Carousel spin thingy help!

Runemist34 started this discussion · 1/26/2011

Okay, so, Veena has this one down as a "V Carousel" spin, and I tend to use this move as a hold, and hope to one day work into a spin... However, I have issues with it! It's so frustrating, because it seems so very simple, but...it ends up not being correct. I have issues such as sliding (as in, my hands slide), pain when I try to do it with my left arm up (often the pain is in my right, and lower, arm at that time, which is also my stronger arm), and I can't hold for long. Hence why this is not currently a spin for me. My confusion, other than just chalking it up to a lack of strength and moving on, is because I do the regular carousel move just fine. You know, legs pushed back behind me? I can do that, and just about in either direction, no pain, no issues, just sort of slow (and even that's getting better). So, if this is a strength matter, what should I focus on to strengthen? If not, perhaps someone can help me troubleshoot?

12 replies

MichelleH · 1/26/2011
If I understand, it's a move we call Barbie spin. You are in split grip but instead of pushing your legs back, you pull them forward into a horizontal V. I know I find this move difficult because it uses a lot more core strength. I think the key is to keep your distance from the pole with your grip and pull your pelvis forward to bring your legs up. But maybe get advice form someone who's better at it!
chemgoddess1 · 1/26/2011
One big thing with this move is to NOT have the bottom hand thumbs down....you will injure yourself. The bottom hand should just be for stabilization and also pushing yourself away from the pole in the THUMBS UP position. What helped me on this move was not to think about lifting both legs at the same time (this also helped my chair). When you step into it just focus on lifting the leading leg, the other will follow.
Veena · 1/26/2011
Thumb up is a better option if your going to rely heavily on the bottom arm however I teach you to use your top arm as the main hold. So if your doing the properly either way thumb up or down will be ok. You should not be using the bottom arms as heavily as you would for a split grip hold. A greater amount of strength is needed to add the V position to this spin so work on your shoulders, upper back, abs and hip flexors. These would be good exercise for you to work on. https://www.studioveena.com/lessons/view/b63926be-b882-11df-856f-001b214581be
amy · 1/26/2011
when you do the spin with your legs back, centrifugal force is helping to keep your body weight up and away from the pole. when you do it in straddle position, your body weight is dropping into the pole and adding more pressure on the bottom arm to keep your weight away, especially if you are having trouble keeping your legs up. i would try using a different grip as chem mentioned. also make sure you are engaging your core to control your legs-- think of tipping your hips back, so that your back is rounded and your belly button is facing the ceiling as much as possible. it's much, much easier to lift your legs higher this way, and you are also not using as much quad/hamstring strength to pull them up when you use more core. you will also find that if you can really engage there, that you don't need the bottom arm to keep your body away from the pole at all 🙂
Runemist34 · 1/26/2011
Okay, well, I tried to turn my hips, and that seems to kinda work... However, turning my bottom hand so that it's "thumb up" and that totally didn't work at all. Suddenly, all of my weight was hanging on my top hand, and I slid rather quickly down! I can understand how this is supposed to go, but I don't know if it's really for me. So, that's kind of my last question: How to prevent slippage. I slip pretty badly on holds, though not with holds done with my legs. I've got some pretty strong hands, and everything I do usually involves my hands in some way...so I would know! Is there anything you guys can recommend? I don't have money or access to grippy...er, stuff. Yeah, I'm totally articulate today!
Juicy J · 1/27/2011
Hey Runemist! I also have the same problem with slipping as I have extremely sweaty hands! Just about every kind of grip solution I've tried, I just sweat through! It gets to a point where if I wanna practise holds, then I will don a pair of fitted dishwashing gloves! (A little tip from Veena! It works a treat and is cheap as dirt!) The gloves really help when you want to practise holds on the pole and you don't have to worry about slippage or wiping your hands constantly. I don't think there is anything you can really do to help with the sweating. As soon as I'm near my pole or pole studio, it's like my hands and feet just have a mind of its own and start sweating profusely! Crazy! You can always try some of the following for grip: 1. Might Grip (totally didn't work for me at all! 🙁 I just sweat through it didn't help whatsoever!) 2. Dry Hands (love this stuff but I still have to constantly wipe and air my hands) 3. Chalk from your local camping store/sports store 4. Hairspray (adds a bit of stickiness) 5. Shaving foam (never tried this but I heard it can work!) 6. Tight Grip (haven't tried this either) 7. Itac (haven't tried it but have seen a girl use this in my class. It seems to add a lot of tack. 😕 Probably not ideal for spins) 8. Might Grip gloves or dishwashing gloves (I am sold on gloves if I just can't be bothered worrying about my grip, so I use this pretty much in all my classes) I also started on this Dri-Clor experiment several weeks back but keep forgetting to apply at night before bed. If you buy Dri-Clor (it's a strong anti-perspirant available at chemists. You may also find something similar along the lines of this but not necessarily in the same name) and then apply at night before going to bed and washing it off in the mornings, it may help reduce sweating. I started doing this on and off and keep forgetting so I will try and get back into the habit of doing this consistently so I know whether or not this will cut down on the sweating. 👸 Other than that, the other thing I've wanted to try is poling on wooden or tiled floors! I've never poled on any surface other than carpet and I have a feeling that it's actually the carpet that's contributing to me sweating the most! My hands and feet have this funny correlation where if my feet start to sweat, then my hands will follow. HAHA. And this is usually on a furry surface! I'm not sure how much difference poling on a non-furry surface will make but would love to try it! Maybe it's also something you can consider as well? Let us know if any of those solutions work for you! Good luck!
Polkadotpoler · 1/27/2011
I had wrist issues for a while so a cradle grip was a no go so I used an upwards forearm grip instead. It requires a lot more core control but works really well. So, inside arm high and your outside arm in a forearm grip.
Polkadotpoler · 1/27/2011
I say cradle but I mean the split grip positioning.
dustbunny · 1/28/2011
That is great advice from Polkadotpoler! I will try to add a little more detail to what (I think) she meant. Instead of bringing your outside hand to the pole low (waist or hip height), bring it to the pole around the height of your face and let your whole forearm (from hand to elbow) rest along the pole. Your body stays closer to the pole which helps take the weight off, making it much easier. This should help with your grip, and when you are stronger you can try the standard way of doing this spin.
Runemist34 · 1/28/2011
Dustbunny, and Polkadotpoler, would this be with the palm of my hand facing toward me, so that my forearm is on the opposite side of the pole than I am, or the other way around (back of my hand facing me, forearm on the same side)? I think this sounds like a really interesting variation, I'd love to try it!
Veena · 1/28/2011
This is the grip they are talking about ..I think...I call it a partial split grip. https://www.studioveena.com/lessons/view/4d2f086d-9d38-4e2f-8f09-0b800ac37250 ; Although I don't know how you would do this spinning on a static pole without a lot of pole burn. 😲
Polkadotpoler · 1/28/2011
Yes, that is it. How the top arm is with the forearm grip is how my outside/lower arm is when I do the carousel. I also do the boomerang that way. I burn easily on my wrists but have never burnt my forearm on this one. I just ran down to try it on my pole to make sure. I find that because it is my lower arm in the forearm grip, my arm isn't actually gripping the pole, your hand should be doing all the gripping but the forearm makes the move feel more stable. Does that make sense? I find that when I teach this one, I always show both, explain why I have both and letting them work out which one they prefer and they really like this one. Particularly students with slippy grip or who are unsure of the spin, it makes them feel more secure.