Aerial invert from pole sit help please!

Genbob started this discussion · 3/3/2014

Hey, I did a scan of previous discussions but couldn't find it so here's my question. Going into an aerial invert from pole seat. I can keep my legs straight when I swing my right leg (If inverting on my right side) and can keep my legs straight til they meet each other but have to tuck to finish off getting up there. I want to do straight leg as it's so much prettier, but figure it's gonna have to be one leg at a time at the beginning. But which leg to keep straight and which to tuck? One must be easier, if only a little, but I've no idea which. I use a static pole btw.

18 replies

Koidragon · 3/3/2014
Everyone is different, but generally speaking the outside leg is the more difficult one to keep straight, so if you are working towards having both legs straight, I would suggest having the outside leg bent and inside straight for say, 5 inversions, then try reversed for a couple more to build up. Make sure you practice inverting both sides :) You should also do floor exercises on engaging your legs and pointing your toes (if you aren't already). Spinning or static, one of the biggest keys is that you engage everything - core, quads, butt etc. Hope that helps :)
blue7932 · 3/3/2014
I can't picture this, but it sounds very cool! I'd love to see a video.
PoleFitMom · 3/3/2014
This might sound insane, but I have seen it help tons of people. When you start in your sit and swing the right leg around straighten your legs, and with pointed toes tap your ankles together and pull into chopper. As you tap the ankles make sure you are exhaling. I would love to know if this helped at all, I teach it in my classes and see great success with it. Good luck! xoxo
korinne · 3/3/2014
Polefitmom- having trouble picturing this. Can you post a video?
Lina Spiralyne · 3/4/2014
@blue7932: You can see an invert from a sit here around 1:30, after the CKR. https://www.studioveena.com/videos/view/50fbd745-94a4-4361-815c-63d90ac37250 @PoleFitMom: Interesting! Without having seen it I'm just picturing how the tapping would give them the possibility to "shoot off" slightly before splitting the legs. Like a mini-springboard!
PoleFitMom · 3/4/2014
Here ya go! https://www.studioveena.com/videos/edit/531604a3-c0f0-4deb-a35c-40770a9aa0eb
Genbob · 3/4/2014
As always, awesome tips ladies. I'll give them a go later. Am intrigued by the ankle tap! @ Lina, beautiful video and gorgeous example. Is it any easier on spinning?
Lina Spiralyne · 3/4/2014
Thanks Genbob. I think it will be a naturally smooth transition on spinning if you swing your leg in the spinning direction.
Koidragon · 3/4/2014
I find it easier on spinning personally, especially when going forward into the invert, but also looks pretty going backwards into the invert :)
Genbob · 3/4/2014
So I had a go with one leg bent and that worked pretty well and actually managed a fully straight one by accident as weirdly I came all the way up and then bent it! I cannot get the hang of the ankle tap though. I either am concentrating so hard on getting up there I forget or have trouble co ordinating myself. (Body and spatial awareness are very much works in progress for me.) I watched your example video @PoleFitMom your invert is so smooth and your chopper looks so nice, your feet are pointing down at the floor as opposed to straight out like mine. Is that hamstring flexibility? I can never work out what it is that makes moves look so different on different people. For example veenas Scorpio with straight outside leg is such a great shape her back leg straight out and I have no idea if it's back flex, hip flexor or both!
Lina Spiralyne · 3/4/2014
Well done! I'll give you my opinions on what makes a smooth V invert. The wider the straddle, the easier it will become to do it effortlessly. That's because if you can straddle wide, the legs will stay closer to rest of your body if you understand what I mean, and you'll need less strength to do the movement. So it's the same flexibility that is used for a good straddle. Possibly also some hamstrings/backside of the legs. Have you seen Felix Cane do her shoulder mounts? She keeps her legs very much to the sides instead of somewhere in front of her. It looks so smooth! You don't need her flexibility and that was a different move, but it's just the same principle. I don't have Veena's Scorpio in front of me now, but I'm guessing a lot of hip flexibility there.
Veena · 3/4/2014
The very open Scorpio is mostly about opening of the hips, Turn out! Keeping the legs straight during any kind of invert takes practice and training the legs and abs from the ground is super helpful!!! Genbob, if you have the lessons try doing the Lower body routine 2 times a week, this will help with strength and muscle memory, developing pretty lines when you dance! :) https://www.studioveena.com/lessons/view/52e9d171-5724-43b2-8784-47960a9aa0eb
Phoenix Hunter · 3/5/2014
Veena, what does "turn out" mean? I've heard used many times but don't really understand what it means. sorry to get off topic. thanks!
PoleMoves · 3/5/2014
Turning out usually means to externally rotate the femur...you could think of it as "first position" in ballet...toes turn out while heels stay together.
PoleMoves · 3/5/2014
Also, one of the big issues people seem to have with inverting with both legs straight is a very tight inner thigh muscle called a gracilis, it is a band like muscle that goes from the pelvis to just below the knee. You can see if yours is tight by sitting on the ground in a straddle. If you slightly tuck the pelvis when you are sitting and if you can't rock the pelvis forward to lean your pubic bone towards the floor...then inverting with both legs straight is very hard, if not impossible. Working on increasing the flexibility of the gracilis muscle will make poling much easier...it also makes dead-lifting much easier as well. Do know that the 90 degree leg angle bootie bouncing position will not stretch this muscle because you knees are bent and it is better to stretch each straight leg separately until your flexibility improves, otherwise there can be too much pressure on the knees. Also, once you are able to invert with straight legs, you need to contract your quadricep muscles while you invert otherwise you may have slightly bent legs and not really notice it until you see it on film.
Lina Spiralyne · 3/5/2014
At the time when I still struggled to put my torso flat to the ground in a straddle, I always conditioned with that hip-rocking movement. It was given as and advice somewhere and I can really recommend it. Will definitely help you.
Genbob · 3/5/2014
Quite a bit of information there! It seems that a wide straddle helps every thing! After warming up and stretching I have a really wide straddle (so damn close to splits it's driving me crazy, but it doesn't translate to polemoves so well, I need to build up more strength. My turn out is kinda crappy, docs thought I had something wrong with my hips when I was little as. I was so pigeon toed. Training my middle splits has been a real help and my feet look pretty normal when walking but the further out to my sides my legs go, the more my feet want to turn in. Lefty is particularly prone to it. Thanks for all your input guys :)
Genbob · 3/8/2014
This was wide as I could get it :)