome – my studio uses brass but I have used chrome a few times and actually liked it, which is one of the reasons I went with chrome. I took a class yesterday at Pole Pressure and could master alot of the moves ive been working on
Grip – mostly in my legs. The first time I got on my new pole I slid right off. I chalked it up as I hadnt shaved in a week or two and I couldnt get any leg grip. That seems to be my issue – time to start saving up for laser LOL
height difference – my home pole is pretty short because of the ceiling height but its doable for now. I can time out my routines for the height difference between in studio and at home.
Fear that its going to break – That has always been an internal fear of mine. But the poles at PP were just fine for me and the onest at my studio are permently mounted. I guess since it is my handy work that put it up im just worried that its gonna fall apart.
Its still new – just like anything else you have to break it in. Ive only been on my pole a handful of times. The other poles I had been on had seen its fair share of abuse over the years.
Anyone have any tips for breaking it in? Or even helping me regain confidence at home poling?
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39 Replies
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hey mini! congrats on finally getting your pole up and rockin… sort of, right?
from what i've heard, chrome poles are especially slippery in dry and warm conditions compared to other finishes… have you thought about that at all? not sure what your home environment is like…
are you confident that you put the pole up under a stud? did you tighten all the screws in the xjoints as much as you could? if so– you are SAFE. i know you don't trust yourself and are afraid to really USE the pole, but you should trust xpole's engineering. it may not be a one piece pole, but it's been engineered just as well.
it's also a little different at home– you are responsible for yourslf there, whereas in class, there's an implicit safety net with the instructors and the other students. the only thing i can recommend is spending as much time on and with your new pole as possible to try to alleviate your fears.
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I have a chrome pole and I find it's really, really slippery when cold. If I run through about 20 minutes worth of spins it warms right up and then gets pretty sticky.
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Have you given it a good cleaning with acetone? Dawn dish liquid? X-pole suggests you give it a really good cleaning once you put it up because the poles are coated in something after manufacturing. I think it's so they store nicer and don't chip or whatever. You could still be dealing with that.
Climate has a lot to do with it too. If it's dry , much like stainless, you aren't going to stick. If you're dry you can't stick. I use Vaseline Intensive Care lotion on my legs and it works soooo goood!
You also have to get used to poling by yourself, that's got to be a weird feeling after 4 years of only studio poles. Take your time.
Congrats on your new pole!!!!!!!!! It will get good and sticky I promise! 😀
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very good responses (im taking mental notes here).
The enviorment in the room is hit or miss. Sometimes its mega cold b/c its downstairs but its the laundry room so it can get hot in there from my mom doing laundry. I try to warm myself up before I really start getting to work, I might need to warm up some more to get the pole warm.
I do trust the x joint – its a pretty interesting piece but once you understand it, it makes perfect sense. Its a wierd internal fear of the pole coming undone that I just need to get over.
The responsibilty is totally on me now, im alone in the room. Nothing but me and the music. I also think with the surface of the floor makes me worried about serverly hurting myself. Buying a foam mat is on the list of things to buy in my pole room.
Charley, I havent given it a cleaning using any of those. Ive been just cleaning with the windex. But the next time I go and practice I will give it a good cleaning. Ill pack the acetone in my bag now!
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Oooh don't use windex. Windex has things in it that makes glass shine which means it makes your pole slippery. I only use alcohol and acetone to clean it.
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Chrome is the slickest pole. I have one too AND all the issues. Get some itac2 first of all. Second, you have to be WARM almost HOT to stick so warm up with some cardio. Use a space heater. I have actually blow dried my pole before too. Try dancing to a fast song w out stopping to warm up. Also, that new lotion helps. poletopia.com for the products I mentioned.
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I'm in the same boat! Definitely feel your pain!
We use brass at the studio and I have a Titanium / gold one at home, had a chrome one perviously too.
I found that a space heater worked best! If your pole is in a room on it's own, throw a heater in there, close the door and let the room heat for about 10-15 mins before you start. Usually helps warm up the pole 😉
If the pole is in a large open space, pop a heater within 2-3 feet of the pole and it usually heats from the bottom up. Just be sure that the pole isn't going to burn you before using it 😉
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Love the blow dryer idea! 🙂
Mighty Grip is a wonderful thing too!
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How is the grip on the Titanium compared to the chrome? I am thinking about buying one.
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Honeslty, it does feel much better 😉 not nearly as grippy as brass but still an improvement!
Inverts are a little easier I find! But still need a bit of mighty grip every once in a while for sure!
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Luvlee – you might want to try a titanium first. I've heard mixed reviews, some people like them more others don't. I personally don't like the titanium it's much more slippy for me, so it depends on your chemistry.
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This sounds a lot like when I got my new pole (Chrome 45mm xpert)… I found out a few things over time:
a) I hadn't cleaned it properly – I eventually started using (non-bleach) Clorox wipes, then wiping down with a clean towel. Or just using rubbing alcohol. I feel like it really took time and many cleanings over a month or two to get to the 'clean' surface of the pole – this could be my imagination but it's just what I experienced. Seems to be fine now, not nearly as frustrating. The actual surface of the pole feels more grippy to me.
b) I had really dry skin on my legs, especially as it got colder. I found out I was making it worse by showering right before poling – the hot water washed off and dried away all my skin's natural oils. So at first I tried to schedule my pole sessions opposite my showering… but seeing as that is not always convenient, I started using to give my legs some stick back – it seems to sort of mimick and enhance your skin's grip.
I definitely think it takes a little time to get used to a finish or size of pole you're not used to. Hang in there, try different things! Good luck and congrats on the pole at home! You'll love it!
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As far as the titanium pole goes, i have one and actually find it more slippy than the chrome ones they had at my studio. The chrome poles have since been replaced by brass(though there are still a few chrome and one titanium one left), and I find the titanium the most slippery of all of them. I am thinking I am now going to save for a brass one for home, lol!
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I totally agree with Meaganoff there about having a shower prior to poling and stripping away your natural skin oils does make poling more slippery!
I also have a 45mm Chrome X-Pert and was having the same problems with the pole not gripping onto my skin properly but then after plenty of cleaning, warming up and moisturising a few/several hours before poling has made all the difference in the world for me!
I actually do find the Chrome QUITE grippy once you're fully warmed up, to the point of slight pole burn! I wonder how the Titanium and Brass will compare had I been dancing on it!I am so envious of those who've danced on brass. I'm thinking of enrolling at Bobbi's Pole Studio after my first term to see how different it is as they use 38mm Spinny Brass and wear shoes during classes. It seems to be a more dance-oriented kind of pole studio and looks promising!
Nonetheless, Chrome seems to be quite a common and standard finish and I found it easy to adjust as I use Stainless Steel at my pole studio. I honestly can't tell between the two finishes to be honest.
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I think the comments on cleaning the pole are spot on. From what I've seen, it will take a while to get the pole clean.
Something that might help to trust the pole is to hold it at between waist and shoulder heaight and pull on it. If you can't budge it with a good yank, you won't be able to move it when you spin on it (and I weigh over 80kg so I speak from experince!)
Enjoy the new pole, I'm sure you'll get your groove!
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*adds acetone to dance bag* Im gonna give that a try when I go back on Saturday.
When i first got the pole up, I gave it a few pulls to see it felt. I may run the dryer for 20min while warming up to get the pole warmed up. My mom also has a space heater, ill bring that in from the garage.
I have to give alot of credit to my mom, she cleaned up and moved things around in the laundry room so Id have a space. Shes also volunteered to watch the kids so I can come over and practice! This is normally not like her, which is kinda scary! LOL She has shown it off to those coming by to see her!
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mmmmm brass 🙂
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This is normally not like her, which is kinda scary! LOL She has shown it off to those coming by to see her!
AWESOME!!!!!
I have poled on pretty much every finish and have had issues with every finish. Day to day things are just going to be different and you just have to deal…that is the beauty of our sport! If you cannot grip then work on floor work (even though you had your heart set on nailing that one move).
Brass: yes it is grippy but it leaves a nasty smell on your hands, scratches really easily and WILL remove skin. I have slipped off of a brass pole just as easily as I have slipped off of TG, chrome, stainless and yes, even my powder coated pink one.
This was a really interesting (to me) conversation that I had with Pantera when she was in town. When you perfrom/compete/teach you have no idea what conditions you are going to come across. You have to be good no matter what. So deal with your slippery pole and learn on it….it will only make you a better poler in the long run!!
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Your hands smell like you've been holding handfuls of pennies when you're done on the brass 😉 Totally! and skin rippage… oh joy! I've had that issue with every pole i've used 😉
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Also brass leaves that really lovely black residue that s really hard to wash off on your hands…
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my favorite pole to dance on is the brass one at a local club. Nice and grippy. I have NEVER had it leave black marks on my hands or skin. and have never noticed an odor from it. I'm a freaking star on that pole I will try all sorts of new to me things on it because I have the most security on it. My least favorite is my stainless steel lil minx. its been named the slippery minx in this house I won't do anything but real basic things on it unless it is hot and humid in the house (not right now lol, its about 50 in my pole room) then I can finally get a grip on it. I like my x pole chrome, and have been on the titanum gold but didn't see enough difference in the grip between chrome and gold to pay the extra price.
Different peoples skin will grip different poles differently.
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Awh you poor thing. I had a similar issue when I first got my pole (also chrome) and I put it down to the fact that it wasn't 'broken' in yet. I just kept practising really, really simple things, like walking around it, underarm turns, slides etc until I felt more at ease gripping it to try spins and things. Eventually it was perfect for everything, including inverts. Now it's great. I love my chrome!! https://www.studioveena.com/img/smilies/icon_e_biggrin.gif I hope it gets sorted soon
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I agree with Chem – dislike my chrome pole, but only because I have to work sooooo much harder on it! I've been working hard to do aerial inverts and sm on my 'wrong' side. I didn't think i was progressing well – tried them on brass and straight up! But yes, as Chem also says, it is still slippy – not an all round cure i'm afraid 🙁
oh, and the friction bruises are insane!
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Glad to hear you have your pole up 🙂 And that's totally awesome your mom made space for your pole. Mine wont even go near that room when she visits my house!
I bought a chrome 2" PS permanant pole and have had it almost 2 years. I loveee it, though I do want a chrome 45mm Xpole Xpert (want to spin….2 years ago I didnt haha. And also try out the smaller diameter). I hated the brass poles at the studio I used to go to (grip was hit or miss, usually miss), and hated the look of them being tarnished too. But I've heard of people having great grip success. I get amazing grip on my friend's chrome Xpole after a few minutes of warming up when we practice at her house. I think it all depends on the person.
I've actually used Windex as grip when my pole was being a pain and I didnt have any other grip available. Worked long enough for me to get the pole warmed up enough to stick. (But use alcohol to clean it). I love the blowdryer idea lol!
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