StudioVeena.com Forums Discussions My husband wants to learn pole! (and a question for the boys)

  • My husband wants to learn pole! (and a question for the boys)

    Posted by dustbunny on June 29, 2011 at 1:19 pm

    So after 2 years of being addicted to poling, and having to put up with my husband teasing me (all in fun) about being a "carny"(sp?) he says to me, "What if I wanted to learn some of that stuff, without all the sexy stuff, could you teach me?"  This coming from a guy who can't do a cartwheel, lol! 

    We were watching a video about Mallakamb at the time, the indian pole gymnastics on YouTube.  He has seen it many times before and shown it to some of his friends.  I was telling him how a lot of the moves are very similar, and I was calling out our move names as the video was discribing their move names.  But this is the first time he has shown an interest in learning any of it. 

    I guess we'll see how well it goes, if he actually stays interested when I tell him he can't start by learning to do flips and catching himself with just his legs, haha.  He tends to be a little impatient, and this sport requires patience, but he can be very determined as well.  I'm sure he'll do fine if I can get him to stick with it, he is very strong and has great muscle control.  He has a background in gymnastics (when he was very little) and martial arts (more recent) so both of those things will help too.  I am excited to share this with him, I'm hoping I can teach him how to spot someone properly so that he can help me learn too.

    I guess I just have one question for any of the men here, or anyone who has taught a male to pole.  I obviously don't have any experience with the "package" issues that may arise from gripping a pole between your legs…is there any additional tips for placement anyone can give me.  For example, when teaching a pole sit for girls we say you want the pole high up on your thighs esentially right into the crotch.  Is the placement any different for men?  Are there any extra tips, or ideas on this?  This is my husband I'm talking about here, we don't have kids yet, but would like to someday…I don't want to ruin him if you know what I mean. lol

    Thanks

    dustbunny replied 13 years, 4 months ago 9 Members · 11 Replies
  • 11 Replies
  • BACE16

    Member
    June 29, 2011 at 1:35 pm

    I've gone through Veena's strength routine with my boyfriend and he really liked it.  He was bored one day and did pole hangs with his shoulders to his ears and looked so wrong I had to run him through the correct pole hold.  After that he agreed to try the whole routine.

    He tried the pole sit one day when I was all frustrated and couldn't get it…not a safe one for the boys.  He just went on and tried the same way I was, I guess both of us weren't thinking of modifications he'd need.  He won't try any other tricks now :/

    Flag Man has DVDs, he's the only male poler I know with instructional DVDs.  I haven't seen any of them so I don't know how good they are.  http://www.dominiclacasse.com/dvdse.php

  • Sassafrassle

    Member
    June 29, 2011 at 2:38 pm

    I know that two of the poling boys I know (including my bf) struggle with pole sits but I think that's more because they have problems with any of the skin sticking things (but flipping upsidedown and doing the crazy aerial stuff is much less of a problem – sometimes life is unfair!) rather than worry about 'package' damage. 

  • Sassafrassle

    Member
    June 29, 2011 at 2:38 pm

    I know that two of the poling boys I know (including my bf) struggle with pole sits but I think that's more because they have problems with any of the skin sticking things (but flipping upsidedown and doing the crazy aerial stuff is much less of a problem – sometimes life is unfair!) rather than worry about 'package' damage. 

  • Sassafrassle

    Member
    June 29, 2011 at 2:39 pm

    Oops sorry for the double post!

  • Pomegranate

    Member
    July 1, 2011 at 8:22 am

    I think your husband should do the Chinese pole style. No need to teach him pole sit the way we do. Check out Chinese pole or Remy Martin on YouTube.

  • Dancing Paws

    Member
    July 1, 2011 at 12:23 pm

    My fiancee strted doing the strength routine, then he asked me to teach him something, so I taught him the fireman and ankle attitude spins. He seems to have fun. He wants to be able to do the crazier moves now too! YAY for our men being open to poiling!

  • Veng21

    Member
    July 2, 2011 at 1:03 am

    I wish my instructor showed mercy for me honestly when learning pole sit and cross ankle release. She told me to suck it up however i made the best of it. For the pole sit, I have it near the fatty part of my thighs closer to the knees. My March challenge vid shows it before going to a cross ankle release. Other than that not much else different. 

  • Ember

    Member
    July 2, 2011 at 1:13 am

    I taught my first Co-Ed class the other day, and I taught everyone the CKR, not thinking about package issues.  The guys all did fine, but I noticed that they all held it a little lower on their thighs.  Guys are super strong to begin with, so he probably won't have any issues with leg strength.  Also, all guys are very very aware of what could or could not potentially hurt their packages, so just tell him to be careful not to slam into the pole when he gets into it, and he will be just fine.  

    Also, maybe some briefs would help keep all that contained.https://www.studioveena.com/img/smilies/icon_eek.gif

  • azriel

    Member
    July 2, 2011 at 7:55 pm

    I have a couple male students, and they have no problem doing a sit, ckr, plank, wrist sit, etc. As Ember said, they just place the pole a bit further away from the crotch area.  Because most men can usually do more strength moves sooner than women, it's easy for them or their instructors to want to skip over the "easy stuff" like sits and planks.  However, i believe that these moves are not easier, they just require getting used to in a different way, and need to build up  the grip.

    These moves are essential for learning more advanced moves. Whether  or not he choses to ever do a pole sit in a routine, a guy still needs to learn it as a prep for other moves, and most importantly, for safety reasons.  If you're not extremely comfortable with gripping the pole with your thighs in a pole sit, it's unlikely that you'll be able to save yourself if you start to slip from some other moves.  Also, sits come in handy for transitioning between moves, even if only for a few seconds (ie. coming up from a brass monkey).

    I agree with ember.. just show him how to do the move, & i'm sure he'll figure out how to adjust it so as not to hurt himself.

    The only move i've come across so far that seems to be a bit of a problem is going from a scorpio to thigh hold, where the package needs to cross to the other side of the pole but sometimes gets stuck on the one side, lol! But even with this, my guys seem to be figuring it out. https://www.studioveena.com/img/smilies/icon_e_biggrin.gif

  • stoneycook

    Member
    July 2, 2011 at 11:30 pm

    Never a problem with Sit or Cross Ankle.  I highly recommend a full dance brief from KD Dance, super comfortable.  Call an ask for David, a company founder.

  • dustbunny

    Member
    July 3, 2011 at 12:44 am

    Thanks for all the replies everyone!  I agree that these basic moves are important and definitely didn't want to skip them.  I'm looking forward to this, maybe I'll be able to get him to join Veena, or at least post something on this profile.  🙂

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