I always get stuck!

twistedmoon started this discussion · 11/10/2010

Hey Everyone. I'm hoping some of you might offer some tips on how to get out of this situation. I do a walk, then a spin, get to the ground, and then instantly forget every floor move I have ever learned. Ahhhh! It's so frustrating 😈 My pole teacher says that I'll eventually get more comfortable and be able to make it all flow better but it seems like I never will. Have any of you ever dealt with something like this?

9 replies

Katk · 11/10/2010
Hey! When I first started learning pole, we learned a routine that included floor work. We practiced the routine and kept adding spins and floorwork. Practicing the routine helped me to get comfortable linking spins and tricks and floorwork and getting them to flow together. Eventually, we felt comfortable enough to freedance without the routine. Why don't you think of some floorwork moves you want to work on and come up with a little routine you can do just to get the feel of everything flowing together? It’s hard to just jump in and know what to do next until your body is really familiar with those moves.
TrixieLovett · 11/10/2010
Repetition, repetition, repetition! Practice floor moves at home. Ask your instructor to write down the moves she'd like to have you practice between classes, and make sure you do commit the time in your schedule to do it for yourself. When you have a few moments and you can't actually get dancing, just visualize yourself doing the moves. Athletes of any discipline will tell you how important visualization is to their performance. What you're trying to do is establish muscle memory. Be patient with yourself and all of a sudden BOOM! Things WILL flow. We are excite to see your post when it happens too! 😉
Journey · 11/11/2010
I can't take credit for this idea (RaRa suggested this to me once), but do you have a big markerboard or posterboard? Write down all the moves you know or just specific ones, like floorwork, and prop it up in your pole space. When you're practicing and you get stuck, look up at the board and pick a move to transition to. Or just make general lists of moves that you know and pick specific sequences and combos to work on during each practice session. Good luck 🙂
polergirl · 11/11/2010
I did lots of songs of nothing but floorwork/wallwork in order to become super comfortable with it, so it started to be second nature. Eventually it does get more natural feeling, I swear it does!!
twistedmoon · 11/11/2010
Katk- My first session of classes we learned a routine but now they changed their program and now just want us to freestlye and make it our own. In a way that is nice I just wish it had a little more structure. I'm trying to work on a little routine to try next week! Trixie- What you said about visualization made a ton of sense! I even do that before a piano performance I don't know why I didn't think to do that for this. Journey- Thanks for sharing that idea with me. I'll have to see if I can take a poster board to class with me. Polergirl- I'll have to make sure I just do floor and wall work to a song. I guess practice will eventually make it better! I just wish it would happen a little faster. Lol
witheringtone · 11/11/2010
When I first started dancing, I had a friend who gave me a rule when pole dancing. She said when learning a pole move you have to also learn a floor move for when you exit. Basically every move ended on the floor and I worked my way back onto the pole. Don't do a move and when you get to the floor (if the move takes you to the floor) hop up and grab the pole again. This helped and I noticed that my dancing looked more gracefull and fluid. I notice that some people starting out stick to the pole and do move after move and you get stuck in that pattern. I agree with the others, the dryboard is a good idea for writing a pole move, then a floor move, ect for when you get stuck and working on only floorwork once a week.
twistedmoon · 11/11/2010
That's a great idea! I'm gonna make sure I do that. I deffinitely need to break the habit of just standing up again any old way and going on to another pole move.
keex · 11/11/2010
What great suggestions everyone! Visualization is a major tool I use as a dancer and performer. The other thing I do is allow myself the freedom to just play. I turn on an inspiring piece of music and just let my body move naturally and organically. I'll admit that I've caught myself on video doing some embarrassingly hideous movement, but, I've also discovered unique ways to move across the floor and up & around the pole too...stuff that I've never even learned in class. The stuff that you learn in class can serve as a platform for your own creativity. Discover who you are as a dancer through play.
twistedmoon · 11/15/2010
Thanks for all the great ideas everyone! I have had the chance to just work on some wall and floor moves this week and can't wait to go to my lesson tomorrow and try some of the other ideas out. 😀