EvaRut started this discussion ·
I want to be able to do the elbow grip but what is the secret of the elbow grip? 🤔 I think it looks better to use that grip in aysha and caterpillar. I have started a few attempts to do it but always chickened out before trying it all the way.
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The key is to use your strong arm for the grip when you are first trying it. So if your right arm is your preferred arm, this is the one you will grip with. Your left arm will be the brace. While it is called "elbow grip", really think of it as a forearm and bicep grip: these muscles will provide the strength so you will want to squeeze the pole with them very tightly. To get the correct feeling for the grip, try standing by the pole and wrapping your dominant arm around the pole. Get the pole nicely up towards your elbow crease and squeeze your forearm and bicep. You'll want to do this in one fluid motion: approach the pole and wrap. See how it feels - should feel nice and strong. This is a very strong grip. When you are inverted you will do the same. Your left (or weaker) arm will provide the brace for the hold but it is not providing much strength: that's all coming from the elbow grip. Again, it is a very strong grip but make sure you feel nice and comfortable with it before advancing in your poses. I would get comfortable with it in Caterpiller first, before trying it in Aysha. Hope this helps! 🫡
Solya ·
I'm learning the elbow grip now too 🙂 Someone told me you need to make use of your skin sticking to the pole too. So basically stand in front of the pole (not in the aysha, just to practise the grip), get your non-dominant hand on the top and grip with your other hand on the bottom. Make sure you get your body away from the pole and grip very very low with the bottom hand. Then clench the muscles in your bottom arm and start pulling it up the pole and roll it inwards. Your skin's resistance will give you lots of extra grip. You're just going to have to do the same when you're upside down. This got me a little more stable in the elbow grip 🙂
Thats interesting, I cannot do this grip yet either and always try it inverted with my strong arm as the brace, but am too scared to use it as it doesn't feel strong. I will try the other ay round, thanks for the tip 🐱 🐱
Funny I've got the opposite problem, can only do elbow grip Aysha but now the other one (what's its name? the one with elbow towards your body and gripping with hand?). I find that sometimes when the pole is slippery, an elbow grip is next to impossible. But on a good sticky day, it just works 🙂 I find that it takes a few attempts whilst upside down to really position the elbow skin so you feel confident that you've got a good grip. Also, try both arms! It might work with the other one. Good luck you'll get it for sure!!
amy ·
evarut, check this thread also: https://www.studioveena.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=12&t=3660
EvaRut ·
thank you for the advice. Thing I will begin then with the elbow grip in the caterpillar climb. Pretty scary I still havent been brave enough to do it one handed. I kind of use the forearm grip and use the arm to help push myself up :S Hmmmm hmmmm.. Well practice practice ahead 🙂
LittleC ·
The thing that made elbow grip click for me was to make sure my tush was nice and high in my caterpillar, and my hips were far from the pole before doing it - the key is leaning back and letting your elbow grip hold you in place. When I first tried it my hips were really close to the pole and I would plummet towards the ground. This was a scary one for me but it feels so good when you get it - it feels really weird being that far from the pole, but it works. Keep trying! 🫡
I got an elbow grip one time (in Angels work shop) and hot damn it left a nasty bruise in the crook of my arm. I got it though. I think trusting the grip was the key for me. I'm more of a split grip girl myself and never understood how you could hold yourself up by the elbow. It just didn't seem to make sense. Angel showed us how to engage the whole arm, like someone else said, forearm and bicep. Squeeze squeeze and pull. Make the pole your elbows bitch. Show that pole who's boss! I haven't tried it again for fear of the bruise. It was gnarly! One of those that shows up right away LOL. But I bruise easy so...that's not saying much.
