Death Lay in general but especially on 45 mm

Lina Spiralyne started this discussion · 1/5/2012

Hi! I was making my first attempts on the Death Lay the other night, but I failed. I didn't think I had enough grip with my thighs in the invert (I did it from a cupped grip shoulder mount) so moving my hands off the pole didn't seem like an option... So now I would be very interested and happy for some advice regarding what to do and maybe what not to do when re-attempting this scary move! Can you do it on a 45 mm or does it seem too unsafe? My goal (at least long-term) is to be able to do it in a way that my hands can touch the ceiling, not only my feet. Thanks🙂!

6 replies

dustbunny · 1/5/2012
You can practice this move without going all the way to the ceiling, but you need a partner. To do it lower down (much safer and less scary) you just press your feet against your partners hands as they push back to give you the resistance that the ceiling normally would. I am nowhere near ready to attempt this move, but have seen it done this way. It is definitely how I would try it first. :)
swedishrose · 1/6/2012
You can do a death lay on a 45. It just takes practice. If you need to practice your thigh grip I like a move called Flyer, a picture of which can be found here http://www.wikipole.org/. ; You can get into flyer from an Aysha or handstand if you prefer to practice it low. I agree with dustbunny in getting a friend to help you practice death lay low. It's an intimidating move when you first start practicing it. Best of Luck!
moonflower · 1/6/2012
My problem with the death lay is that I slide a bit when I shoulder mount, especially when I'm sweaty. So half the time, I'm too low so it doesn;t look half as good. It's one of those moves that I can do at the beginning of a practice, but not at the end.
chemgoddess1 · 1/6/2012
Dustbunny nailed it. So much easier to practice this when you have a helping hand and can get used to the grip lower to the floor. You really need to be able to get a tight V shoulder mount to be close to the ceiling. Practicing a superinvert will also help. I personally would practice holding a v position and then from that getting into a v superinvert. Your belly HAS to be at the pole before you lock your legs.
chemgoddess1 · 1/6/2012
Amy's super sexy fly shoulder mount V: http://aerialamy.com/blog/wp-content/themes/simply-pink//2011/06/polesque-fly-e1323194471407.jpg Super Invert: http://www.triagedesign.co.uk/wikipole/images/e/e1/Superinvert.jpg
Lina Spiralyne · 1/7/2012
Thanks so much for your input! I agree that it would have been good to use a spotter, but the problem with that is that I live alone and also practice alone. So I have to try to make it on my own... I have already started with the Flyer! I do get it working but I it's easy to slide down a bit before getting stuck in the pose. I will try to improve the technique for that. Then it will be the tight-to-pole shoulder mount and the super invert! Thanx again😀!