How long have you been poling?

PoLeNoViCe started this discussion · 12/29/2010

Just curious about exactly how long everyone has been poling. I've been poling at least once a week (sometimes twice) for a little over 10 months now with little success. I have gained some strength and confidence over the months, but I'm still uncoordinated, I suffer from sweaty palms, and I have no flexibility. There are tons of moves that I haven't even tried yet because I'm afraid of cracking my skull. Where some of you ladies have been poling for 3 months and seem to have things down packed, others started when I did and they are flying around the pole like pros, and the vets are just magnificent. Every move is graceful and coordinated, and no one is stopping between every other move to whipe the pole. I love poling, yoga, and any other form of excercise that really challenges me, even though I'm a weakling/whimp. But why? Not sure why I'm asking you guys, I've been this way forever, and I guess the challenge is just me wanting to break out of it, but it's such a slow process. I can remember going to the playground with an aunt around age 8 or so. I refused to slide down the pole; I was so afraid, but she made me. It took hours and tears too. SMH... My parents never made me slide down a pole, or flip, not even run. lol Although I did play a few sports in jr high bc I was tall, but I was never great. If I would have done ballet or gymnastics all this would be so easy, and I'd have no fear of flipping on a metal pole. On another note is it possible to be a perfectly normal with no disabilities, ailments, no weight issues, and still have NO althletic ability? 😂

11 replies

amy · 12/29/2010
i haven't done ballet (unless you count 4 months of lessons when i was 4 yrs old) or gymnastics. i never went to the gym, or worked out in any way shape or form. i have been poling for about 4 years and for the first 3, i was taking a 2hr class once a week. polenovice, why on earth would we all have the same learning curve at pole? there will always be people who learn better and faster then you. videos are deceiving: they can be edited. who knows how much grip aid someone is using? how many hours a week they are on their pole? how much cross training that they are doing? what about all the people who are too embarrassed and judgmental of themselves to even post? you don't see any of that, do you? stop being so hard on yourself. don't compare yourself to others because we all learn differently and live in different bodies. maybe someone is awesome at pole but hates their job, or they are in an unhappy relationship, or they are estranged from their parents. you don't know other people's struggles until you walk in their shoes, just like they don't know yours. be as good as YOU can be, for the amount of time that you put in!
Spiltsugar · 12/29/2010
Everyone learns at a different pace and you've got quite a list of accomplishments for only poling 10 months! I've been poling regularly (meaning more than once every two months at a friend's party) since April of this year. However, I have been doing aerial silks and trapeze since April of 08 which did help me with the strength and flexibility a lot. Cross-training is a great way to get the most out of your muscles. Pole is quite different from Aerial though as far as how it feels on the skin and the rigidness of it (I'm used to moving ropes and soft fabric) so it took me a good three or so months just to get used to the pain of pole burn in my thighs and as I learn new spins and moves, more pole burn is inevitable but you push through it till it doesn't make you hop right off the pole. I'm still tearing myself up on my pole weekly but as I get a move down properly, it hurts much less. Although I do have a couple more advanced moves on my list, I still struggle with a lot of basic/intermediate stuff too cause our bodies are all so different! That side climb is not my friend yet (you do it better than I do) but genie is possible on a good stickin day! haha! We watch so many professionals do very advanced moves in videos that it gets over-whelming and we tend to over-look the amazing things we can do! You are lifting your own body weight over your head and letting go while holding a gemini! That is a HUGE accomplishment! Keep up the awesome work, it will continue to pay off and you will look back on this and say "Damn, I really am making great progress!" XOXO Cheryl
Spiltsugar · 12/29/2010
PS: I wipe my pole down a TON! I get very sweaty and/or dry hands so sticking to the pole can be a great challenge a lot of the time! I wash my hands with dish soap and this seems to help though.
Charley · 12/29/2010
It will be 4 years for me in a week and a half - I have NO dance or gymnastics or fitness background at all. Honestly - for the first couple years of pole dancing I had to wipe the pole between every move. I struggled with everything including just basic movement. I was so hung up on tricks and my tricks didn't even look nice. I am so embarrassed to say I was using the soles of my feet to climb for like the first entire year because no one told me not to. None of the things I did had good form at all. It wasn't until I started teaching that I began to improve on the basic things. I'd rather watch a really pretty dance full or transitions and floor work than a tricked out video where the tricks aren't fully performed, half done or struggled through. The polished basics are so beautiful. About 2 years ago I decided to start investing in some grips and anitperspirants and I am so glad I did. Having products readily available that help me with my crazy sweating helped me pole longer, perfect harder tricks and build up the stamina to get through a song. Everyone progresses at their own rate. Spilt Sugar is a student turned instructor at the studio I work at and she has been training atleast weekly since April and her progress amazes me and how quickly she gets things - I NEVER learned that fast but as she says - she's also an aerialist (and a really good one I might add) but I can remember the first time I poled with her at a jam and she couldn't do spins unless the pole was on spin mode and NOW she is teaching spins on static. We are both still crazy pole wipers too 😂 I will also note that in classes where more advanced work is taught - it takes students WEEKS to get things and every body loves and struggles with different things. There is truly no comparison between dancers. I wouldn't worry about how many things you can or can't do because that will cause creative block. The best thing is to keep a journal list things you'd like to learn and ofcourse always be polishing what you do have. Try to vary your practices - one day might be a conditioning day where you are working on new stuff, take a day off and when you get back to the pole just jam up music and dance and enjoy. 🥂
polergirl · 12/29/2010
Read this! 🙂 http://www.studioveena.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=25&t=5291 We all learn at different paces... and some tricks come more easily than others... but everyone has their "thing," KWIM? You will find at some point that one of your fellow students will say "hey, you--can you tell me how you do XYZ because when you do it, it looks fantastic, and I can't seem to get it." That same student will do something beautifully when others struggle with it. It took me forEVER to do certain things, but stuff like the CAR and butterfly came totally naturally to me. Why? I have no clue, lol. But that's just the way it seems to happen. Keep your chin up--and try not to compare yourself to other polers! I know it's hard. I used to do it. Then I realized what I referred to above. They struggled with things I didn't. I struggled with things they didn't.
luckylindyhopper · 12/29/2010
I've been poling for almost 6 months. I did do some gymnastics as a kid and then I've been a ballroom/swing dancer for the past 6.5 years. I can honestly say that neither experiences gave me any sort of edge. Yes, there are things that I catch on to quicker than others but at the same time, there are things that are so foreign and frustrating to me. For example: Pirouettes and pointed toes= no problem. Not jumping into moves= huge problem. In both gymnastics and aerials in ballroom and swing dancing, jumping into moves is expected. So when I started pole, not jumping was a completely foreign concept. I still have a bad habit of doing it with new moves. It's frustrating and I look at other polers and wonder why can't I just get it like they do. I realize it's a progression, though, and practice makes perfect as cliched as that is. Just try to keep in mind that everyone learns differently and at their own pace. Be proud of what you can do instead of what you can't. Keep your chin up! 😀
Veena · 12/29/2010
Never compare your progress against someone else....it will always make you feel bad. Think about why your pole dancing.. Is it for fitness, fun, or do you want to compete? If its for fitness or just for fun then there is nothing wrong with not progressing up into intermediate or advance pole work. But hoping to compete is a whole other story. Then you must work on strength and flexibility off the pole as well. Trust me when I kick into high gear for my poling I hit the gym and yoga mat more than the pole!! It would also take far more time than the average person has to be a competitor. There is nothing wrong with pole dancing for fun or to just challenge YOURSELF!!!!! Remember that not ALL moves can or should be done by ALL pole dancers. Someone who never inverts is still a pole dancer!!! 🥂
PoLeNoViCe · 12/29/2010
Thanks for the feedback ladies. I dunno I just feel so bad, like it’s not happening fast enough. For me pole is strictly for the fun, fitness, and challenge that comes along with it. I’m not looking to be a pro, but I’d like to be able to pull off a couple sexy combos, invert in shoes, or do a split or something. Lol. I guess I really need to work on strength and endurance somehow??? I’m extremely active with some type of dance workout all the time, my clothes are falling off (but no strength).Yoga seems to be helping, beneath the flesh my legs are hard as a rock, and now I can do a chaturanga (tricep pushup) just barely, but I still can’t do the regular ones. I guess I need to find the right workout, and really cross train somehow. I’m just having a bad week; maybe next week will be better… Thanks again for all your support.
nymphdancer · 12/29/2010
I've been poling over 3 years I don't get to pole often so I feel like I'm at a stand still half the time in my progress. I like you go through the times of thinking maybe I'll never be that good. But you know what? I feel good when I pole. I know I'm stronger both physically AND mentally because of poling and because of the great network of ladies I have met through poling. Will I ever be a Felix Cane, Karol Helms, Aleatha Austin or Michelle Minx???? Nope. But you know what? I'm going to have fun regardless. Note to self......reread this next time your in one of your own self doubting moods 😕
Sassafrassle · 12/29/2010
I did gymnastics briefly when I was much younger but I was too scared to try anything more advanced than cartwheels/round-offs. I switched to dancing and have danced on-and-off since the age of 11 (that sounds more impressive than it is - we're talking once a week kinda classes with several years break here and there) and became a gym bunny when I was in my early 20s (I'm almost 31 now) so I can dance and have a reasonable level of flexibility, fitness and strength but there's still so much that scares me about holding my body weight (my body type doesn't help - I carry a lot of mass, especially in my legs from my love of running up hills:)) that I don't progress very fast at all in pole (seriously, the number of new things I've managed to get in the past year or so could probably be counted on one hand). I've been poling for more than 3.5 years and there are girls at my studio who have been poling for maybe 1-2 years who can do crazy stuff that I doubt I'll ever be able to do. I get pretty depressed about it sometimes but it's kinda human nature to look at what we can't do and be sad rather than look at the awesome things we can do and be happy about it. For me, it's sometimes hard to remember that I'm probably one of the better dancers (dance rather than tricks I mean) at my studios because all I can see is the people doing amazing aerial stuff and because that's the main thing that separates pole from other forms of dance, I feel a bit lacking. However, something I find is really good for reminding me that any pole moves I can do are impressive to "regular" folks (ie. non-polers) is to do a show and the simplest of moves can make the crowd go wild:) Also, I love having photos of moves when I nail them so I can show them off:) Showing non polers what you've got is definitely worth trying if you need that extra boost! 🫡
Katherine McKinney · 12/29/2010
I've been poling for a little over five months. Getting my own pole a month ago is what's really helped me develop my skills. My pole instructor calls me a fast learner, but I'm honestly not. Since I work at home, all I do all day is dream about the pole. I dance for hours every day, and I'm covered with bruises at any given time. Last night I poled and/or danced for four hours straight. That's a bit much even for me, but I generally get in about ten hours of practice a week (at least). Needless to say, today is a rest day. 😀 I've found that what also helped me is getting a really safe crash mat. I made mine from a vinyl-covered twin mattress. My roommate and I cut it in half and duct-taped the ends. It looks terrible, but it has been incredibly helpful when I'm working on moves that I'm anxious about trying. I routinely pole without the mattress as well because I don't want to lose the apprehension I have when working on the pole--I think it keeps me from making bad decisions that could end with me in the hospital. I keep telling myself that there's no hurry to get moves--I'll get them eventually, and if I continually try to pull off moves that I shouldn't, I might end up falling a lot farther behind . . . if you know what I mean. I agree with what the others have said here. It's strange how differently our bodies adapt to pole-dancing! I think it's neat that we all have moves we're naturally better at than others--it makes for more variety and beauty in performance! Sometimes, limits open the door to creativity.