Gemini problem? Help please! :)

MrsBoheme started this discussion · 11/18/2009

Ok.... So I know that all moves that i have learned hurt either a little or a lot... but im having difficulty with my gemini... and then consiquently.. the scorpio of course... When I hook my leg over... im unsure of what is holding me up. Is it the squeezing of the back of the knee on the pole? In which case is in meant to hurt...like.. A BUNCH...!! Or is it in combo with the skin on my torso. Have veenas lessons but... i cant even lean back when inverted with the leg/knee hooked to see what i need.. whether its more knee or thigh strenghth or what... In doing it from the ground, im only able to test my leg, not my torso. Any help in how this move is mean to "feel"... you know? would be GREATLY appreciated cause its driving me nananaas!! also... i dont have slim legs so cant get my knee to just flip over the pole nicely like veenas... sigh also reference to any ones videos of doing the gemini/help would also ROCK!... thank you SOOOOO much in advance... yours in pain.. Boheme ☀️

22 replies

miss fern · 11/18/2009
Getting the pole into the crook of the knee is very important buuuut the good news is it actually has very little too do with slim legs! 🙂 What makes the difference is your hips. Your hips need to be up close to the pole (if you're trying to get a feel for the position from the ground, make sure you back is not on the floor). Also if you twist your hips it can help get into the knee pit better. For example.... see this stretch: http://www.orientaldancer.net/articles/trunk_and_hip_stretch.jpg There is no way she could get that knee onto the floor, without lifting her butt up and twisting her torso a little. See? It's the same concept with hooking your knee on the pole - you just have to find the right angle 😀 As for where the grip is ... well it is in your knee pit, and along the side of your torso towards your armpit if you're not wearing a shirt. And obviously in your hands too, if you're holding on with one or both of those. Good luck! 🥂
RoxyPink · 11/18/2009
You have three main contact points for grip in the gemini 1. the knee 2. your side between your hip bone and bottom rib and 3. arm pit. Once your knee is hooked look to see where that foot is pointing...to the ceiling? or to the floor? Think of trying to point it towards the floor and it naturally adapt to the right position. Of course this will hurt a bit until you've conditioned your skin...but also once you get a good grip with all three contact points then you don't have to rely so much on just your knee. Good luck and keep us posted.
Mary Ellyn · 11/18/2009
Roxy teaches it the way I do....and many people forget to "grab" with the back of the arm pit when they first start this move so I want to emphasize that point. One way to think of the hooked leg for me is to imagine the numeral four....your leg is bent that much when it hooks the pole. Another point to consider is getting up high enough so that your body is hanging as equally as possible between the upper half and the lower half. Alethea has a good description for this...your body should look like an open umbreall on the pole. Also, if you hook your knee, then sit up and re-grab your position to set your leg better, then lay back you will get a better hold. Another tip from Alethea!
Veena · 11/18/2009
Ok this might not make any sense...I'm not feeling my best today. LOL here a tip that has help some figure out how that hooked leg so go. You know when you sit cross legged how your foot is kinda pointing to your hip. Well that the position you want when your holding the gemini... many try to keep their foot pointing away from their body and pole, like in the same direction as the free leg, but to get a goo grip, turning that hip and thinking of holding the leg in the cross leg position can help you feel more secure in your grip. So hooked foot tries to point towards the free legs hip. Ok off to nap...... 🤓
SissyBuns · 11/18/2009
I was having problems with this move too forever it seemed. Finally Roxy and Redke helped me out and it turns out I was depending solely on my knee to hold me up and not engaging my torso much at all. The first time I got it I used my armpit more and bam! After a few more times I'm able to use more of my hip but it's all coming together slowly. I'm surely going to try pointing my hooked foot towards the floor more, I'm sure that would help.
MrsBoheme · 11/18/2009
You Ladies ROCK! You absolutely do!! Will be trying all of these suggestions today, will let you know how I go! xx 🥂
MrsBoheme · 11/25/2009
I think I need a crash mat.... 😢 sigh... for some strange reason, though I learnt to invert on my left I cant even get close to gemini on this side, but my right (on which subsequently am now learning on) i have a better leg position... odd. Still cant let go of hands in any way shape or form but... plug, plug, pluggin on.... B.
rubberstarlet · 11/25/2009
i need help with this move O_O maybe I'm not strong enough? I do my invert, and it seems like my leg wont bend over the pole. Also I'm holding onto the pole for dear life with my hands! Very rarely it feels like my legs gripping at all. I look at the picture in my profile and I'm trying to figure out what to do
MrsBoheme · 11/25/2009
i need help with this move O_O maybe I'm not strong enough? I do my invert, and it seems like my leg wont bend over the pole. Also I'm holding onto the pole for dear life with my hands! Very rarely it feels like my legs gripping at all. I look at the picture in my profile and I'm trying to figure out what to do YUP! This is exactly what happens to me! just sort of hang there wondering if I will ever be able to take my hands off..thus... crash mat pondering. 😀 B.xx
Layla Duvay · 11/25/2009
Yeah, I know what you guys mean! If you look at my gemini profile pics, you'll notice that one leg is more...wrapped around the pole in one pic than the other. I held both poses for three second for the camera to go off. It is some leg, holding on, but what I did that finally worked is that as soon as I got the outside leg around the pole I immediately stuck the inside leg straight out as far as I could and arched my back and...viola!! ☀️ 🤸 Rubberstarlet, I looked at your profile pics and saw that your hips are kind of far from the pole which is counterproductive. For months leading up to my "moment" I'd been doing a move that Fleur advised doing in a gemini tutorial for Joel Lessing (actually, it was while watching that that I finally got my first invert!). She advised that as soon as you invert, you pull yourself up to get your legs to clear your hands, giving your leg room to cross over the pole. Just getting to that point took months for me. It wasn't until I "got" the cross, stick-leg-out, arch movement that I was able to let go (major pole burn on side and pit, btw!) and hold it. You'll get it !!! If I can, anybody can!! LOVE your style, btw, Rubberstarlet! The hair, the outfit, everything. You are a 👸 !!!
rubberstarlet · 11/25/2009
i need help with this move O_O maybe I'm not strong enough? I do my invert, and it seems like my leg wont bend over the pole. Also I'm holding onto the pole for dear life with my hands! Very rarely it feels like my legs gripping at all. I look at the picture in my profile and I'm trying to figure out what to do YUP! This is exactly what happens to me! just sort of hang there wondering if I will ever be able to take my hands off..thus... crash mat pondering. 😀 B.xx haha yup! I get up there and I'm stuck LOL I guess i need to take a class and have someone point me right. I've been watching veenas lesson over and over, but I need a friend to help me or spotter
PolePhoenix · 11/26/2009
i need help with this move O_O maybe I'm not strong enough? I do my invert, and it seems like my leg wont bend over the pole. Also I'm holding onto the pole for dear life with my hands! Very rarely it feels like my legs gripping at all. I look at the picture in my profile and I'm trying to figure out what to do YUP! This is exactly what happens to me! just sort of hang there wondering if I will ever be able to take my hands off..thus... crash mat pondering. 😀 B.xx Hey I had a look at your picture rubberstartlet, you need to get your hips closer to the pole like the others said, I find this means really engaging my core muscles to pull me up, then hook your leg over the pole. Because you are close to the pole then, I kinda arch my back and cross my arms behind my back thus the armpit grip people are saying. also if i try to look at the opposite wall i find i stick better, cos i'm forcing myself to arch my back which tightens my armpit grip. I've just started using the gemini in my videos as I'm now comfortable with it. But it took me ages and I had such pole burn the first few times i really perfected it. Keep going with it you'll be there before you know it, good luck
Mary Ellyn · 11/26/2009
Based on Rubberstarlets pic of the gemini...a few tips that may help any of you. 1. Hips: not only get your hips closer to the pole, but your tummy needs to face more toward the ceiling. You seem to be twisting your hips/torso a bit toward the pole. Belly button should be UP. 2. Back leg: Should be DIRECTLY behind you. This is difficult to figure out when you're upside down and don't have someone to guide you but if you're leg goes at all out to the side (in your case out to your right side) you do not provide opposing pressure. The weight of your extended back leg provides a counter pressure to pull the hooked knee more firmly onto the pole Additionally - if you extend that back leg straight out rather than bending the knee you will also create more pressure againts the hooked knee. 3. Hooked knee: as said before, get the toe pointed closer to the floor. Your hooked knee should be turned toward you so that the pole and your knee look like the numeral "4" 4. A bare torso helps to add grip to the pose.
rubberstarlet · 12/2/2009
Based on Rubberstarlets pic of the gemini...a few tips that may help any of you. 1. Hips: not only get your hips closer to the pole, but your tummy needs to face more toward the ceiling. You seem to be twisting your hips/torso a bit toward the pole. Belly button should be UP. 2. Back leg: Should be DIRECTLY behind you. This is difficult to figure out when you're upside down and don't have someone to guide you but if you're leg goes at all out to the side (in your case out to your right side) you do not provide opposing pressure. The weight of your extended back leg provides a counter pressure to pull the hooked knee more firmly onto the pole Additionally - if you extend that back leg straight out rather than bending the knee you will also create more pressure againts the hooked knee. 3. Hooked knee: as said before, get the toe pointed closer to the floor. Your hooked knee should be turned toward you so that the pole and your knee look like the numeral "4" 4. A bare torso helps to add grip to the pose. thanks! I'll practice on that. Just seems my hands slip and I cant do it right now. maybe just practice right now on griping with legs?
Veena · 12/2/2009
If your invert isn't strong enough, you will not be able to get your hips up high enough.....this will make hooking the leg and getting into the position very difficult. Go back and check out your basic invert guys....can you do it with a good amount of control... and once your up on the pole have you lifted those hips or are you hanging with your arms straight and butt low?
Veena · 12/15/2009
For those of you who have the lessons, the new Gemini lesson is up http://ver3.studioveena.com/lessons/view/2305
Bellz · 12/16/2009
Ok, I;m going to tell you one of my "tricks" that I am SURE will get all the "pro" pole dancers throwing things at me. So- I flip upside down and hook my left leg on the pole. I pull my RIGHT leg towards my face, so my right thigh is hugging the pole also. At this point, I let go with my hands, and when i'm "hanging" straight, my left knee/leg, right thigh, right tummy side, and the back of my right arm are all grabbing the pole. Now, of course, you're going to have to swing that right leg behind you, but if you just want to get the feel of your left leg- I have found that using my right leg/thigh helps support me while I move around---did that make any sense???? Just FYI- when you do swing your right leg around so it's where it belongs, I push my right hip into the pole- feels more secure. I'm pretty sure this counts as cheating...SORRY! It may make it more difficult for you later on- depending on the right thigh isn't a great thing to do- but it's my trick. It's a way I learned to hold myself there when I'm confused,,...lol
MrsBoheme · 12/17/2009
For those of you who have the lessons, the new Gemini lesson is up http://ver3.studioveena.com/lessons/view/2305 Veena! This lesson is AWESOME!! I actually think i might get this move now.... Once i can find some landing mats that i trust rather than the dodgy matress i have now, cause im up there going... yeah... i like my neck unbrocken so i dont think ill let go just yet! LOL... but no seriously, this has really REALLY helped, seeing the knee angle and everything you explained... I think i need to still work on some strength but otherwise i will post as soon as i get it!! Thank you!! And thank you to everyone here that contributed, ALL your suggestions have been helpful! happy hols everyone! Boheme 😀
Mary Ellyn · 12/17/2009
Ok, I;m going to tell you one of my "tricks" that I am SURE will get all the "pro" pole dancers throwing things at me. So- I flip upside down and hook my left leg on the pole. I pull my RIGHT leg towards my face, so my right thigh is hugging the pole also. At this point, I let go with my hands, and when i'm "hanging" straight, my left knee/leg, right thigh, right tummy side, and the back of my right arm are all grabbing the pole. Now, of course, you're going to have to swing that right leg behind you, but if you just want to get the feel of your left leg- I have found that using my right leg/thigh helps support me while I move around---did that make any sense???? Just FYI- when you do swing your right leg around so it's where it belongs, I push my right hip into the pole- feels more secure. I'm pretty sure this counts as cheating...SORRY! It may make it more difficult for you later on- depending on the right thigh isn't a great thing to do- but it's my trick. It's a way I learned to hold myself there when I'm confused,,...lol That isn't cheating at all and you certainly are not doing anything potentially dangerous or that could injure you. I've seen you work that into your routine and it looks like a planned sequence of moves!
MrsBoheme · 1/11/2010
To all you wonderful ladies! I would just like to inform you that thanks to your help I have FINALLY done it! Sure, it still looks like poo but thats not to discount the fact that the move basics have now be achieved and I couldn't be happier, so nice when you get that moving on feeling, expecially after being sans pole over christmas and putting back on the 3 kg i lost before it! sigh... never mind... So anyway, see my mong pic here: http://www.studioveena.com/MrsBoheme and thanks so much again! happy poling Boheme ☀️
Layla Duvay · 1/11/2010
Nice!! Hooray for you! 👸
MilienElayne · 1/11/2010
Oh man! This is why I was having trouble with learning the spinning scorpio (which is a combo I figure I should be able to do easily!)... I was trying to let my gripping leg straighten for some stupid reason! Asthetics? This may also be why my gemini gripping leg's foot gets sickled by an odd muscle pull instead of going into a nice point lately. Thanks, guys!