my biggest fear...

HollySatine started this discussion · 5/24/2011

My biggest fear (other than seriously injuring myself) is that I'll never be able to get through a whole routine because my hands will be too sweaty. I've tried deoderant, alcohol, vinegar, windex, grip aids, and plain old soap and water but no matter what I do I have to keep drying off my hands and wiping down the pole! It's so frustrating!!! I know there have been a ton of threads about sweaty hands and I've probably read them all, but is there anything anybody does differently for performances that works so you can get through a whole song without wiping your hands? I'm sure SOMEBODY at a competitive level has to deal with sweaty hands too...

14 replies

amy · 5/24/2011
tite grip 1 hour before you pole, then re-apply 30 mins before. you've never tried tite grip???? it's an anti persperant. none of the others even work half as well, in my experience. if that doesn't work: botox.
Charley · 5/24/2011
Tite Grip - I second that! It's the only thing that has worked for me. You also have to learn to work with sweaty hands too. I know that at a certain point I'm not going to be able to hold my iron X so if I want to do it I have choreograph around the sweaty hands and do it sooner. Make yourself dance through a song - AFTER you've used your tite grip and don't stop - if your hands are sweaty come down to the floor. Over time you'll get used to it and there are moves you will be able to do with sweaty hands. I can shoulder mount with sweaty hands or do an aysha or a straight edge. I can do a scorpio or gemini or a layback or a climb with sweaty hands. I can't do one handed spins or a reverse grab with sweaty hands so I don't do them at the end of a routine - I stick to lifted spins or spins with two hands. Half the reason I am so good at armpit grips is because they were go to moves so I tried to find ways to utilize them in all of my routines. Pole diameter is important too - I can easier get through a whole song on a 45 vs a 50. I have very small sweaty hands so once the sweat comes I cannot grip the 50 for spins. I can often perform well on a brass pole with sweaty hands over a chrome pole - chrome seems to make my hands sweat for some reason where as stainless doesn't. It took me like 2-3 years to be able to make it through a whole song with good tricks, spins and floor work so it can work you just have to figure out what you can and cannot do at certain points. It also helps to limit your music to short songs. I generally only dance to songs that are less than 4 minutes right now because after that I have torrential hands, lol! Start with something short like 2 minutes. Even if you have to edit it - that's okay - build your confidence up. Instead if looking at as I can't make it through a song make the song fit what you can do - the longer you do this the better you'll feel AND you will be able to add more time. Stay hydrated too. Don't drink caffeine before or during poling, limit salt intake. Drink lots of water before you pole - sometimes sweating is associated with dehydration so stay hydrated. And if all else fails - I love what Amy said - BOTOX! lol! .
Lexistarr · 5/24/2011
I have the SAME issue and i too have read all threads about sweaty hands etc.. i ordered Tie grip waited forever for it to arrive and i know EVERYONE is different but for me it didnt work i think i need a GRIP lotion or soemthing Tite Grip just dried my hands and then made then baby soft yea i knwo i was shocked i then washed them with soap and water and it helped a little bit and i do still use it and wash with soap and water for the simple fact i have nothing Else around im also using Rubbing alcohol but im cleaning the damn pole every 3 min im still trying to find somethong maybeee thinking of trying itac4 i dunno guess ill try everything something has to work i have a 50 mm brass pole wonder if getting the 45 would have been eaiser i dunno too late now let me know if you find anything new im in the same boat u are :)) :))
amy · 5/24/2011
lexistarr, tite grip is an antipersperant... so it won't give you grip, just keep you from sweating. i would advise using a little of your favorite grip aid on top of it if you find that you have dry hands but no grip.
EvaRut · 5/24/2011
Those were some great advice. :) I got my tite grip and am experimenting with it and how it works best for me. Charley I had never thought of all those things you said :P But will now. My hands also start sweating like crazy on chrome when I have no problem on stainless. Will definately consider all those advice. I danced on a 50mm chrome pole in a competition in january. And I had never had the chance to try both 50mm and chrome finish before the competition. And totally unexpectedly I ended up slipping when doing some split grip wich is always so easy for me. It messed up the rest of the performance because I was rushing back up and it sucked! After that I bought a 50mm chrome to be ready next time!
Cinara · 5/24/2011
I have sweaty hands and bad grip strength. And for some reason my skin hates chrome. I'm working very hard to improve my grip strength, but in the mean time this is my extreme treatment for very slippery days. 1. Dry pole thouroughly. 2. Apply Tite Grip: allow to dry. 3. Apply shaving gel: allow to dry. 4. Apply Dry Hands: allow to dry. 5. Apply Tite grip: allow to dry. That's before I start poling, and during the session I only need to apply a little bit of Tite Grip. The other thing is to get used to the feeling of gripping a slippery pole. You get afraid of falling long before you will actually fall, so take it easy and be careful, of course, but try to persevere with a few safe skills. It's safer in the long run, because you'll be ready for any accidentally slippery hands incidents. Finally, just dance through whole routines. I didn't think my grip would last until I had no choice but to keep going for four minutes. I still can't get an extended butterfly, aysha or poisson into a routine on chrome, but I surprised myself by being able to do everything else.
Juicy J · 5/25/2011
Wow, this is a really useful thread! I too fall into this category of sweaty hands and have also found applying Tite Grip 1/2 hour or more on my hands and feet to be of real help! I might even try Amy's suggestion - applying it twice - once an hour before and then again 1/2 hr before hand. That might work even better for me. I also find dancing on 38mm brass to be a real help! Bobbi's skinny spinny poles aren't the grippiest to begin with (maybe because a lot of them are old tarnished brass? Not sure if that loses its gripability) but once warmed up, I like it a lot better than my chrome X-Pert. I agree with what a lot of you said about Chrome causing you to sweat! I seem to have that same problem with my pole all year round! I'll do a spin with bone dry hands and next thing you know I've worked up a bit of moisture in my hands and I just slip straight to the ground! Annoying! I had the same problem with stainless as well. Can't tell the difference between stainless and chrome. All the same to me. May also help if I moved my pole to a room that wasn't carpeted. I wonder how much of a difference that'll make me sweat less! Was thinking of selling my Chrome and upgrading to a Brass X-Pert. What I didn't want in return was the maintenance and upkeep of brass.
HollySatine · 5/25/2011
Thanks for the advice everyone! I ordered Tite Grip and it should be arriving some time today! Joyful - what kind of maintenance is required for a brass pole? I've been daydreaming about what I would get if I upgraded my pole or got a second pole and have been swaying towards brass but wouldn't want it to be a hassle to keep...
Juicy J · 5/25/2011
Hi Holly Satine. I think there was a recent thread about brass pole maintenance? I haven't been able to find it on the forums lately...maybe it dates quite a bit back? By the sound of people who actually own brass poles, it sounds like it will eventually tarnish (even just a bit with good maintenance) because of the elements in brass. Not sure how that will eventually look on the Brass X-Pert. I'm a very low maintenance kinda gal when it comes to my material possessions. I'm gonna try and find that thread again on brass pole maintenance and if I find it, I'll post the link on here!
Juicy J · 5/25/2011
Here we go! I found the link! https://www.studioveena.com/forums/view/How_do_I_clean_up_my_brass_pole_20110516055551#bottom Judging by this, use Brass-O (brass cleaner) to polish first and then wipe it down with massive amounts of alcohol to get rid of the slickness it leaves behind. This is to get rid of the tarnish that builds up and then to give it its grippiness again! 🥂 YAY! Hmmmm...maybe it IS time to invest!! HAHA
HollySatine · 5/25/2011
thanks!
LopsiJulie · 5/26/2011
hmmm... I was thinking during my routine of trying to wipe my hands without having anyone notice... hahahaha! I make a point of practicing without grip, without wiping down the pole... if I get really frustrated then I use dry hands. I've been waiting since Feb for Dew point to arrive. GRRRR!
Kira · 5/26/2011
sometimes during a routine i'd do some floorwork where i'd sweep my hands across my body/legs so i can sneakily wipe my hands off haha though it's not a total solution i find it helps a little even if it is to trick my mind that i have wiped sweat off my hands! then i would go into further moves with confidence and not worry as much about sliding etc. I use dry hands for grip though, I used vinegar too but I found it gave me too much grip!
HollySatine · 5/26/2011
guess what!!! my Tite Grip arrived in the mail yesterday and I tried it during my practice session and that combined with tennis grip has worked the best for me so far! I was mainly practicing moves and am curious to see how it will hold up through a dance session where I'll be constantly moving - but I'm definitely optimistic! thanks everyone!!! :D