Carrington started this discussion ·
Hey Polers..Im trying to work on my Bracket v straddle hold. I have "fallen" into it a couple of times but I'm thinking that's just luck because it is it or miss.. This is such a badass move and I really want to develop it. Any pointers or tips. I saw GangstaAgressive do it in her recent video and it was beautiful!
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Really big thing for a lot of these kinds of moves (where you're facing the pole and trying to lift your legs) is rounding your back. Your quads aren't really strong enough to lift your whole leg, and neither are your hip flexors- they need help from your core! So, when you get your body into position, think of creating a C shape with your back, pressing away from the pole. This will help your core lift your legs, making them "lighter" for your other muscles. You could also think of it as pushing your lady-bits up and forward, trying to point them toward the pole, or even toward the ceiling! Otherwise, for the upper back and arm strength, you really need to make sure to have your shoulders in neutral position. Don't let them lift up toward your ears or anything, and don't bring them too far back. Your arms are using a push/pull mechanism, where your top arm is pulling hard against the pole, and your bottom arm is pushing against it. Please, please be sure to keep at least your index finger of your bottom hand pointing toward the ground. If you try to wrap all of your fingers around the pole, you create a lot of twist in your wrist, and this can cause a lot of strain, and even injury. Be careful with your wrists!! At first, you might just want to work on lifting your knees up, and not straightening your legs. Get the hand, shoulder and back position in line first. I really like to see this one as a kind of kick, anyways- knees come up, and then BAM you kick your legs out! Looks really awesome. Greater flexibility in your hip flexors and toward the splits can also help to make this move look cool. Don't worry if your legs seem like their pointing directly forward at first... the flexibility and strength will come :)
Thanks R!..ima try working on that. Those are great tips..ill check back with you on my progress
No problem! This is definitely a move I need to work on as well (it's been a while since I've tried it), and writing out that stuff really helped me get it all back into my head ;)
TLizzard ·
Completely agree with Runemist! I did this move without being taught properly and doing anything with that wrist was down for months. I had to slowly build my strength back and was very frustrated. Very important to stretch your wrists ahead of time and thanks to this site, making sure you have at least a finger or two pointing down like Runemist described is key. Because of this I am able to do these moves again..... Stretch and make sure the bottom hand isn't holding the weight is key. Very thankful for this site and all the help and tips everyone provides...
