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Gripping with toes?
I bought a pair of glitter Pleaser heels a few months back and I was shocked to find that the surface of the glitter (the strap across the toes) was not vinyl. I was also worried they would scratch my pole! I showed them to an instructor at a workshop and she said they were good shoes–that they would also not scratch my pole. Whew… I have recently tried inverting and doing more of the moves I am comfortable with in barefeet, only to find that I can not grip with my toes in these shoes! I was just wondering if it is normal to rely on my toe grip (moving from one inverted pose to another pose), or if I can learn not to need to hook my toe around the pole for more security. Maybe it's not even necessary..?
Is anyone else a toe gripper, haha? Any tips on what I can do differently?
The shoes are very nice and I really want to get comfortable with them so they are more functional! Not quite sure how to post a link, but this is an address of the exact shoe that I have:
http://silvershoes.net/pleaser/pleaser-kiss-210-womens-silver-multi-glitterclear/
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2 Replies
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Oh, pretty shoes!
Its very common to start off using the toes to grip. However once you become stronger you can start to move away from this. I do my climbs with my toes pointed, (unless I'm feeling lazy) lol its just a matter of using the proper Points of Contact and enough upper body strength. Remember there are different ways to climb too. A basic Pole Climb, X Ankle Climb, Side Climb, to name a few.
To climb without relying heavily on the feet you'll want to work on your upper body strength and work on pushing into the pole with the front of the ankle/shin,(point the toes don't flex the foot up) gripping in between the inside of the knees, instead of curling the toes up and round the pole.
Wearing shoes that will not allow you to use the toes might be good practice for you. https://www.studioveena.com/img/smilies/icon_cheers.gif
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That is just what I needed! https://www.studioveena.com/img/smilies/icon_flower.gif
I tried today and it was not easy, but at least I know how to work on it.
Thank you!!
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